I'd rather do your work than mine

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the tendency of participants to engage in answering others' math and science questions on the forum instead of focusing on their own academic work, such as theses or textbooks. It explores themes of procrastination, the enjoyment of helping others, and the stress associated with academic responsibilities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a tendency to seek out others' questions as a form of procrastination from their own work.
  • Others suggest that engaging with the forum is easier and more enjoyable than tackling their own academic responsibilities.
  • Several participants note that stress related to their own work increases the urge to contribute to discussions on the forum.
  • One participant humorously mentions that feeling smarter than others can be a temporary relief from academic pressures.
  • There are references to external resources, like comics, that participants use to cope with their academic struggles.
  • Some participants share their experiences of finding distractions in various activities instead of focusing on their theses.
  • There is a light-hearted acknowledgment of the irony in procrastination and the challenges of academic life.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the tendency to procrastinate and find enjoyment in helping others, but there are varying degrees of acknowledgment regarding the stress and pressure of their own academic work. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best ways to manage these feelings.

Contextual Notes

Participants express a range of emotions related to their academic responsibilities, including stress and the desire for distraction, but do not reach a consensus on effective strategies for managing these challenges.

ArcanaNoir
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Does anyone else find themselves haunting the forum looking for other people's math or science questions to answer when they have perfectly good math/science work to do themselves? I have THREE textbooks I could and should be working out of, but what am I doing? Looking for other people's equations to solve. What's up with that?
 
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ArcanaNoir said:
Does anyone else find themselves haunting the forum looking for other people's math or science questions to answer when they have perfectly good math/science work to do themselves? I have THREE textbooks I could and should be working out of, but what am I doing? Looking for other people's equations to solve. What's up with that?

Bahahaha I find myself doing this quite often. I think it's mostly because I get bored of whatever I'm working on at the time and just 'take a break'... an 'extended break'. ;)
 
Every now and then, when you don't know what the **** is going on, it's nice to feel like you're smarter than someone, anyone else.

Then it's back to the gallows.
 
If you're not going to do the work you're supposed to do anyway, I can recommend http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php" .

It's about getting through the Phd-to-be stage where it's apparently impossible to get any work done. :wink:
 
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I sometimes find myself here instead of working on my thesis. That's probably why I've recently taken to running Freedom (despite the domain name, PC and Mac versions available):
http://macfreedom.com/
 
hahahaha too true. Right now I should be working on my thesis but looking through and contributing to discussions here is far more enjoyable. I think whenever there is pressure to do something the stress of it takes away some of the enjoyment.
 
ryan_m_b said:
hahahaha too true. Right now I should be working on my thesis but looking through and contributing to discussions here is far more enjoyable. I think whenever there is pressure to do something the stress of it takes away some of the enjoyment.

I believe so too. :smile:
And I'd take it a step further.
Whenever I have stress because I have to do something, the urge to do something else (like contributing to PF) becomes stronger. :wink:
 
I like Serena said:
If you're not going to do the work you're supposed to do anyway, I can recommend http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php" .

I'm already up to summer 2007 in the archives... I'm scared about what happens when I catch up to current. No more hours of comic reading? I also find it kind of depressing, reading about the struggles to graduate, and students not having any work to show their advisor, while I'm not doing any work to show my advisor...
 
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  • #10
I like Serena said:
I believe so too. :smile:
And I'd take it a step further.
Whenever I have stress because I have to do something, the urge to do something else (like contributing to PF) becomes stronger. :wink:

That's sooooo true!
 
  • #11
Not really relevant to the discussion, but when I saw the thread title I thought it mean "I'd rather do your work than work in a mine"
 
  • #12
ArcanaNoir said:
I'm already up to summer 2007 in the archives... I'm scared about what happens when I catch up to current. No more hours of comic reading? I also find it kind of depressing, reading about the struggles to graduate, and students not having any work to show their advisor, while I'm not doing any work to show my advisor...

No worries, you can tell yourself that when you catch up, you'll have no more reason to be distracted... and then you will think of something else, of course. :wink:

Btw, I suspect that the author found that drawing comics was (or is :-p) a "better" way to spend his time than working on his thesis.


lisab said:
That's sooooo true!

:smile:
 
  • #13
I have my MS thesis that needs to be done in a little over 2 months. What have I had the stronger impulse to do instead? Clean my work room. Develop a guide to using Latex for incoming MS students. Learning to cook. Go golfing.
 
  • #14
I think that this graph is uncomfortably accurate:

phd102710s.gif
 
  • #15
micromass said:
I think that this graph is uncomfortably accurate:

phd102710s.gif

I was just about to comment "It's likely the most educational method of procrastination that will ever be known"
 
  • #16
Chi Meson said:
Every now and then, when you don't know what the **** is going on, it's nice to feel like you're smarter than someone, anyone else.

Then it's back to the gallows.

And we both know all about the delights of correcting student papers, don't we, Chi Meson?
It is soo absorbing&worthwhile that even a peek on PF is difficult to make...
 
  • #17
micromass said:
I think that this graph is uncomfortably accurate

Weren't you working on a thesis as well?
How is it coming along? :biggrin:

(I'm just happy I'm not working on one any more!)
 
  • #18
I like Serena said:
Weren't you working on a thesis as well?
How is it coming along? :biggrin:

(I'm just happy I'm not working on one any more!)


 
  • #19
arildno said:
And we both know all about the delights of correcting student papers, don't we, Chi Meson?
It is soo absorbing&worthwhile that even a peek on PF is difficult to make...

Oh yes. :ironic:
 

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