Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination • Hacker News Board

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#111

Post by whichquestion » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 1:30 PM UTC

dageshi wrote: post #63

maheart wrote: post #19

I think I've successfully managed to "beat" procrastination by adopting the pomodoro technique. I've shipped software for years now. What I've come to realise however is that the brain/body can only do so much work in a day. I can program for a few hours a day (on a good day) and then it becomes increasingly more effort to do more coding. Sometimes, depending on the task, I'll be able to switch to another task. Howev…

Listened to "Daily Ritual: How artists work" recently and the most common pattern seemed to be, work intensely for 2-4 hours in the morning, most people being finished by 1-2 in the afternoon, then go out for a long walk before doing light admin stuff in the mid-late afternoon. It's also been my observation that this is how I actually want to work. I feel ready and able to tackle anything first thing in the morning,…

I’ve had success doing somewhat the opposite. I usually am not fully awake until 9/10 am, even when I wake up at 7:30/8. So I do my light admin stuff in the morning, eat lunch (I eat lunch at 11:30 usually), go on a walk or do something not work, and then do 2-4 hours of intensive work.

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#112

Post by luckylion » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 1:47 PM UTC

I know plenty of people consider it some form of cheating, but medication can help. I've been regularly taking armodafinil for quite some time now and it helps immensely to start doing things, to get into concentrated work and to stay there.

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#113

Post by matwood » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 1:48 PM UTC

michaelcampbell wrote: post #69

matwood wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really find mental fuel to be a thing[1]. In fact, I find the opposite. The more discipline I instill, the more discipline I have. Each block of discipline makes the next that much easier. That includes discipline over procrastination. [1] Of course there is general fatigue, but this is different from only being able to focus on something for a couple of hours/day or not being able to start something at all.

Of course everyone is different, but there are at least some studies the does lend credence to the "willpower as a finite resource" theme.

As someone else mentioned, that study has come under fire. It's also one I never agreed with because for me personally it wasn't true. I have always found things like discipline and willpower to be more about inertia than anything else.

If I wake up and start playing a video game or eating crap, that inertia carries through the day. The reverse is also true, if I get up, workout, and start being productive that will carry through the whole day. Once I realized this about myself I adjusted my whole schedule around. Instead of after work workouts, I moved them to the morning. Instead of staying up late, I get up earlier and naturally go to bed earlier. So instead of wake up and chill and ease into my day, I wake up and go. And, that go carries through the entire day.

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#114

Post by nikofeyn » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 1:55 PM UTC

Ensorceled wrote: post #79

If you are have a lot of procrastination problems and if you have always had those problems from an early age, don't dismiss the idea that you may actually have ADHD. There really isn't adult onset ADHD, but there are a fair number of adults who have undiagnosed ADHD. Take an online screening test and that will tell you if you might want to see somebody about a full test. This article is talking about the idea that w…

but people should be careful assuming they have it. people should do as you say and simply see professionals about it and be tested for it.

stress and anxiety can present symptoms that overlap with ADHD symptoms.

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#115

Post by sodumbbutstill » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 1:55 PM UTC

laurentdc wrote: post #24

> On my iPhone I move every single application into a folder named “.”. I then move that onto the second screen. My phone dock has four apps: Phone, Headspace, Things and SMS: Yawn. When I read these minimalism tips I always wonder if people giving this advice ever had a real job or if their job is actually giving people minimalism advice. Good luck trying to justify being the only one without Skype/Slack/Gmail

I was scared of this kind of thing.. but when i have done it its actually way less harmful than expected.

i am just honest with people and say i have not read their email or whatever, they tend not to mind that much.. as long as the things i say i will do get done.

IMHO most need for constant communication is just tight coupling manifest in business logic i.e. bad design that needs addressing.

When you can also follow up accusations of slacking with wasted clock cycle discussions its also handy (e.g. i tend to use toggl excessively if i think there is any chance of questioning my motives.. then i can switch to the always connected version of me they are asking for and show just how much time it wastes)

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#116

Post by anthonypasq » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 2:03 PM UTC

nautical wrote: post #7

I have made "device of purpose" that fixes this behavior over time. 1) Laptop is for work only ( every thing else is blocked ) 2) Mobile is for social media and procrastination ( I switch off internet while working. )

You can just turn the internet back on though...

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#117

Post by sumfoni » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 2:03 PM UTC

maheart wrote: post #19

I think I've successfully managed to "beat" procrastination by adopting the pomodoro technique. I've shipped software for years now. What I've come to realise however is that the brain/body can only do so much work in a day. I can program for a few hours a day (on a good day) and then it becomes increasingly more effort to do more coding. Sometimes, depending on the task, I'll be able to switch to another task. Howev…

To be honest, that is my main problem.

I know that i can develop much longer then i'm actually doing.

The biggest issue for me with procrastination is not pushing every single thing until i really have to do it but that my idea of myself feels that i can do more than i'm doing.

I spend plenty of hours coding from 16-6 when i was 16 and learning php. I have plenty of experiences where i did not just stop.

The most visible to me is it with something new like a new job or task: First few weeks in a new job is great. I do a lot, i'm quite productive.

And the other thing is: If i really only can do 2-4h real development and then i need a break, i definitly don't need a break of 20h. So how to get back to it without that 20h break?

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#118

Post by nbaksalyar » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 2:07 PM UTC

I think the main problem with advice on 'how to beat procrastination' is the assumption that everyone is the same. Which is not the case, of course, because people have different sleep patterns, different habits, and different reasons to procrastinate.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and one trick or tool that works for me wouldn't necessarily work for you. And it can be really hard to find something that works.

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#119

Post by wojtekkru » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 2:07 PM UTC

JeanMarcS wrote: post #73

dageshi wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Listened to "Daily Ritual: How artists work" recently and the most common pattern seemed to be, work intensely for 2-4 hours in the morning, most people being finished by 1-2 in the afternoon, then go out for a long walk before doing light admin stuff in the mid-late afternoon. It's also been my observation that this is how I actually want to work. I feel ready and able to tackle anything first thing in the morning,…

I think each one have to find where those 2-4hours lies. For me they start between 5pm and 6pm. I can spend the day in front of my screen doing (almost) nothing or admin stuff. And then it kicks on and I’m (a lot more) productive. The problem is that it’s around the time I have to take care of the kids when my wife can’t...

I often seem to experience these productivity bursts when I know I have to leave work soon, regardless of time of day.

Re: Kick the Shit Out of Procrastination

#120

Post by sumfoni » Mon, Apr 20, 2020, 2:09 PM UTC

One thing i'd like to post here:

I started talking ritalin when i tried a degree again with ~22?) and it was day and night to the same year before:

My metal wall of starting/doing was gone.

I'm still struggling with even talking ritalin regularly and there are downsides to it, but i do have the feeling that it is something which helps, something i actually really should talk regularly.

Its like 'i don't need glasses' 'holy shit how was i able to walk around without glasses?' 'Oh no wonder why i had to sit at thefirst row while everyone else had no issue at all reading' 'how did that go so bad suddenly?'