My weird and not so productive work/study routine

Inspired by this post, I am comforted by the fact that I am not the only one that has a roundabout way of getting into work/study/blogging mode. I find it difficult to immerse myself into study mode, so it must be done gradually. But this also has risks of being distracted, which is why it takes forever for me to ever get anything done. This is why I have schedules and to do lists.

• Remove self from room/house.

I almost always do my work in some type of cafe setting. This is because if I stayed in my house/room then I would be distracted by the things I need to do. Like laundry, cleaning, things I need to stock up on in my fridge/pantry, and the list goes on. This is why I need to remove myself from that, so I do not have that distraction.

• Set up work area.

Find a table (preferably one that is near a plug outlet). Set up work area by placing my notebooks, laptop, Kindle, planner, and pens/highlighters onto the table.

• Hazelnut coffee.

I must have coffee and preferably it should be hazelnut coffee. I either use the Donut Shop k-cups and add International Delight hazelnut creamer and one packet of raw sugar. It must always be that particular brand, because CoffeeMate has some crappy plastic seal instead of the foil that they used to have. Or it must be ice hazelnut coffee with room for half and half, no need for sugar because the syrup shots are already sweetened. I could just get the regular hot coffee with the hazelnut syrup shots, but then there’s this weird aftertaste in the hot coffee that isn’t there when I have it iced. It just doesn’t taste the same as hazelnut creamer. Also when doing work, I prefer iced coffee even when it’s winter because hot drinks of any kind will give me what I call warm soup belly and make me sleepy.

Also must keep water bottle nearby to properly hydrate myself, since caffeine does the complete opposite.

• Snacks.

I feel a compulsive need to munch on something whenever I am trying to do work, so I try to keep the snacks on the healthier side (nuts, crunchy veggies, and cereal). They must be crunchy, since it makes doing work slightly enjoyable. I swear I feel like I’m a squirrel or a hamster. And feeling like a squirrel is only amplified when I am snacking on pistachios. My go-to snacks are Honey Bunches of Oats, sliced cucumbers with Italian dressing, pistachios, and Honey Nut/MultiGrain/Oat Cluster Crunch Cheerios. I am a big fan of Cheerios, especially when I am poor.

• Go to YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Google Reader, email and waste lots of time.

I cannot do any work unless I check all of the above before getting down to business… and I must check them multiple times in case anything has been updated. This is why I have the SelfControl app that blocks any time wasters when I absolutely have a deadline looming over me. Oh God, if only I discovered this earlier in my years as an undergraduate.

• Create the perfect playlist to work to.

It’s a little embarrassing how much time is devoted to making these playlists. Sometimes I am in a jazzy type of mood to boost creativity. At times I need to be super focused and nothing but techno will do. Other times I need to just listen to the instrumentals of movie soundtracks to help me not be agitated and actually kick myself in the ass to get work done. And sometimes I’m too lazy and in need to discover new music, so I just listen to Pandora. As of late the stations I have devoted to finding music similar to She & Him and Pink Martini has been pretty awesome in terms of finding awesome new music. Not doing so great for my wallet though.