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Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

deprocrastination.co

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Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#121

Post by agumonkey »

e19293001 wrote: post #29

I'd like to share this post[0]: The last two weeks I made it a goal to run 5km every morning. A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk. The next thing I know I'm running and feeling amazing and on to set one of my better times. The point: When you tell yourself "just one more game" or "just one more post", or "just one more video" a…

I did this last summer. Simply walking early to get some bread. It quickly turned into an automatic alarm clock, gave me a good 30 min of "warm up" walking that also let my brain coast while watching the woods. You come back both refreshed and all warmed up blood wise. It was very very beneficial altogether.

If it wasn't for the wrong job I took next and winter killing the morning sun I'd still be doing this. Actually now that spring is here, I feel the need. The need for .. walk.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#122

Post by agumonkey »

kitd wrote: post #66
e19293001 wrote: post #29

I'd like to share this post[0]: The last two weeks I made it a goal to run 5km every morning. A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk. The next thing I know I'm running and feeling amazing and on to set one of my better times. The point: When you tell yourself "just one more game" or "just one more post", or "just one more video" a…

Agreed. I have found myself paralysed by procrastination at times (normally when whatever project I'm currently on has lost its initial zing). My strategy has become: Just do one task today, that's all. Doesn't matter how small. Leave the office feeling like you've done something productive. My thought process then becomes, OK, let's do my one task early then I can browse Reddit/HN/wherever. And of course, what happe…

I toyed with this feeling. Not to repeat the dopamine theory we see everywhere.. but it feels that most of the web really ends up in the low hanging easy pleasure of our brain, and any moment of struggle will tickle that reflex. And when you ignore/fight it for a second... You (at least I) can sense blood pressure change in my brain and then the thinking side of my head goes back into rhythm again. Thinking is a pleasure too, but it's requires a bit of patience.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#123

Post by yodsanklai »

e19293001 wrote: post #29

I'd like to share this post[0]: The last two weeks I made it a goal to run 5km every morning. A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk. The next thing I know I'm running and feeling amazing and on to set one of my better times. The point: When you tell yourself "just one more game" or "just one more post", or "just one more video" a…

Sometimes I have a really hard time to start working on some tasks and I think it is linked to anxiety and stress, not mere laziness. As long as there are no big expectations (like when exercising), I have usually no procrastination issues.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#124

Post by kerrsclyde »

peteretep wrote: post #83

One trick I don't remember the source of that I've used to great effect over the years is: - take a list of tasks you're procrastinating on - set a timer for five minutes - do just five minutes on task one. Then stop, and do the next, even if you were enjoying the first one - keep cycling over until you've unblocked them all

I've cut it down further, I'll do 30 seconds on a task just to get me going.

Then I can't cope with doing 30 secs on something and I'm up and running.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#125

Post by nyxtom »

e19293001 wrote: post #29

I'd like to share this post[0]: The last two weeks I made it a goal to run 5km every morning. A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk. The next thing I know I'm running and feeling amazing and on to set one of my better times. The point: When you tell yourself "just one more game" or "just one more post", or "just one more video" a…

Just waking up at the same time every day and kickstarting yourself (practically no matter what time you end up going to bed) seems to work absolute wonders.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#126

Post by Iv »

yodsanklai wrote: post #123
e19293001 wrote: post #29

I'd like to share this post[0]: The last two weeks I made it a goal to run 5km every morning. A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk. The next thing I know I'm running and feeling amazing and on to set one of my better times. The point: When you tell yourself "just one more game" or "just one more post", or "just one more video" a…

Sometimes I have a really hard time to start working on some tasks and I think it is linked to anxiety and stress, not mere laziness . As long as there are no big expectations (like when exercising), I have usually no procrastination issues.

On my last contract, working with very competent people, I got struck with one of the biggest procrastination wave I ever experienced. Thanks to a bit of introspection and awesome support from the team, I Realized this was just anxiety due to the imposter syndrome.

Realizing that really helped.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#127

Post by bemmu »

agumonkey wrote: post #122
kitd wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I have found myself paralysed by procrastination at times (normally when whatever project I'm currently on has lost its initial zing). My strategy has become: Just do one task today, that's all. Doesn't matter how small. Leave the office feeling like you've done something productive. My thought process then becomes, OK, let's do my one task early then I can browse Reddit/HN/wherever. And of course, what happe…

I toyed with this feeling. Not to repeat the dopamine theory we see everywhere.. but it feels that most of the web really ends up in the low hanging easy pleasure of our brain, and any moment of struggle will tickle that reflex. And when you ignore/fight it for a second... You (at least I) can sense blood pressure change in my brain and then the thinking side of my head goes back into rhythm again. Thinking is a plea…

Can relate to that ”moment of struggle”. Thinking about stopping the use of any dev tools that don’t have instant feedback, as having to wait a few seconds for something (currently deploying to google app engine mostly) makes me instantly alt-tab to reddit.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#129

Post by ekianjo »

e19293001 wrote: post #29

I'd like to share this post[0]: The last two weeks I made it a goal to run 5km every morning. A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk. The next thing I know I'm running and feeling amazing and on to set one of my better times. The point: When you tell yourself "just one more game" or "just one more post", or "just one more video" a…

> A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk

This is also used with people who suffer from some kind of limb paralysis. You first start to tell them to wiggle the extremity of their finger (or toe). Then part of the of the finger. Then the whole finger. And so on.

Basically the concept is the make every single effort leading to the end result as effortless and frictionless as possible.

Re: Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it

#130

Post by Scarblac »

yodsanklai wrote: post #123
e19293001 wrote: post #29

I'd like to share this post[0]: The last two weeks I made it a goal to run 5km every morning. A few times, particularly today, I felt lazy and run down, but I got out of bed anyway and told myself that I'll at least walk. The next thing I know I'm running and feeling amazing and on to set one of my better times. The point: When you tell yourself "just one more game" or "just one more post", or "just one more video" a…

Sometimes I have a really hard time to start working on some tasks and I think it is linked to anxiety and stress, not mere laziness . As long as there are no big expectations (like when exercising), I have usually no procrastination issues.

Sometimes I'm kicking myself that I should really start work on this now, and it doesn't work, and I get more and more anxious.

Upon reflection (sometimes I get to that point sooner, sometimes later) the problem is usually that the task is too vaguely defined to start working on it.

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