Procrastination and productivity.

My dissertation is about identity construction on Facebook.

Now, I won't bore you with all the theory or literature, or even the basic premise behind the topic. Suffice it to say that I have been (and will continue to be) spending way too many hours looking through profile pictures and status updates. And seeing as how that's how a lot people of people spend their down time (because that's essentially what Facebook is all about, after all), it sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right?

Well, sure.

Except for one little thing.

Facebook was made for procrastination. It keeps you distracted from the all the things you actually should be doing. It kills productivity. That's why I don't let myself check it during the time I've allotted for real work. But now, I can't do that. Now, my work requires me to use it. It's basically a "can't work with it, can't work without it" situation.  

So that's a dilemma.

In order for me to get anything done on my dissertation, I've got to get on Facebook. And if I get on Facebook, inevitably I'll find myself staring at a little red notification demanding my attention. And if I've got a notification, I have to click on it. And if I click on it, I get sucked into something that's not remotely related to my dissertation, which was the only reason I got on in the first place. This happens pretty much every time I try to get something done. It's a vicious cycle.

Wish me luck.