As I sat down at my computer this Sunday to start my first ever Free Peach article, I suddenly found myself completely drained of motivation despite my assurances to friends that I was about to “lock in.” After scrolling through Instagram for approximately fifteen minutes, checking my email twice to see if my Depop package arrived (it didn’t), and texting my best friend to complain about how much work I have, I revisited this document and stared at the blinking cursor, my mind as blank as the white expanse before me.
And that’s when it came to me. The sacred phrase, the magical words that always rouse me from procrastination into mediocre effort: if I write this article, I will go get a sweet treat.
Suddenly, my hands started moving of their own accord, typing out this very article with the will and vigor that only a sudden dopamine rush can inspire. Time passed in a flash, the image of a Crumbl cookie, matcha latte, or Sheng Kee custard bun burned in my mind as the guiding light in the darkness. Brow sweating, hands shaking, breath ragged, I typed out the last punctuation mark and submitted it.
And there you have it. For the hard, bordering on herculean effort it takes for a busy student like
me to pen entertainment for the Berkeley masses, I think I’ve earned a sweet treat. In fact, I just opened Snackpass and I’m about to rack up at least 400 points at Little Gem.
While some of you may claim I just did “the bare minimum” while having “no work ethic,” and I “can’t reward myself every time I fulfill one of my basic responsibilities,” I challenge you to find motivation in this cold, uncaring world without the comforting embrace of a little sweet treat. Graduation without debt? A high-paying job with a 401(k)? A house of my own? In this economy??? So before you judge, ask yourself, which is more expensive: therapy for my deep seated avoidance issues and existential dread, or a mango pomelo sago from Yi Fang?