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Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

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Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#51

Post by kartickv »

A trick is to set yourself multiple tasks that are not exciting, so that you do at least one. If I tell myself, "I will edit all the photos I have been taking for almost a decade", I may not get around to it.

So, I tell myself, "I will either edit photos, vacuum the house or read the iOS Human Interface Guidelines." Then I may bounce from task to task, but I will finish at least one. After a while, the irritation of leaving a task half-done drives me to complete the other tasks as well.

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#52

Post by mhomde »

Anyone have the problem that instead of procrastination you start adding new features because that's more interesting/challenging than the drudge work that remains. So you're constantly doing a little drudge work and a little adding features and you get stuck in a Zeno's paradox of never finishing? :)

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#53

Post by salemh »

mhomde wrote: post #52

Anyone have the problem that instead of procrastination you start adding new features because that's more interesting/challenging than the drudge work that remains. So you're constantly doing a little drudge work and a little adding features and you get stuck in a Zeno's paradox of never finishing? :)

That's like myself and fiction writing. Easier to transcribe written notes, or re-read and edit, vs just plowing into new chapters and necessary dialogue builds, etc.

Definitely a different sort of procrastination.

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#54

Post by a_small_island »

Hoasi wrote: post #8

> to beat procrastination, a simple trick is to imagine starting the task as opposed to finishing it You could also just start the task, basically accomplishing the same thing. Skip the imagining part if it is a distraction.

Akin to telling a depressed person to "stop being depressed."

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#55

Post by codezero »

bytefactory wrote: post #21
codezero wrote: post #19

I say this on most threads about procrastination, but it's important to remember that chronic procrastination can be an indication of anxiety, not just a temporary state of mind. If you suffer from this kind of anxiety and not just a moment of distraction, you should see a professional, they really can help fix things long term and improve your quality of life.

Interesting idea, would you be able to expand or point to any interesting reading about this?

To be a bit more concrete, this site has some nice bits of advice for things like time management and avoiding perfectionism: http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/stressprocrast.php

Most universities have exceptional resources available, even one on one counseling with qualified professionals, for free. More people should take advantage of these resources, but I assume people associate a stigma with mental health care.

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#56

Post by nyc4life »

losteric wrote: post #50
drawkbox wrote: post #17

Similar to the 15 minutes starting trick. If you don't feel like doing it, just do 15 minutes of it and you can stop. Typically you keep on going and it starts it up. Another trick is leave a simple tasks or error (syntax error) in the last place you were working the previous day/night. You'll jump right back in and get up and in production mode the next day, easy task to knock out and get coding. Sometimes having an…

I'm partial to TDD because it's great for that "simple task"/error-fixing mentality. About 30 minutes before leaving, I make sure I have a couple failing tests and leave them that way when I leave. Whenever I get back to work, I can just jump in... any kind of work interruption benefits the same way.

This reminds me of a practice Ernest Hemingway supposedly used to maintain his productivity. He would purposely stop writing for the day when he was in a state of flow and knew what he would write next, so that it'd be easy to resume his progress when he came back to his desk the next day:

http://www.secondactive.com/2009/08/boost-your-productivity-...

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#57

Post by metasean »

kartickv wrote: post #51

A trick is to set yourself multiple tasks that are not exciting, so that you do at least one. If I tell myself, "I will edit all the photos I have been taking for almost a decade", I may not get around to it. So, I tell myself, "I will either edit photos, vacuum the house or read the iOS Human Interface Guidelines." Then I may bounce from task to task, but I will finish at least one. After a while, the irritation of…

AKA "Productive Procrastination", a method that has helped many through history - http://chronicle.com/article/Productive-Procrastination/4493...

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#58

Post by kartickv »

metasean wrote: post #57
kartickv wrote: post #51

A trick is to set yourself multiple tasks that are not exciting, so that you do at least one. If I tell myself, "I will edit all the photos I have been taking for almost a decade", I may not get around to it. So, I tell myself, "I will either edit photos, vacuum the house or read the iOS Human Interface Guidelines." Then I may bounce from task to task, but I will finish at least one. After a while, the irritation of…

AKA "Productive Procrastination", a method that has helped many through history - http://chronicle.com/article/Productive-Procrastination/4493...

Thanks. I didn't know that term.

Re: Imagine yourself starting, not finishing

#59

Post by Hoasi »

a_small_island wrote: post #54
Hoasi wrote: post #8

> to beat procrastination, a simple trick is to imagine starting the task as opposed to finishing it You could also just start the task, basically accomplishing the same thing. Skip the imagining part if it is a distraction.

Akin to telling a depressed person to "stop being depressed."

Not quite. Granted, the act of starting to work on a task requires some effort. But assuming a procrastinator's task is within reach, it is in the realm his or her capabilities. The point is that if starting is the hardest part, you might as well start right away since you'll have to anyway. The earlier you start the less you'll suffer later. Starting right away could save yourself from having regrets. Like rushing a job, missing a deadline, doing a poorer job etc. Whereas you might not be able to control depression on your own with a single action or decision.
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