The Imaginary Mean Teacher That Keeps Me Productive

Image source

I have had a very bad experience with a teacher. When I was in primary school, I was criticized for having some rather bad handwriting. My teacher was not pleased and said some nasty things of me in front of the class. Naturally, I wasn't happy too. As a kid that was entering his teenage years, I had a temper. Thus, I grumbled silently as I walked back to my seat.

Unfortunately, I wasn't as quiet as I hoped to be and the teacher heard me grumbling. I was called back to the front and what happened next was a blur. If you have been hit in the head or slapped, you know what I mean. If you were expecting it, its easy to block or dodge it. I wasn't expecting it and the full weight of the teacher's palm made contact with my left and right cheeks repeatedly. When it was all over, there was numbness in my cheek but the pain came later, just that the pain was somewhat different.

I have been slapped before but this felt like a cut and I touched my lips only to find blood dripping down my cracked lips. The teacher was wearing a ring and it had cut into my lips as I was being slapped. As much as a teacher should not hit a student, I share some fault for not keeping my big mouth shut. For the record I don't blame the teacher but we all have that one mean teacher in our lives. I hope yours is not as painful nor dramatic as mine but this mean teacher has become somewhat of an imaginary avatar in my head.

Keeping Me Productive

Image source

Ever since I have started my study leave and left my nine to five job behind (temporarily), I have started taking on several projects and tasks. One of them was to complete academic articles and my thesis on time. The problem though is that there are so many things that call out to me, demanding my attention. There's the different cool new shows that have been released, Altered Carbon, Star Trek Discovery and The Walking Dead. Plus, don't get me started with the new games and old games like Counterstrike. Bottom line is that there are just so many other better more exciting things to do aside from completing my work.

Worse of all, there is no immediate repercussion if I do not complete my work quick. Well, not until three years later when I have to submit my full thesis. Deep down, I know that it is more practical to start early and thus, I have enlisted the help of my imaginary mean teacher to keep me on task. I name her Ms Q.

Every morning Ms Q would provide me a list of tasks to complete. If I am able to complete these tasks, she leaves me alone. However, if I don't complete my tasks, she yells in my ear and I feel a sense of failure for not completing my work.

So, How Do I Get Myself a Mean Teacher

Image source

I hope up till this point, you know that Ms Q is but my imagination. That being said, if all of you freelancers and students out there are wondering if you should conjure up a Ms Q, I would say it depends. If your work is not time sensitive like mine, you would probably need an imaginary motherly figure instead.

The point really in having an imaginary mean teacher yelling in my head, is to do with how I am driven to complete my work. Even in the classroom setting, the most driven students have an objective in mind, they are driven to study because they are hoping to achieve a particular objective in life. Thus, think of your short and medium term objectives. Once you have clearly defined these objectives, set some consequences for not achieving them. If you don't want to go the 'extra mile' to conjure up an imaginary Ms Q, perhaps cut down on your Steemit or Facebook time for not completing them.

The point of this is to increase one's productivity in order to accomplish more tasks in a day. Perhaps you are struggling to complete your research, Steemit post or your half completed book. Either way, setting some consequences could motivate you to stop procrastinating.

Image source

Conclusion

I have found Ms Q especially useful in the first few semesters in completing and defending my proposal in less than a year. Before I started, I was advised to take one year off and enjoy myself before starting my work. Ms Q however disagreed and I was strongly encouraged by it ('it' because she's not real... I think) to complete my work fast.

I hope this post has been entertaining if not somewhat useful. If you find yourself procrastinating, why not conjure up your own Ms Q and give it a try? Consequences does make a difference when it comes to increasing one's productivity. If you have your own Ms Q, do share about it in the comments below.

---

The author is currently completing his doctorate and may experience the occasional PHD (Permanent Head Damage) as a result of his studies. Rest assured, he is perfectly sane.

---