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Why I Procrastinate (2019)

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Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#151

Post by Mirioron »

spawarotti wrote: post #94
InvisibleUp wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi, author here. Since I wrote this article, I got professionally diagnosed and treated. Turns out, yeah, I'm doing a lot better now. On most days I don't have these symptoms, I can in fact study for classes and work, while also doing the things I love. I'm getting back into doodling, I've schedules all the appointments I need to, I have a great friend group, etc. etc. It's not perfect, I relapse sometimes, but I'm d…

Thanks for the reply! Let me elaborate on my point. Consider a thought experiment: If you would spend 3 months in the woods, do you think it is plausible your symptoms would disappear? If you don’t think this as being plausible (likely even) then we have to agree to disagree and that’s it. Not enough data. If you do agree that might cure you then what does it mean about your ADHD diagnosis? It means that you have ADH…

>If you do agree that might cure you then what does it mean about your ADHD diagnosis? It means that you have ADHD in the context of the demands society puts on you and not you have ADHD, period.

But that is exactly what ADHD is about. People with ADHD can't do future-oriented behavior very well. This makes it much more difficult for them to do well at work and in relationships. A person with ADHD would probably manage fine in the woods, but that would mean a life where they are alone and have no income. It's not about not hitting the top 1%, it's about not ending up homeless[0] or addicted to drugs.

[0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5533180/

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#152

Post by taurath »

tidenly wrote: post #145
taurath wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whenever a friend tells me they're depressed, or anxious, or have attention difficulties or whatever, the first thing I ask is "what did you spend most of your time doing last week?". If the answer is "Oh, I found this cool new show and binged it", or "Oh not much, I wasn't motivated to do anything so mostly just scrolling the feed haha" - I immediately sit them down and suggest that maybe those things are the caus…

On the other hand though there also are people who are in a rut and get stuck in a negative cycle that affects them - I was there for the middle 4 years of my 20s and slowly have started to pull myself out with help from family and friends. Both options need to be explored of course but I think some people worry doctors go straight for the medicine cabinet. "When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a na…

Thats certainly true. For me who is medication-phobic it took years to systematically eliminate different causes until I settled on chemical imbalance as at least a major contributor. The cause of the imbalance is totally up in the air, but given I had trouble from an extremely young age there's gotta be some genetic factor there. Could I go live in a treehouse on a desert island and probably be a lot more naturally in tune and happy? Sure. But I choose to live in this society for now, so I need chemical help.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#153

Post by Mirioron »

milesvp wrote: post #111
spawarotti wrote: post #81

TL;DR: "Most people don't have problems with procrastination" I’ve read the article. I would caution against labeling yourself as having ADHD, IMO it is very dangerous. Every high-achieving person I know has major problem with procrastination. I was nodding while reading the article until the ADHD part. Does it mean we all have ADHD? Consider an alternative: our brains have to operate nonstop at near max capacity jus…

So to call ADHD defective is definitely a huge problem. It ignores any and all advantages of having brain differences. I saw a study a few years back that suggest ADD was highly correlated with the ability to focus under intense short term pressure. It’s very possible that this is an actual genetic tradeoff, the ability to think and act under pressure is a hugely valuable skill to society, so who cares if a person ca…

There is a theory that maybe ADHD is an evolutionary adaptation. Being distracted by small things could be quite useful for a hunter, because they're more likely to notice wild animals. As far as I know though, this is just a theory.

>so who cares if a person can’t help but chase butterflies the rest of the time?

Because chasing butterflies is not useful. A person whose interests change all the time is unlikely to become very good at a specific skill or even if they do become good at it, they won't use it to its full extent, because they will be off chasing butterflies.

That also doesn't solve the non-economic problems such as relationships. A person with ADHD is less likely to keep their relationships healthy.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#154

Post by Mirioron »

tikhonj wrote: post #107
erobbins wrote: post #68

It's like a brain dump from my head. I can 100% identify with everything this guy says. I've been fighting this since I can remember, certainly over 20 years. I thought I was the only one who never looked at grades/feedback/whatever. I'd probably be a CTO or a successful startup founder by now if I'd had a solution early in life. As it is I've done OK but it's always a struggle because work by its very nature is doin…

> ...work by its very nature is doing something you don't want to do because they're paying you... I emphasize with this, and work certainly has this aspect, but I think there's a better way to think about it: the nature of work is doing something valuable to somebody else for money. You don't get money for doing something you dislike and, crucially, people will still pay you to do useful things even if you enjoy the…

There's a good chance that whatever that is work you will stop enjoying even if you liked doing it before. Look at the large amount of people that play video games for a living that essentially stopped enjoying those games.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#155

Post by Mirioron »

3minus1 wrote: post #18

> I'm really prone to letting my thoughts get off on the worst tangents, and it will take a while to get myself back on track Sometimes I'll be listening to an audiobook and I'll start thinking about something else. By rewinding the audiobook I can figure out how long the distraction was (could be over a minute). It also amazes me how I have no recollection of the portions of the audiobook that were playing while I w…

Letting the mind wander like that is precisely why I read books in the first place. Sometimes I'll only read one chapter in 3 hours and the rest is just daydreaming.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#156

Post by VBprogrammer »

J-dawg wrote: post #61
VBprogrammer wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that might be the British in us. I feel like Americans are much more open to diagnosis of mental conditions like anxiety and depression. Perhaps because they are constantly bombarded with advertising for medications for them and other conditions.

You might well be right. But a diagnosis of what? I’ve often wondered whether I have ADHD, but I don’t have the other symptoms of forgetfulness, disorganisation and hyperactivity. Procrastination is a huge problem for me and I’d love to have a label for it, but I don’t think procrastination alone qualifies as a mental disorder.

I guess I'm the same in a lot of ways. I can end up in a spiral of self destructive procrastination. I do identify with some of the other symptoms and experiences but not all of them.

In truth I think that a binary classification is too much of a blunt instrument. The reality is probably more of a spectrum.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#157

Post by keerthiko »

spawarotti wrote: post #81

TL;DR: "Most people don't have problems with procrastination" I’ve read the article. I would caution against labeling yourself as having ADHD, IMO it is very dangerous. Every high-achieving person I know has major problem with procrastination. I was nodding while reading the article until the ADHD part. Does it mean we all have ADHD? Consider an alternative: our brains have to operate nonstop at near max capacity jus…

A nitpick, but it doesn't help your argument when your analogy is a medical myth

> By analogy, if you would feed somebody ungodly amounts of cake day in, day out, it is no wonder if they develop diabetes.

No amount of sugar in your diet causes diabetes, type 1 or type 2. Being overweight and otherwise unhealthy, or genetic predisposition does cause pancreatic degradation.

If you eat cake all day, but have sparse genetic history of diabetes, get your other nutrients, maintain a good fitness regime and stay on top of your physiological needs, you are unlikely to develop diabetes.

AKA: Often you are inherently defective, and only secondarily a product of modern society.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#158

Post by criddell »

kempbellt wrote: post #123
criddell wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is fair provided you also remember to thank past you for the things that are helping you today.

Past me thanks you, kindly. "Now" me says "Screw past me, and you for being a sympathizer. I know I said I'd go to bed on time but I need to watch 10 episodes of Game of Thrones right now !" The ego is a tricky thing to navigate...

Before mindfulness became a category in the app store, I read a Kurt Vonnegut book where he passed on advice given to him by his uncle.

> "But I had a good uncle, my late Uncle Alex. He was my father’s kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life-insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy. So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

> So I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids. And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is."

I think your ability to navigate the ego can be trained.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#160

Post by hashkb »

rootusrootus wrote: post #106
hashkb wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a guy.

I use "guy" generically, I don't read content with gender in mind unless it is pertinent. She did not express a preference (or I missed it).

You missed it!

If you're going to comment on someone's article, and their blog has an "about" page, read it before leaving the comment. It's baseline etiquette.

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