Check out "How we learn" course on Coursera. It deals with procrastination among other things.
Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
41–50 of 104 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#42If you were able to defeat procrastination with a todo list, you were not a procrastinator.
You just needed some organisation in your daily activities :)
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#43I find that my procrastination comes from tasks that my brain thinks are too hard, so what I do is I make todo lists, I break the task down into smaller more manageable tasks until they're small enough to digest easily. The more tired/cbf/bored I am, the smaller I make the tasks.
Also, for avoiding distractions I usually keep a piece of paper on my desk titled "distractions", if my mind wanders, I write down the thing it wandered to, if it happens again I put a dot next to that thing, surprisingly I never get more than a few dots before it's completely out of my mind for the day.
I kind of feel like this is somewhat related to the whole concept of mindfulness, rather than being stuck in your own distractions you observe them and move on... These two things help me immensely.
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#44I finally developed a daily meditation practice by starting small and focusing more on developing a habit first. I read somewhere that if you do something every day for 45 days you create new neural pathways. I don't know if the research backs it up but it's a nice thought.
So for six weeks I committed to meditating for any amount of time every day. I didn't care what the time was though I strove for five minutes.
After successfully doing that I bumped it up to a minimum of ten minutes every day for the next six weeks. The next six weeks I upped it again to 15 minutes. And on and on.
I actually found when I got to 25 minutes that my commitment felt like it was waning a little. No problem, I dropped it back down to 15 minutes. When I feel I'm ready I'll start increasing it again.
That all started last October and I've only missed two days. More importantly, I feel better than I think I ever have. I think soon I'm going to apply the same approach to exercise.
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#45I keep this on my desk, in a spot where my eyes land whenever my head starts to wander: https://bwitzenhausen.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/butler-wal... "First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won't. Habit is persistence in practice."
I have a set of mandatory activities, which I do for one hour and forty minutes.
When I have motivation or interest, I pushed on.
With this, I released a rewritten version of a factorio mod(thank god that I didn't decide to try to rewrite all of it). I am also on the last leg in completing a story.
However, I got whacked with a computer hardware failure, exiling me from osx and data...
Now, I'll have to find other activities worth doing in lieu of a working computer until it get fixed. :(
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#46www.coach.me
The website and the app have already helped me create many new habits.
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#47Personally speaking, no apps helped me beat procrastination. What actually helped me a lot is figuring out that I am unhappy and depressed in my life and why is that. Once I figured that out I set for big changes, and stopped caring a lot for things that made me unhappy. I appreciated things I got, I started going on trips around the world and met my wife. After being happy in life I found my self in a very positive…
I absolutely agree with you. I downgraded to a smart phone that only runs maps and has a camera and this has forced me to semi switch off tech when I'm away from my computer. My friends think I'm crazy (mostly because I'm a developer who doesn't have a "smart" phone).
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#48I created an email course (also available in book form) about this exact thing! [0]
But a few things I've found really useful are:
The Momentum app, which lets you quickly check off habits in the iOS notification centre widget. [1]
Starting small until the behaviour of a habit is ingrained, then increasing the time and effort. Eg. start with a 15 minute run until you're used to running 3x/week, then increase your time gradually until you're running 45 minutes every time, rather than jumping in the deep end. It's easier to keep up a habit that's small and easy, and to increase the activity once you've made it habitual. [2]
Only work on one new habit at a time, because it will take focus and discipline at first. [3]
Once your habit is solid, develop others by stacking them together. [4]
[0]: https://habits.bellebethcooper.com/ [1]: http://momentum.cc/ [2]: http://blog.bellebethcooper.com/french-habit.html [3]: https://exist.io/blog/keeping-up-habits/ [4]: http://blog.bellebethcooper.com/pushups.html
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#49What helps with procrastination is Adrafinil (precursor to Modafinil that doesn't require a prescription), Memantine, PhenylPiracetam Hydrazide, working on things that are interesting, and filing away (or having someone/something else do) whatever you don't like doing.
Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?
#50The most effective way that I have used: 45 minute work, then 5 minute bathroom break + stretches, then 45 minute work, then 15 minute break. Repeat.
The key is to understand that your body needs many little break from time to time, regardless of what your brain thinks.