Category: Unit 1.5: Difficulty Paper – “Later” (Page 3 of 20)

The plan is to sit down actually take my time read every edition carefully. Take time to do it after school and read with full understanding. When I write about the “Later” again it will be based on everything I thought when reading through the story.

Later Homework 09/28
After reading the article Later by James Surowiecki it was a very enlightening experience not to mention it still felt very relevant to me still. We did an in-class exercise to find the meaning of the words in the text we did not know the meaning to, and it was only during this exercise that I realized just how many words I knew, vaguely knew and how much I completely did not know. So equipped with the understanding of these words, reading the text became much clearer and enjoyable. I also gained a greater appreciation for the different references the author made to economists and socialists and their varying views on procrastination. To be honest the second time was totally intriguing to read and understand these references and to read them unbiased and just with an open mind to understand the points they were bringing across. For example, when the author described blowing of work as it maybe ‘you were actually engaging in a practice that illuminates the fluidity and the complicated relationship of human beings to time.’ And then he supported his argument with the view of George Ainslie who argued that dragging your heel is “as fundamental as the shape of time and could well be called the basic impulse.” I agree, however I am desperate to overcome this in my personal life and with my studies because after a long day at work sometimes procrastination takes over mostly because I am mentally and physically tired. Another reference was from an economist who explained hyperbolic discounters, who are I quote “people who are able to make rational choice when they are thinking about the future but, as the present gets closer, short-term considerations overwhelm their long-term goals.” I can associate here also sometimes I have my goals set in mind and I am on the path to accomplishing it, but some distractions occur, and I have to reel myself back on track and remind myself of my greater purpose of achieving my goal.

When re-reading a challenging text that I struggled with during my initial reading, I would use a more strategic approach to enhance my comprehension.  The first thing i would do is to start by reviewing any notes or annotations I made during my first reading to identify the specific areas that i found difficult. Next, I would conduct some  research on the topic to gain a broader understanding of the context and any unfamiliar concepts. I would break the text into smaller sections, review them and try not to move on if I still don’t understand it. I learned that continuing to read when you still are lost a little just generally makes you way more confused . This approach would allow me to digest the material more effectively. By focusing on understanding rather than simply getting through the text, I could better overcome the challenges I faced when reading it the first time and I understand it way better.