Busy Work Programming

When I have some tedious task that I can't put off any longer, I can't do it in silence. I'm normally not the type of person who has to have the television or radio on all the time. I like the silence as it helps me mentally focus. But when it's a task that I can pretty much do on autopilot, then my brain is going to want something to occupy it while the rest of me works from muscle memory. That's where my busy work programming comes in handy.

My current programming of choice is The Big Bang Theory. I've watched every episode and have the first four seasons on DVD. When I've got something annoying but necessary to do, I'll just pop in a disk, hit the play all, and get to work. Since I've already seen the episode, I'm not compelled to watch or really pay attention. It's like going on a long car trip with my brain in the back seat with a DVD of Finding Nemo. I get the job done without my brain interrupting every five minutes to ask me "Are you done yet?"

It is for this reason that the play all option is a must when I'm buying a season of television on DVD. There's no excuse not to have one; because I will only buy a show I've already seen and wish to revisit, or have playing in the background. I don't want to stop whatever I'm doing every twenty-two or forty-four minutes to move to the next episode. I simply want to let the DVD player do the work for me.

I'm finding the need for my busy work programming to be especially necessary this week. I plan to create and upload many new designs for my Funandgeeky website. I have over a hundred designs just waiting to be brought into the light, and while I like the design process a lot of it is just tedious. Without a proper distraction, my brain will refuse to work unless I stop whatever I'm doing and play video games or find something to argue about on the internet.

Other times it's a mode pedestrian task. I don't like shoe shopping and would prefer to keep the ones I have in good shape. Every few months I sit down and polish them all. It's a great feeling when I'm done, as it makes them look much nicer and guarantees that I can postpone having to get another pair. (For the record, it's not that I hate shopping for shoes, it's just that I can get incredibly picky and half the time they don't have what I want in my size.) Again, that distraction means I get the job done in one sitting and I don't leave shoes and polishing supplies sitting on the floor for a week. I leave enough things sitting on the floor as it is, there's no need to add to the collection.

This is why I'm definitely getting my money's worth on those four (soon to be five) seasons of Big Bang Theory. Eventually I'll grow tired of them and move on to another show, so long as it has a play-all button. Until then, when I need to get something done, I can always count on my four favorite nerds and their Barenaked Ladies theme song.

 More of my Musings

  

Never Outgrow Playing
I Support Marriage
Comparing the Spider-Man movies
Advantage: Print Books
My Zombie Plan
The Enemy of Good
The Madagascar Problem
Can I be part of the conspiracy?
Why we should care about The Oatmeal
Games as Literature
Getting my Money's Worth: Video Games
That Dreaded First Draft
Shaky Cam is the Tool of the Devil