I'm a big procrastinator, but I finally found a way to get around it. Instead of thinking about the big tasks, I just allot myself a fixed amount of time that I'll be doing something, work on it steadily during that time, and quit at the end regardless of the state it's in. For some reason, it really makes it easier to face big important projects if I just say "I'm going to spend 8 hours putting up siding today, then I'm done" as opposed to "I need to get that siding put up..." I've used that trick to get tons of stuff done around my house as well as to write a book (which hasn't been published yet because I've been putting it off, so I guess there's still room for improvement).
Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
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Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#32I'm a big procrastinator, but I finally found a way to get around it. Instead of thinking about the big tasks, I just allot myself a fixed amount of time that I'll be doing something, work on it steadily during that time, and quit at the end regardless of the state it's in. For some reason, it really makes it easier to face big important projects if I just say "I'm going to spend 8 hours putting up siding today, then…
I think what you're describing is something similar to pomodoro technique (http://pomodorotechnique.com/), only on bigger scale (8 hours at once). Maybe you will find it useful.
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#33[deleted]
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#34What I have found is that the subconscious will resist taking action on something perceived to be important until it's worked out an appropriate approach. As a result one can avoid doing things like planning and preparing and simply query the subconscious as to whether you're ready to work on something.
Yes has me start on it and either complete it or hit a snag. If it's a snag, then I'll analyze it briefly and then go back to procrastinating until the subconscious has worked out another approach.
No is perceived this as a feeling of "Nope." I've attuned myself to this feeling and have learned to listen carefully to it. Many, many times, especially with work tasks the reason for doing that particular task will have evaporated by the time I'm ready to do it.
Other times I find I needed to clear my mind before the subconscious can present to me the right way to go about it. So I'll read articles so as to purge my mind of the attachment (in the Buddhist sense) I'm feeling to the task.
Sometimes it takes days / weeks / months for this attachment to clear up. I have a task I've been wanting to do sit in my reminders for 2 months now. It will stay until I'm either comfortable removing it or actually doing it.
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#35Maybe it was just me but I couldn't find any juice on this essay.. The best I essay I ever read on procrastination was from mark Manson [1].
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#36Just fucking do the work. If you spend as much time working as you trying to "hack your brain to be more productive", you would have been more productive. Overthinking about thinking can lead to neuroticism. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10142283 http://www.amazon.com/Do-Work-Overcome-Resistance-Your/dp/19...
> Just fucking do the work. If it was that simple, everyone would just do that. "Just x" usually indicates someone doesn't understand why others have problems with x.
> If it was that simple, everyone would just do that.
It's not that simple; but it's also why not everyone is uber-successful.
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#37I'm a big procrastinator, but I finally found a way to get around it. Instead of thinking about the big tasks, I just allot myself a fixed amount of time that I'll be doing something, work on it steadily during that time, and quit at the end regardless of the state it's in. For some reason, it really makes it easier to face big important projects if I just say "I'm going to spend 8 hours putting up siding today, then…
I think what you're describing is something similar to pomodoro technique ( http://pomodorotechnique.com/ ), only on bigger scale (8 hours at once). Maybe you will find it useful.
I tried pomodoro but never sat well with me. I can focus for 1-2 hours happily once I'm into something. I worked in a team where it was pushed as a mantra for working. The issue with that being is that everyone was on a different schedule. I actually considered it a way to attempt to kill social interaction within the team, say going for coffee together.
If it works for you, go for it, but I do not work in 25 minute chunks.
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#38There's an old saying: "If you want something done ask a busy person." Busy people always come through for you. I used to think this was because they were super efficient, super disciplined. But maybe your task is a welcome distraction from something even worse? And besides, everything we do is a distraction from the most looming, vaguest, most intractable deadline of all. The End.
This actually makes sense. I seem to be more efficient at getting things done when I have multiple things to do, but can never get something done if it's one and only thing left. I get easily distracted by other things that keep me away from accomplishing that one task or goal.
It's a bit of selection bias though, isn't it? It seems like you're bad at only having one thing to do, but it's likely that by the time you only have one thing left, that very thing is what you've been putting off the longest. And you may have been putting it off for a reason (you don't want to do it, it's hard, it hasn't been thought out, etc.)
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#39I've been using this system for years.
I'm pretty sure that deep-down I learned programming to distract myself from writing a novel I intended to write. Now I'm learning electronics to distract myself from programming. Imagine all that we could accomplish if we only procrastinated more!
Re: Structured Procrastination: Do Less, Deceive Yourself, and Succeed Long-Term
#40What I have found is that the subconscious will resist taking action on something perceived to be important until it's worked out an appropriate approach. As a result one can avoid doing things like planning and preparing and simply query the subconscious as to whether you're ready to work on something. Yes has me start on it and either complete it or hit a snag. If it's a snag, then I'll analyze it briefly and then…
Your first sentence was really motivational for some reason. Or maybe I'm just rationalizing my procrastination by making it sound like some kind of cool async hyperthreading approach.