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Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

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Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#181

Post by logn »

nisa wrote: post #143
logn wrote: post #104

Log off all this crap on the internet now and get back to work. Stop reading this thread and start asking someone to review the crap code you're writing. And fill your vast amount of freetime at work actually doing something to improve your company. They pay your bills so you can click keys and press buttons. So stop pressing the wrong keys and start typing something productive not posts like these. Also, stop readin…

Just stop beeing depressed. Just stop beeing sucidal. Just stop taking drugs. Just stop drinking alcohol. Would be great if the world would work this way.

I know. My comment above is harsh and simplistic. But, I know it's exactly what I would have wanted to hear, were I OP.

Also, I struggle with all the same issues and I know people I manage do too. One actual thing that's helped is that we run semi-automated time tracking software. I don't have a preferred tracking software yet, but something like this looks good: http://www.taskcoach.org ... There's nothing like stepping on the scale and seeing you're overweight to know inspire you to lose weight. In the same sense, there's nothing like finishing a hard 10 hour day with time tracking software and realize you've only worked/billed 5 hours. It very quickly becomes a great positive reinforcement. Pretty soon for me after using time tracking, when I take 10 hours for work, I get in about 8 or 9, which is pretty good.

Further, in my own life, becoming a freelancer and independent contractor is the single choice I can point to that has drastically boosted my happiness and productivity, which I think are tightly coupled for workers. I do better working on my own schedule with no pressure to show up at certain times. And I work from home. Remember that even though there's a time to buckle down and do your best in your current situation, there's also a time to acknowledge that you're not happy and to change your life, by say, taking a different job you think you'll do better at. My $.02 obviously. But I hope that helps.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#182

Post by mathattack »

For better or worse, I force myself into daily To Do lists. Procrastination hits when you're talented but underemployed. The To Do lists force me to work on bigger things too, and reminds me that there's an internal consequence (if not external) from being lazy. Over the long haul, dumber people will catch and pass you by if you keep up the habits. Or even if not, you won't achieve the greatness of which you are capable.

Two caveats: 1 - It's never to late to start learning, or get better habits. Mine dramatically improved several years out of school. 2 - You can't be 100% on 100% of the time. Many great thinkers can still only get 4 hours per day of deep thought. It's ok to catch up on administrative crap in the other hours.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#184

Post by weisser »

mduerksen wrote: post #66

> it's starting to really gnaw at me Good. One concrete suggestion: Develop the following habit. Whenever you are confronted with an unpleasant task X, there is a moment where your mind starts searching for other, more pleasant things to do. This is the moment where you have to implant the habit of asking - not yourself, but an imaginary judge: "If I defer task X, will it become easier later?". For some tasks, this m…

>"If I defer task X, will it become easier later?"

Delaying pain definitely creates more. Luckily for me this only extends to what's in my fridge: http://blog.ideasthenlemonade.com/post/54016639958/delaying-...

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#185

Post by ideonexus »

tehwalrus wrote: post #91

Willpower is a muscle, which uses the same resource as brain tasks (programming, arguing)[1] - let's call it "cognitive energy". 1) don't waste cognitive energy on silly tasks (games, arguing in comment threads, etc.) 2) practice exercising willpower - it's a muscle, you can train it to be better. Start by forcing yourself to complete a routine every morning (the trick with habit forming is to not give up after you m…

Just want to second the mindfulness meditation suggestion. On it's face, it sounds like new age nonsense, but it's really a mental discipline where you practice keeping your attention in the present. Not thinking about anything is very difficult to do:

http://ideonexus.com/2012/08/27/the-science-of-mindfulness-m...

I also recommend adopting an exercise routine in the morning. I find myself much more productive and focuse during the day if I've gone for a 5k run first thing when I wake up.

Also, consider installing parental monitoring software on your computer. I use the Nanny for Google Chrome plugin to block access to news and other time-wasting sites during the day or limit myself to 10-20 minutes of such sites a day. It's easy to get around (I turned it off to post this comment), but it serves as a reminder to stay focused:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nanny-for-google-c...

Good luck, and don't beat yourself up over this. Perpetual distraction is something I think we are all wrestling with.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#186

Post by tehwalrus »

ideonexus wrote: post #185
tehwalrus wrote: post #91

Willpower is a muscle, which uses the same resource as brain tasks (programming, arguing)[1] - let's call it "cognitive energy". 1) don't waste cognitive energy on silly tasks (games, arguing in comment threads, etc.) 2) practice exercising willpower - it's a muscle, you can train it to be better. Start by forcing yourself to complete a routine every morning (the trick with habit forming is to not give up after you m…

Just want to second the mindfulness meditation suggestion. On it's face, it sounds like new age nonsense, but it's really a mental discipline where you practice keeping your attention in the present. Not thinking about anything is very difficult to do: http://ideonexus.com/2012/08/27/the-science-of-mindfulness-m... I also recommend adopting an exercise routine in the morning. I find myself much more productive and fo…

Thank you, I should have mentioned that Mindfullness is an evidence based therapy for a bunch of things (depression, anxiety) and has also been shown to improve concentration (especially in heavy multitaskers - I believe the study was personal assistants.)

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#187

Post by hcky »

forgottenpaswrd wrote: post #119

Surround yourself of people better than you and find challenges in your job. What I read from your message is "I am a genius, I am gifted, I don't need to work because I am so smart, work is so easy". Bullshit. If you are so gifted: could you find the cure to a cancer saying, I don't know understanding DNA code? Could you help developing nuclear fusion? Could you really improve the social condition of the people arou…

My kudos to you!

Re: Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?

#188

Post by TheZenPsycho »

I don't like this thread. It implies that if you aren't a slavish worker, with impervious metal discipline, you are /worthless/.

It's really hard binary thinking, which I guess is what I expect from here. You guys are implying that I am worthless. Completely worthless. That the OP is worthless. And so, what now? Shall we all just jump off a cliff then?

I don't think so.

maybe there is more to life than being the hardest worker. Maybe it is okay to have an internal mental life that is rich and varied.

AND MAYBE FRETTING ABOUT NOT GETTING STUFF DONE IS JUST GOING TO MAKE YOUR PROCRASTINATION THINGS WORSE.

That's the trick. It's the mental chinese finger trap. You have to really truly accept who you are and what you limits are, what you can accomplish, and stop worrying so much about it. It is only once you have done this that you can let yourself get things done. It is only once you can accept that it is okay to not get things done, that you stop fearing the failure, and getting started doesn't feel like such a chore.

Failure is okay.

It is okay for other people to think you are worthless.

Just don't pay attention to it, stay in the now, put one foot in front of the other, trudge on and on and on, you'll find your pace, you'll find how to keep going, you'll get through the mental blocks. and you may never be as "good" as /those other people/. And that's okay.

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