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How to Procrastinate Productively

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Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#51

Post by Bjartr »

kapep wrote: post #23

[...] what procrastination looks like for most people: - Think about working. - Immediately feel the urge to procrastinate. - Start beating themselves up with a bunch of negative self-talk for wanting to procrastinate (I’m such a procrastinator, why can’t you just stay focused?) - Feel badly, including a bunch of negative emotions like shame and disappointment, on top of the already-strong urge to procrastinate. - Pr…

I suspect there are a number of behavioral patterns that outwardly appear as "procrastination" and so are limited together. When one person talks about procrastination, others assume it's the pattern or patterns they have personally experienced. This is the kind of assumption that leads to insultingly useless advice. Suggesting that a procrastinator "just do the work". Similar to the case of asking a depressed person "have you tried being happy?". There may be cases those approaches do help, but there are also many where they are very ignorant approaches.

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#53

Post by [deleted] »

pdpi wrote: post #47
kanishkdudeja wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Generally, excessive procrastination has been linked with ADHD.

ADHD is clearly a problem here, yes, but it's a different kettle of fish. I'm talking more about anxiety disorders like generalised anxiety disorder, and potentially depression. If you suffer from work-related anxiety, procrastination is a classical avoidant-style coping mechanism.

[deleted]

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#54

Post by MrEfficiency »

TheGrumpyBrit wrote: post #37

I have a list called "Low-energy tasks" which I use whenever I'm feeling burned out and can't focus on actual work. Simple things like "Organise my mailbox" or "Review documentation" that aren't taxing, but still count as work. I'll probably still procrastinate a lot on those days, but at least I can say I got something done.

I have a few things like this.

I sew when I'm brain dead and hate working. Not even organizing/grunt work sounds appealing, so I'll design and make some sweaters.

Ive also found getting stuck in a favorite video game has helped productivity. When I'd rather work than get past a hard spot, I'll keep working. Similar is true if you simply uninstall a large game.

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#55

Post by otterpro »

I hadn't thought of coming to work/office early (6AM in this case), to work on personal project/hobbies. My thoughts on the benefits of this strategy:

* One can actually look forward to going to work in the morning, knowing that something fun/interesting/passionate is waiting at the office.

* Which leads to ... It motivates one to wake up early, which I had been struggling with.

* One can avoid morning traffic/rush hour and also get the best parking space at office.

* One can feel a little bit of peace knowing that he/she has done something to move the needle on the passion/side project every day.

* One can give the best part of his/her day to the side-project. I'm usually too tired to work on side project in the late afternoon/evening, so I often end up doing nothing but vegging on Youtube/TV/etc after dinner.

EDIT: It's a win-win, as long as it's okay with the employer. It might be awkward and weird especially if the passion project is something that's not related to the occupation -- like shooting Youtube videos in my cubicle. Another downside is that half of day is spent in the office, which is a little too long.

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#56

Post by arayh »

I feel that mindful procrastination is very helpful to keep my focus rather than trying to avoid procrastination and getting lulled into a state of staring at the ceiling (or, of course, the negative self-criticism). Everyone seems to have a different mode of procrastination, so there probably isn't a one-solution-fits-all. Also, I think one of the aspects of procrastination that we don't seem to talk about much is how other people view your procrastination and judge you based on their perception (whether accurate or otherwise) of your efficiency or lack thereof. External judgement of your mode of procrastination greatly affects your emotional well-being and thus also your focus and efficiency.

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#57

Post by InitialLastName »

Bjartr wrote: post #50
shubhamjain wrote: post #12

At some point, you have to stop fiddling and finish what you started. Even if you procrastinate productively, spending ten minutes on a musical instrument, then another ten on reading an article, and then delving somewhere else is marginally better than binging on Youtube and Netflix. The constant context switching prevents you from going deep. All you gain is superficial knowledge. This, in my opinion, the bad "good…

One of the most damaging pieces of advice I ever received was "starting lots of things and not finishing them is bad". Rather than finish more things, I became wary of starting things. This did not improve my overall output, and in fact lost me the experience I would have gained from many started-but-unfinished projects. It's taken me years to unlearn this advice in practice. I especially take issue with calling out…

I prefer the mantra "One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off."[0] I take it as advice not to talk about anything that isn't finished, which spurs me to finish more things so I can talk about them.

[0] Disclaimer: From a really old book, might be superseded by newer material (1 Kings 20:11)

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#58

Post by gdubs »

Dr David Burns, who popularized Cognitive Behavorial Therapy, says that the common misconception people have when it comes to procrastination is that motivation precedes action. In fact, he says, to beat procrastination it’s helpful to realize that motivation follows action. Listing out and accomplishing a few ridiculously easy steps (“open editor”, “review last commit”, etc) can be enough to generate the motivation to keep going.

In other words, instead of setting out to work for an hour, convince yourself to work for only 5 mins; more often than not, when the 5 mins are up you’ll probably keep working for a good while longer, motivation increasing as you work.

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#59

Post by dmitripopov »

Procrastination arises from different sources in different people. For example, advises in this article won't work if you procrastinate because you are completely burned out. Or you are overwhelmed by anxiety. Or some health problems prevent you from staying focused. The devil is in the detail.

Re: How to Procrastinate Productively

#60

Post by meko »

wool_gather wrote: post #44
vanzorn wrote: post #10

Hacker News No Procrastination Settings: maxvisit 30, minaway 30. Eventually I'll wean myself down to 15/45. But in all seriousness, Pomodoros are great when I'm unsure / keyed up about a new project and prone to wander off "researching." IME, eventually the Pomodoros inevitably give way to extended sessions with flow.

> eventually the Pomodoros inevitably give way to extended sessions with flow. I have also found this to be a great way to trick my mind into working. Promise myself "just one" pomodoro, then I can go do something else. If I get that first session started, by the end of it I don't want to stop even for the five-minute break, and then next thing I know four pomodoros have gone by and, lo and behold, the opposite of th…

That's a good perspective. I drifted away from pomodoro's precisely because I found the intervals too be a bit too rigid and the breaks occurred when I'd be in the middle of something. Instead using one or more as a bootstrap for productivity is something I hadn't considered, but it seems obvious now.
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