Wrong, possibly evil advice. Just my opinion.
I'd appreciate comments as to why you think so after reading.
Procrastinate Until You're Ready
21–30 of 40 posts
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#22Couldn't paint what I'm painting now, if I didn't paint what came before it first --- even if what came before was utter drivel. I will agree with this: Always work when you're inspired. Don't let it slip past you. But: Always work when you're uninspired. The work is the source of the inspiration --- not contemplating the opening lotus blossom.
I find living is inspirational. Going for a walk, chatting online, etc.
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#23I think it is only possible to say whether one's work is great in a while after it has been done. It's a good idea to take up something that you really like and dive into it because the fact that you like the subject raises the odds of your success. It is quite useless to look for an area where the average chances are high unless you are interested in the subject matter. In terms of the Mark's hypothesis that "our gr…
Great comments chimariko. I hope much of the HackerNews feedback gets back (by disqus) under the original post. Even within great disagreements there's a helluva lot of value added.
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#24Procrastination is inversely correlated with motivation and is usually a sign of disinterest or misunderstanding of a task or project. Usually this problem can be diminished through setting realistic goals that one feels passionate about achieving. I believe an aura of constant mystery within a project is a key motivating factor for most individuals due to the intriguing unknowns and self discoveries that one constan…
No, procrastination and slow pacing can be a sign that your creative batteries are recharging; it is a cycle. You abruptly plunge into intensive focus on a problem, rest, and repeat. On a long project you just take many, many cycles to finish, and the key to success is simply to be able to fight through the melancholy that occurs at the bottom of each wave, getting enough done to get back on the upward trajectory aga…
Well there seems to be many interpretations of what procrastination actually is, but who is to say the "recharging of batteries" is procrastination and not the actual process of one continuing the organization/development of their tasks through the brain unconsciously. The type of "brain-charging" procrastination you are implying is different in the sense that the individual is usually motivated to accomplish a certain task or goal and is just taking a break to regain his "senses", while the type of procrastination I was referring to was a consistent lack of desire to work on certain tasks. Both types of procrastination may be similar in the minds of some, but provide very drastic consequences when compared side-by-side objectively.
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#25This looks like the thing Leonard Cohen mocked in "First We Take Manhattan":
And I thank you for those items that you sent me The monkey and the plywood violin I practiced every night, now I'm ready First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
http://nickolai.tumblr.com/post/146013703/first-we-take-manh...
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#26Creative inspiration is not a bolt of lightning that hits you at random. It's a process of cascading train-of-thought. If you never get that train to leave the station, you're never going to get anywhere. You need to stop procrastinating and force yourself to work to put yourself in the necessary conditions for creative work to happen. Sitting around, watching movies, eating cheezy-poofs isn't going to do it.
If someone puts a gun to my head and demands I produce my most elegant and thoughtful work, there's a damn good chance he's going to be disappointed. You can't force it. I'm not suggestion doing absolutely nothing with your time, but instead allow yourself some time to think things over.
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, procrastination and slow pacing can be a sign that your creative batteries are recharging; it is a cycle. You abruptly plunge into intensive focus on a problem, rest, and repeat. On a long project you just take many, many cycles to finish, and the key to success is simply to be able to fight through the melancholy that occurs at the bottom of each wave, getting enough done to get back on the upward trajectory aga…
Well there seems to be many interpretations of what procrastination actually is, but who is to say the "recharging of batteries" is procrastination and not the actual process of one continuing the organization/development of their tasks through the brain unconsciously. The type of "brain-charging" procrastination you are implying is different in the sense that the individual is usually motivated to accomplish a certa…
"recharging of batteries" is a great example of the type of procrastination I was writing about.
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#28No. Greatness is not achieved by waiting for the right moment for inspiration to strike - it's achieved by years of dedication, commitment and hard work.
I don't think anyone can tell you when to be creative. You need to decide. If you want to do so for years on end because you have the gift to, more power to ya.
When to be creative: Right now. Not later. Later will never come. I'll be creative later is the excuse we make for not just putting our heads down and creating what we want to create.
Here's an example of what I mean:
Ask any writer who has written a book how they did it. They will answer by telling you they did it by sitting down and writing, day after day, until the book was finished.
Now ask anyone who wants to be a writer but has not written a book why they haven't done it. Their answers will all be different in detail, but will reduce to the same thing: they did not sit down and write, day after day, until the book is was finished.
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#29No. Greatness is not achieved by waiting for the right moment for inspiration to strike - it's achieved by years of dedication, commitment and hard work.
I don't think anyone can tell you when to be creative. You need to decide. If you want to do so for years on end because you have the gift to, more power to ya.
It's not about someone telling you when to be creative, it's that you can take charge of the creative process through intentional practice. The best authors don't wait around hoping they'll have a breakthrough, they sit down every morning and work.
Re: Procrastinate Until You're Ready
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well there seems to be many interpretations of what procrastination actually is, but who is to say the "recharging of batteries" is procrastination and not the actual process of one continuing the organization/development of their tasks through the brain unconsciously. The type of "brain-charging" procrastination you are implying is different in the sense that the individual is usually motivated to accomplish a certa…
"recharging of batteries" is a great example of the type of procrastination I was writing about.
Yes, besides procrastination, the "recharging of batteries" can be applied to the term "rest", which is required by all human beings to a certain degree in order to function normally and become productive members of society.