On Spilling Milk and Paying Yourself First
I kinda risked my life to write this story.
It’s Sunday. I have another two days to go before my next and last exam for this season of finals.
The tension, the worries. They are here with me. It turns out that cramming isn’t a great idea. I knew it, and I also knew it takes more to make sure not to fall into this trap every time. I’m trying.
I was doing some past-year questions. After the first 2 hours, I decided to take a break and do some writing. Because the second post this week is due today. Being unable to bulk write and schedule ahead due to exams and other things on my plate is putting this “two posts a week” experiment on thin ice. Scary.
So here I am. Got out of the library, took a dump at the best toilet on campus, and sat on the sofa while typing this story with my two little thumbs on the phone. I washed my hands. Trust me.
However, as scary as failing the “two posts a week” experiment is, not getting ready for the exam is scarier. I think my friends on the Dean’s list would be panicking now if they were me. So why am I not studying now? Why don’t I put this writing on hold and devote everything to the cram?
I guess, part of me is still thinking about exams not being the only means to a good life. And that putting resources here is a means too. But I suppose I should be a grave digger for being so good at digging holes for myself. Surely, I could have created a situation where there is no need to choose between studying and writing, but both, right?
Ouch.
🐄 Not gonna cry over spilled milk
In Rich Dad, Poor Dad, the author Robert Kiyosaki recollected having two dads — one who paid the bills first thing in the month; the other who did it last. Surely, the first dad is more responsible and thus “successful”, right?
No.
It turned out that the “irresponsible” dad became the Rich Dad. Every month, Rich Dad would pay himself first by allocating money to his asset column before his monthly expenses. That means investing the money first before settling the bills and — in Robert’s own words — “let the creditors scream”.
I like it when they (the creditors) get tough. Why? Because those guys do me a favor. They inspire me to go out and create more money.
Like Robert and his Rich Dad, I see my next Wednesday exam as the bills chasing after him. Writing this post thus becomes akin to investing the money. Sure, it sounds crazy. Even I have a fear that it will bite me back next week.
But, like the creditors (my exam) screaming, I know wasting time under the current circumstances is out of the picture. I am compelled to use my finite resources well — less on inefficient studying and more on work that actually gets me ready for the paper.
At the same time, it counters Parkinson's Law — the all-so-famous law about work expanding to fill the time allocated. Limit the time and you shall get unexpectedly good results in less time than expected. Awesome, …right?
⚖️ The caveat and the potential
In my case, the idea of paying yourself first has a drawback: The less time you have from “the creditors”, the heavier the toll it takes on your morale. Seeing the limited time I have left and the amount of work I must do is discouraging — making it easy to run away into the comfy embrace of doom-scrolling and the like.
That's why I called myself a grave digger; I have dug a hole for myself. The ideal option is always one where I could do both “getting sufficiently ready for exams" and "writing” without having to resort to this. Alas, it's better to focus on the solution now than the (lactose-free) spilled milk on the floor.
That makes me wonder.
What if you have reasonably enough time from “the creditors”?
Say, you have two things to do:
Learn Python programming.
Finish an assignment due at a reasonably distant time from now.
The latter has a deadline, while the former is what you probably want to do as a hobby and an investment — nothing bad will happen even if you fail. Common sense tells you to get that assignment done so you can enjoy your Python learning later without guilt. Sounds logical, right?
But will you?
Without the need to learn Python, will you do it? Without “creditors” screaming at you, will you avoid Parkinson’s Law and complete the assignment efficiently? That’s a topic worth spending some time deep-diving into. Time which I don’t have much now. *sob*
Gonna get back to studying!
—Thomas🦙
🏆 Weekly Gold
Each week, I share something I found interesting with you. It could be a song, a book, a quote, or a YouTube video that blew my mind.
Here’s the gold this week 👇
Spot on. My latest experience happened to this blog post itself. After spending an hour on the couch writing on my phone, I hit writer’s block where I didn’t know how to continue. The ideas stopped flowing and I was just beating around the bushes.
Then I stopped writing, got up, and walked back to the library. The idea came to me during this walk. I’m amazed.
Other credits:
Cover photo by Yusuf Yassir on Unsplash.
Sam’s book notes on Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.