I've been thinking about work recently. More specifically, non-deadline related work; tasks and goals I set for myself that follow a reasonable enough timeline, but for some reason am unable to complete in the given time. And although there are a ton of factors that come into play for this, I've been particularly thinking about that initial barrier of getting things started. I know that I would enjoy doing a particular task, I know that it probably won't even take me that long to complete, and I know that I'm going to feel fulfilled by the end of it, but still, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I just cannot seem to get myself started with it.
Quite expectedly, when I do manage to start the work, I find myself reaping all the rewards of the process, the end-product and everything in between. Why, then, is it so hard to get things started when the benefits of it are laid out right there?
The answer, as with most things, lies within chemistry, and more specifically, within the concept of Activation Energy. In simple terms, the minimum amount of energy that must be provided to result in a chemical reaction is called the Activation Energy of that reaction. After the reaction has been activated, though, it's usually smooth sailing from there until the end. Similarly, there seems to be an energy threshold that needs to be reached before a particular work can begin, which can be rather daunting even when you simply think about it. Which is why, the greatest barrier to getting any task completed is to get started with it.
To help in getting past this barrier with minimal energy expended, most chemical reactions use a catalyst to, you guessed it, catalyze this process and the end result is something that looks like this.
Real-life catalysts can take on various forms. It can be as common as a cup of coffee or a daily ritual that helps you get in the zone for bigger-energy tasks. For example, a warm-up sketch before working on your actual piece, or daily stretches before you begin your workout for the day.
For me, the closest real-life analogy to the concept of activation energy is the act of riding a bicycle. Before you can actually begin cycling, getting the wheels into motion and moving from a standstill is the toughest part of the process. You have to exert all your energy on the pedals, possible even have to stand and make deliberated, laborious motions.
Once you get started, however, moving along is a breeze, and sometimes you find yourself having to not even move your legs, the momentum of the pedals rotating moves them for you. Of course, once in a while you might have to put in some extra effort again to sustain that momentum, but the effort required for that is nowhere near the effort required at the start. It's okay to even slow down, but the important thing is to not come to a complete standstill, because then you’ll have to start all over again, expend that activation energy again, and it’ll feel like you’re back at square one without having made any progress.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that to reach a destination, it is more important to maintain your speed than to constantly try and increase it. It might be tempting to push the pedals faster, especially when you are full of energy and the momentum is carrying you forward, but it’s easy to reach the tipping point where you are either not equipped to handle the high velocity and lose balance, or the bicycle is not equipped to handle the high speed and the chains come loose. Either way, the bicycle falls over and you end up hurting yourself pretty badly. This can be likened to burnout and more often than not leaves you in a worse state than when you started. That’s why it’s important to pace yourself and try and get into that sweet spot of optimal flow. (Flow is another interesting concept altogether which I'll write about next week.)
Updates this week:
Ramadan 2021 has begun, bringing with it major deja vu as we’re forced to spend it at home again thanks to the second wave. Still, I am grateful for the fact that I get to spend it with family again and don’t have to compromise on home-cooked meals during iftaar.
I’m also trying out a new routine this time, where I try to get some writing done after suhoor from about 5-6 a.m. before waking up again at 10 to start the workday. It worked well for a few days before I relapsed into my old habit of staying awake till 2:00 am for no reason. But oh well, a new week means I get to try getting into this routine again.Speaking of the second wave, things are looking much worse compared to last year, and everyday brings with it worse news thanks to the sheer apathy of the people in charge. I’ve reached the stage where masks are making regular appearances in my dreams and an unrelated anxiety from the day manifested itself in my dream in the form of me stepping outside without a mask on.
Until this wave subsides, stay at home and if you must, then double-mask up before you step outside.I finally resumed reading Death’s End (part 3 of the amazing Three-Body Problem trilogy) after 2 weeks of an unintentional hiatus, and so far it’s as good as the first 2 books, which means I’m probably going to breeze through this one as well.
Stuff I’m Listening To:
This section can be easily summed up this week with just one word: AURORA
I first listened to Aurora almost 2 years back but mostly in a passive way as background music while I drew.
This past week, however, I chanced upon her work again thanks mostly to the TikTok trend making the rounds and listened to her body of work more actively this time. The ones that stayed with me the most are:
Runaway: The song in question that’s being used in the TikTok. Probably one of her most popular one and it’s easy to see why. The shift to the chorus at about the 2 minute mark is sublime. (Also she wrote this when she was 11!!??)
Running With The Wolves: This particular version of the song is from the soundtrack to Wolfwalkers (which, btw, is the best animated film of 2020, just saying) and plays in one of the best 3-minute sequences in all of film, both story-wise and animation-wise, and watching it last year made me miss theaters like never before
Exist For Love: This one’s probably my current favourite of the lot. There are tons of love songs I’ve listened to over the years (of course, there has never been any shortage of love songs), and while I’ve appreciated most of them for their lyrics, melody, overall composition or simply because they sounded great, this was the song that transported me back to the feeling of actually being in love; not the pain of parting, or the frenzied pace of it, but the feeling of fullness in the heart and the sheer joy of the sensation. And at this rate it’s probably going to show up in my Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year
Life On Mars: I love David Bowie. I love covers. And you bet I love a good David Bowie cover. This was the happy crossover I didn’t know I needed this week
The Seed: The energy of this one is infectious. And it’s a much needed anthem of sorts in the present day’s fight between man’s greed and nature
Links of the Week:
Since it’s the month of fasting, what better time to share these articles about food by Shing Yin Khor written for Catapult magazine. These kind of articles, which are essentially comic essays, are my favourite thing to read on the Internet. Something as simple as a cooked meal is imbued with so much rawness and delicacy, and even though each story is told from a uniquely personal perspective, there is a universal sentiment to each of them. Shing Yin Khor is as good a writer and storyteller as she is a cartoonist and I recommend taking the time to read through each of the following articles with a warm cup of tea in hand.
Say It with Noodles: On Learning to Speak the Language of Food
How Did Chop Suey Become a Staple of Chinese American Cuisine?
Posts of the Week:
That’s it for this week!
Mask up and stay safe,
Raef