Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ditto! As soon as I am on the desk for working, I unconsciously open Firefox and my fingers go "Cmd+L ne [Enter]"
What does that do? Goto hacker NEws?
NEws.ycombinator.com
I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
61–70 of 158 posts
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#62When I’ve done a great job of procrastinating, I normally have a lot anxious energy that I feel I need to get rid of so I go for a 30 minute walk or run. During this outing I repeat the Mentat Mantra from the Dune film to myself the entire time. "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alo…
Reminds me a little of: "I believe in taking care of myself, in a balanced diet, in a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now." "After I remove the icepack, I use a deep pore-cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water-activated gel cleanser, then a honey-almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliatin…
Best reference I’ve seen this week. You hit the nail on the head. Everyone trying to be Patrick Bateman.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes: Hydration is a little important. Sleep is very important (white noise machine, blackout curtains, melatonin when needed, regular schedule, no alcohol near bedtime on work nights.) Exercise is a little important, but too much is detrimental. Learning meditation, specifically body-scan, was really helpful for me though indirectly. It helped me better notice my internal states, which then helps me remove blockers t…
Is this a fair "tier list"? Most helpful: Sleep Somewhat helpful: Meditation A little helpful: Low-carb diet, Hydration, Exercise
I wouldn't pay too much attention to the "tiers". Consider it a general list of things that may be helpful, and assume that the relative importance of each is likely to be different for you.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a lot of similar rules for mundane tasks and it shows when I've slacked. In addition, I also take time to verbalize how much I appreciate having (say) a clean kitchen, both immediately after the task, and whenever I actually appreciate it (like, say, first thing in the morning when I'm moving slow and just want some coffee). For things that require focus, I do pomodoros. Knowing I have a break of X minutes com…
I keep hearing about pomodoro as a method of helping people focus, but part of my current fears are being 'removed' from the topic I'm working on mid-way. I get the feeling that if pomodoros worked, then by the same logic knowing that I have a meeting in 30 minutes would aid my focus, but instead it's the complete opposite, I consider that I can't fill a 30minute window meaningfully and thus do nothing. Maybe there's…
I've done them on and off. A good trick if you're worried about derailing is to spend your breaks exclusively like this:
- sit in your chair with your eyes closed (standing or lying down is ok too)
- let your mind become blank. Just focus on your breathing.
- Thoughts of your work may float through your mind. That's okay, you're allowed to think about them, as long as it's passive; you shouldn't be focusing on them.
- Bio breaks are allowed. Browsing or other device usage (checking texts) is not.
I did this mostly in undergrad when I needed to hit deadlines. I found it was a good way to keep my energy up. Also, sometimes I'd catch myself diving too deep into a tangent.
Note: I usually didn't follow the full technique of setting specific goals for each pom and/or tracking whether I reached them. I used the standard 4x25min with 5min breaks, and then took a longer break (or nap) where I was allowed to check email, or other potentially distracting activities.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#65I read the whole thing, but knew from the get go that these tricks wouldn't work on me. Mostly because I know the source of my procrastination and it boils down to two things: 1. I've gotten away with a lot of stupid shit in the past. 2. Because of that I think too highly of my skills. I have no incentive to start preparing tasks or being organised because I've come to enjoy the thrill of doing everything in the last…
This hits really close to home. It's not that I enjoy the thrill... it's that I know I can do it, so that's what I do.
A few years ago I had an incredible run of insane productivity in grad school and at a startup afterwards, but I think it's solely because I had so much to do that I was genuinely interested in that I was crushing through work without it being a last minute delivery (though, there were still a lot of those). Now, I'm so bored with work that I can't even begin to start on anything. Next thing I know it's 11pm and I said I would deliver something the next day and I bang it out, or at minimum come up with a good cover / projection of making major progress. It's really starting to eat at me, and isn't sustainable. This is in no way COVID related, it's been going on for the past 2 years. I was actually planning on hitting the reset button and taking a few months off of work, but now I can't do that. I think the key at this point might be actually getting meds for my ADHD.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#66I read the whole thing, but knew from the get go that these tricks wouldn't work on me. Mostly because I know the source of my procrastination and it boils down to two things: 1. I've gotten away with a lot of stupid shit in the past. 2. Because of that I think too highly of my skills. I have no incentive to start preparing tasks or being organised because I've come to enjoy the thrill of doing everything in the last…
Why the gazelle jumps while being chased by the lion.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#67> Finish every task immediately which takes less than 2 minutes to do
OK.
> Categorize tasks by project, time, and context, and store it in a tool that you can trust
That takes more than 2 minutes :(
Occasionally I'll start a todo list, but usually I just stop using it because it gets too big and scary. My current system is calendar notifications in Outlook, it's good for hard deadlines but terrible for open-ended issues like "research new flooring for the garage". Even if I set a deadline I know it's not real.
> Yesterday, as every day in the last two weeks, I was brushing my teeth in the morning and recognized that I have to replace my quite used toothbrush. It is a quite simple task to buy a new toothbrush, however, every time I go out of the bathroom, this thought and task is gone immediately and during the day I do not think about it.
This happens to me a lot. We carry the ultimate note taking device (smart phone) yet the friction is still too high to make a quick note before the thought goes. Maybe I need to carry a pen and paper.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#68When I’ve done a great job of procrastinating, I normally have a lot anxious energy that I feel I need to get rid of so I go for a 30 minute walk or run. During this outing I repeat the Mentat Mantra from the Dune film to myself the entire time. "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alo…
I'll use the "fear is the mind killer" [1] quote when I'm upset or anxious quite often. I really should add this one to my arsenal as well. I've never thought of Dune as a self-help book but I might now. Weirdly enough I'm also currently re-reading it, after watching the miniseries due to quarantine, and I'll try to find more things like this during my reading. [1] “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is t…
I use it too sometimes, but hopefully that’s quite rare. This book is amazing on many levels.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#69Like many here, I'm also a procrastinator (and my wife is much worse). My strategy, somewhat similar to Mr. Gassler's, was honed over decades of heartache and failure and occasional successes:
- write down a plan
- break plan into very detailed micro-steps
- do at least one of the micro-steps. Feel a sense of accomplishment. Now the rest of the steps seem less formidable.
- accept that my brain is often foggy and slow, so give it a few hours or overnight to mull a plan. Don't beat myself up for not getting it done today (and possibly screw it up).
- exercise a lot (I love running and get a high from it, so it's not hard to incorporate)
- lately I've been using a mantra "Don't think about it, just do it!" It's how I got myself to the gym 5 days a week, back before the virus anyway.
- To force myself to read a book, I'll assign myself to read one page (or Kindle screen), knowing that usually I can get sucked in and read several pages.
- fantasize a world in which I have already accomplished something. Visualize it being done. Realize that I'm perfectly capable of doing it.
They sound like somewhat childish tricks, I suppose, but it's what works for me.
Re: I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
#70When I’ve done a great job of procrastinating, I normally have a lot anxious energy that I feel I need to get rid of so I go for a 30 minute walk or run. During this outing I repeat the Mentat Mantra from the Dune film to myself the entire time. "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alo…
This is a great parody/insight into that feeling of "if I just get the conditions right, I can get started." Like all the great writers who just need six months in a forest cabin to write their great novel, but they never start it in the one hour of time they already have every evening.
I watched a really helpful video on what the creator called "The Toolbox Fallacy".
I can't start a project until I have every tool I need in my toolbox...but it seems every time I buy a tool I discover another one I need.
I think of that every time I put something off - "Am I making up a reason not to do this? Can I really just do it all now?"