The Importance Of Living In A Clean And Aesthetically Pleasing Space

Months ago, at the peak of its popularity, I decided to listen to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s best-selling book 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote For Chaos and I, like many, found some helpful tidbits which I’ve incorporated into my daily routines. While I may not agree with Peterson about everything, especially politically, I did find his self-help book helpful, and this post is communicating the concept that resonated the most with me when reading about it, which is “Rule Six” entitled “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”

While this chapter title is rather commanding and upfront, it also has a complexity and depth that works on multiple levels of analysis. Firstly, and most broadly, Peterson is asserting that one has no room to make criticism about their findings in the world if they haven’t already addressed all of the skeletons that may be in their own closets. On this level of analysis, Peterson is making clear that those who are listened to are those who have already proven that they can effectively practice what they’re preaching. The second layer of analysis ties in nicely with lectures that Dr. Peterson has given in the past about cleaning your room. By making the space around you clean and aesthetically pleasing, you prepare yourself a place to leave from and return to that provides stability and pleasure. The first step toward orienting yourself toward a greater goal is laying a unshaken foundation for yourself that inspires a more active lifestyle, including keeping a tighter schedule, maintaining a healthy diet, and finding a goal greater than yourself for that you are able to contribute to daily. Peterson is making a bigger point here, but at the very least to me, keeping a clean space inspires productivity and makes me feel slightly better than if things were askew.

When things are in a chaotic state around me, especially those things that I do have control over but for some reason am not disciplined enough in that moment to take control over, either anxiety, indifference, or general laziness kicks in. Taking control of the space that I live in, keeping things tidy and clean, and making my living space not only aesthetically pleasing for myself but for those I allow in it, make me feel more in control of my environment and encourage greater action, the checking of more to-do list boxes, and better, more creative thinking.

Try to incorporate this idea of cleanliness and productivity in your own life - I hope it helps.

2019 NBA Finals Game 3 Recap + Game 4 Prediction

I definitely should’ve waited longer before posting before game 3. Every excruciating camera shot of Klay Thompson sitting anxiously on the bench and his teammates missed open shots, had mindless lapses on defense, and were unable to ever pull ahead of their opposition twisted the knife in me knowing that my prediction for game 3 would end up completely inaccurate, which it did. But that is the unfortunate reality of professional sports: injuries happen. What’s frustrating as a former player and viewer about game 3 is that Stephen Curry not only lead his team in scoring, but in exertion and effort. Diving for loose balls, playing active defense, and making precision passes that lead to high-percentage shots for teammates is exactly what every role-player should have been doing throughout the night at Oracle, but instead, it was as if they accepted defeat far too early. If Klay Thompson doesn’t return for game 4, this series is effectively over in favor of Toronto. The other splash brother is expected to be active tonight, so that is what my prediction for tonight’s game will be based on. If not, I expect a result similar to game 3.

The Raptors won a game that they were supposed to win on Wednesday night. Kawhi Leonard was dominant on both sides of the floor, Danny Green went nuclear and was knocking down what felt like every three-pointer he shot, Serge “I-Block-Ya” Ibaka was ruthless defensively, and Fred VanVleet continued to demonstrate his impressive basketball IQ, as well as making some tough lay-ups and that last ridiculous three-point shot (good lord). Toronto took advantage of the mismatches created from Golden State’s injuries and played at a pace fast enough to tire Golden State, slowing rotations and forcing sluggish offense. The Golden State Warriors are arguably facing their most difficult matchup of the playoffs so far in these finals having to deal with the depth of Toronto while managing so many injuries. This is a very winnable series for the Raptors, and if tonight goes in Toronto’s favor, it will likely end in game 5 barring a miracle return from Kevin Durant.

The Warriors are champions with a level-headed and rational mentality only rivaled by the robotic and machine-like stability provided by Kawhi, The Klaw. If Klay Thompson is able to go tonight, I expect the Warriors to regain some confidence as their talent depth increases, leading to a much-needed victory in game 4 this evening. If not, Toronto takes this one with ease. We shall see - hopefully I’m not blindsided by an inactive listing again.

Prediction: GSW 111, TOR 107

2019 NBA Finals Game 2 Recap + Game 3 Prediction

I am happy to report that Game 2 of the 2019 NBA finals went pretty much as I predicted that it would right here on this blog. Although my predicted score was a little higher than what actually occurred (did not expect both teams to go ice cold in the 4th quarter), most of my other projections came to fruition. Despite falling victim to some of the same errant play in the first half of game 2 as they demonstrated in game 1, the relentless 3rd quarter Golden State team we’ve come to know and love, or hate depending on who you ask, went on the highest Finals run of 20-0 since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976, and were graced by a clutch shot from Andre Iguodala to take game 2. Swarming defensively, making extra passes to ensure high percentage shot opportunities, and trusting role-players like DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook to make big-time plays all while protecting the basketball helped a hobbling Golden State team put themselves in position to steal game 2 in Toronto and win everyone in America a free Doritos Locos Taco.

If the Toronto Raptors turn up the heat and take advantage of all of Golden State’s current shortcomings leading to an upset victory in the Finals, I’m worried that their championship efforts will be unnecessarily diminished by critics saying it wouldn’t be possible if the Warriors had been running at 100%. The reality is that they’re far from it and, as we saw on Sunday night, that doesn’t matter even on a stage as big as stages get in this sport. If Toronto wants to avoid being meme’d to oblivion for losing to such an injury-stricken Warriors team, they need to make some adjustments now that home court advantage has been taken away from them. While the Raptors can’t also plan on Klay Thompson having an off night due to his injured hamstring, they need to turn their focus to the man who has proven that even when not feeling well, or playing with blurred vision, unanimous MVP Stephen Curry, who can go off and put a game away at any moment. While Fred VanVleet has done a respectable job so far this series keeping up with Curry (and representing the 815), the Raptors need tighter rotations and more double-teams on Curry to slow Golden State’s offense. If Steph is able to get in rhythm at home barring any more energy lapses, this series is as good as over. The Raptors instead need to force Golden State’s role-players and big men to make moves and score points, a task that isn’t a given now that Kevin Durant is out, Klay Thompson is limping, Kevon Looney is out for the series, and Boogie Cousins is still getting back in rhythm.

While Oracle Arena is notorious for having an atmosphere only the Warriors can operate effectively in, it has been known to fail at key times as I said in my earlier post. The Warriors should feel somewhat comfortable, but absolutely cannot take any game for granted in these NBA Finals. The Raptors are playing with the pride and grit sufficient to take down any team in this league, and the Warriors need to have that same intensity if they want to keep home court advantage and complete the 3-peat. I see this as a crucial game in the series, and in reality one that is 50/50. That being said, I’m not going to bet against Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors who are primed and ready to be back in front of their home crowd. This should be a good one.

Prediction: GSW 108, TOR 103

Why Time Management Is A Procrastinator's Best Friend

As a college student I often find myself in the predicament of having what always seems like (but never really is) far too much time to complete my assignments. Unlike in high school where assignments were often due the same week if not the day after they are given out, university professors tend to give their students several weeks if not months to complete more lengthy and complicated tasks. From the mind of a professional procrastinator like myself, waiting until the last minute to tackle what is always a more complicated assignment than originally anticipated is a bad habit that I had developed but, amazingly, was able to recently break by coming up practicing what I’ve always known the right way to handle projects: time management.

My last semester in college was one in which I found success (however I will forever despise Geology and also that class received none of the advice offered in this post) in breaking assignments into bite-sized pieces, creating accomplishable and color-coded checklists for myself to complete, and allowing myself enough time to fall slightly behind without feeling overwhelmed if I was graced by the delightful presence of writer’s block, which I’ve found is only curable with time and patience. Had I not managed my time more carefully, the two online classes that I took as well as the in-person Spanish class and upper-level, writing intensive English class that I took paired with Geology which I likely would have failed if not for taking it with my amazing girlfriend who kept my studying somewhat disciplined, would’ve all become far too overwhelming to achieve A’s and B’s like I did. Procrastination is an attribute found in some degree within all of us, and while some of us use the excuse that they perform “better under pressure” as I used to, it is an attribute that should be eradicated if possible because it is completely unnecessary, and the result of carefully considered work is always higher quality and more consistently achievable than trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

For me, discipline is found when I find pleasure in accomplishing tasks and seeing real progress. The work such as presentations and lengthy papers (English Major life, yo) that once seemed daunting and difficult now seems enjoyable and more like a winnable game than a mountainous task . Instead of arbitrarily starting one assignment instead of a more pressing one, quickly becoming distracted, and then giving up to instead play a video game or take a nap (welcome to college!), working backwards from due dates and figuring out what needs to be done each day to complete an assignment most efficiently and effectively has saved my work ethic and has me excited for the next semester of college, which is guaranteed to be more demanding than ever before. Life tends to ask more of you as time goes on, so hopefully you have made yourself more equipped to deal with all of its challenges.

I know this is all fairly straightforward advice, but when actually put into practice, it has worked wonders for me. These things are well-known for a reason, right? The key is consistency and discipline, which we could all improve on. Happy studying — but not now. It’s summer. Just chill for now.

2019 NBA Finals Game 1 Recap + Game 2 Prediction

As a fairly avid fan of NBA basketball, I couldn’t be happier with this year’s NBA finals matchup. Well, I take that back - if somehow the Chicago Bulls had pulled off one of the greatest miracles and had actually decided to win games this past season, somehow making it through the playoffs and into the finals, that would’ve been absolutely incredible. Instead, the non-fairytale world we live in still provided a very intriguing matchup for fans, and game 1 of this series did not disappoint.

A Warriors team that was 32-1 in their last 33 games in which Stephen Curry played and Kevin Durant did not simply looked rusty on Thursday night after 9 complete days off between the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. Right out of the gate, Golden State was committing careless turnovers, allowing easy transition baskets for the Raptors, and was failing to close-out on open three-point shots from players like Danny Green and Marc Gasol, allowing Toronto to open driving lanes and to spread the floor all while Scotiabank Arena gained more and more energy. Toronto also came out as if they expected to take game 1. As a basketball player myself for a few years and a fan who has been to some high-intensity games, I understand the unpredictability of the sport when there is a certain energy in an arena. Toronto is representing an entire country of fans who are getting their first taste of the NBA Finals in Canada, against the reigning champions no less, and they didn’t want to send those fans home disappointed. While every Raptor should be proud of stellar performances all around, especially from Pascal Siakam (14/17 shooting and 32 points, are you kidding me?!), they also shouldn’t get too comfortable against a Warriors team who has demonstrated that they are capable of making the necessary adjustments to get themselves right back into a series.

As a fan of the sport in general, I am disappointed to see any player go down with an injury, but seeing a KD-less Warriors team have to exert more effort than usual makes this series much more interesting. The reality is that Golden State did not play very well in game 1, without Kevin Durant, and still only lost by 9 points. They should, and already seem to, feel very comfortable going into game 2. Their game plan of doubling Kawhi Leonard and forcing Toronto to constantly take 3’s is a good one and when the law of averages kicks in and the Warriors close-out on open shots more effectively, the Raptors’ shooting percentage is likely to fall quite dramatically. That same law of averages likely indicates that Klay Thompson will do a better job as the series progresses, and the 9 point gap between the two teams in game 1 will likely shrink in game 2, if not grow in favor of Golden State.

I predict a game 2 that takes the air out of Jurassic Park. Steve Kerr and the members of his championship Warriors are hungry, willing to adjust, and do not want to go down 0-2 without Kevin Durant, because for as well as they perform on their home court in Oracle Arena, they’ve been known to drop the ball in some vital must win games. I could be wrong here, and I sometimes am about these things — but I see a statement victory coming from Golden State tonight. Hopefully a win will shut Drake up, too, because that in and of itself is enough to write an entire blog post about. Enjoy the game no matter the result.

Prediction: GSW 117, TOR 105