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Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

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Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#291

Post by X4 »

@procrastron Mind & Body are equally important. DO SPORT Regulary! 3-4 Times a Week at the same days every week. Your discipline will come over you and attack your laziness.

I say that out of personal experience, so if you use only your mind to do your work, it will shut-off pretty fast to go into standby, because you trained that mind-muscle to be efficient (3h/day@work). After doing your sports, your mind will have to adapt and that will decrease your concentration in the first week, but raise it dramatically in the coming weeks.

Hey it could be your workload too (idk you), in that case, ask for more ;) hahaha :)

Hook up with a stranger, a friend, or go alone and try to find pals you can do your sport regularly with as a motivation.

Just NOW you procrastinate AGAIN ;) Why don't you ask your family, Gf, or go to a Psychologist or Ergo-Theraphy or something, instead of asking the Internet. You know it's not very likely that we can help you, only you can help yourself.

I'm not perfect myself and focus on everything, but the thing I need to do. My habit is to solve things generally and that leads me from A-Z and back to A, then after having everything done, I start with the job I actually have to do.. sucks

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#292

Post by mozboz »

procastatron wrote: post #213
mozboz wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely agree with this. You're exhibiting the behaviour of someone in a deep conflict because you're not doing what you really want to do, but cultural and societal norms are forcing you to play out this role, and you're getting enough rewards from it (monetary and psychological) to keep you in this stasis of inaction. There is no quick solution, as you can see from your father who has probably battled with the s…

I think I've had this with everything though. Even things I really enjoy I find myself procrastinating about

There is no such thing as procrastination or avoidance.

To 'avoid' something you need to have something to avoid and a motivation to avoid it, avoidance does not exist in and of itself.

My message still applies to whatever these new 'things you really enjoy' are. If you are procrastinating over them, you are avoiding _something_ because of _a reason_, and you'll need to do very hard work to find out what's going on and the real context in which it's happening (option 1), or drop out, clean the slate, and let yourself reinvent you (option 2).

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#293

Post by vladmk »

Firstly, realization in itself is trans-formative. The fact that you did this is progress already. Very few people in fact I'd argue really no one in life reaches their true physical, mental, spiritual etc potential so we are all procrastinators to one extent or another you are just at that extreme.

You never stated what your goals are. What are they? Try to make them inevitable. This guy talks about that and also has interesting thoughts about video-game procrastination:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kyhXttVakk

Remember you're not looking for motivation you're looking for discipline. This is also something I get confused a lot and halts my daily progress down as well. Coincidentally this guy talks about that as well...not trying to over-promote, but I found these two videos useful all his other stuff is meh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_FFIFhG6to

Best of luck

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#294

Post by vmarsy »

netcan wrote: post #258
Oculus wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 For being able to admit the 'hippy dippy bullshit'. Sometimes that stuff works best, even thought we hate to say so.

Strange how embarrassed I feel writing it down. Even weirder is that I feel like recommending ADD medication legitimizes me recommending meditation and breathing rituals. I actually find them complimentary.

Don't ADD medication looks like an easy way of not improving your willpower ?

You let an external mechanism do the work for you.

I think the author is in the right way :

>it's starting to really gnaw at me

tehwalrus's advices are really good, except for the 1st one.

> 1) don't waste cognitive energy on silly tasks (games, arguing in comment threads, etc.)

You should not focus on that, but on all the other points : Go do some sports (Because you didn't do it in the past doesn't mean you're doomed not to do some now) And when you do it, time yourself and push it a little bit more each time (lifting stronger weights, running a bit faster, etc.). You don't need some instructor to yell at you to do that, just by strongly thinking of the idea of improving yourself (mentally and physically) will yield to incredible results.

At the end, the " don't waste cognitive energy on silly tasks (games, arguing in comment threads, etc.)" will happen without you paying attention to it : You must not force yourself from not playing games, you just mustn't feel the need to.

At work it's a bit different, if you feel you're still doing nothing, it would really help you to remove distractions from you, as said in some blogs : block websites that makes you unproductive from your work computer. When you feel you need a break, just look at them on your tablet, if possible, by changing of physical location, that will make you realize when you're not working, and so you will say to yourself : "ok, time to get back to work".

If you stay at your computer desk all day it's harder to have this "time to get back to work" kicking.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#295

Post by dylanhassinger »

procastatron wrote: post #15
dylanhassinger wrote: post #4

1. DOWNSIZE. drastically reduce your commitments / todo list. Procrastination is your subconscious brain's way of saying that it is freaking out with what's on its plate. 2. INTENTION. with the stuff that's left over, take a time out and truly commit to it. Do meditation, quiet your brain, and make an honest decision about what you're committing to. 3. IMPLEMENTATION. now plan HOW you will get these committments done…

I think too much shit is probably part of my problem. I say yes to everything all the time and as a result I'm involved with literally every part of this startup. I've definitely made myself a Godin lynchpin but people are starting to lose faith in this silly wunderkinds ability to execute. Meditation is a good idea. I tried getting into it, ended up reading up on some weird sex meditation shit and went down the rabb…

everything in moderation :) good thread btw

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#297

Post by daat418 »

TheZenPsycho wrote: post #282
daat418 wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another favourite past-time of Western-privileged-folks: waxing poetic about subject matter they have no acquaintance with outside of internet articles and forum comments. Regardless of contrasts with "more serious" psychological or physical illness, ADHD is debilitating without treatment and destroys the suffer's quality of life.

My aim was not to devalue the suffering of people who have ADHD. My aim was to make fun of armchair internet psychiatrists.

Apologies for being reactionary, then.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#300

Post by a3voices »

greenyoda wrote: post #40
beachstartup wrote: post #21

> I make $130k as a 21 year old and I probably put in 3 hours of real work a day. do you really think your subconscious is capable of changing when this is the scenario it is presented with? you say you're "pretty smart", i would say "you're just smart enough to get away with it." start a company. force yourself into uncomfortable situations.

I'm not sure that "start a company" would be good advice until he can figure out what the causes of his lack of motivation are. Working entirely on his own without the structure and goals of an organized workplace around him could lead to even more procrastination.

If he truly wants to be Mr. Overachiever, then starting a company is probably more meaningful than working harder at his current job.
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