231–240 of 324 posts
> Randy Pausch, an M.I.T. professor who died of cancer How does this get into the article without basic fact-checking? He was a professor at CMU.
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Same. My interpretation is a little different, though: I think that a lot of my emotional struggle with procrastination is some fear of creating something less than perfect (or, for that matter, at least less than what I'm capable of). When exhaustion and/or stress over a very near deadline override that, I end up tossing something together.. and in the clear light of the next day, I usually find what whatever I did…
So your interpretation is kind of based on fear? Like, you want to to your work perfectly, because otherwise ... will happen? You procrastinate so that you have to finish the work on the last hour and then can tell yourself that you did not use your full potential, so that no one can judge you (as they did not see the full potential), because otherwise ... would happen?
It seems exactly like the kind of habits complex emotional creatures like humans develop. And it's not nearly as bad a habit as some other stuff, like addiction etc, which most people do understand. Even though the effects on ones life can be just as catastrophic.
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My understanding is that, when you are fatigued, you might experience higher levels of dopamine because the brain works in mysterious ways. The reverse also seems true: low levels of dopamine can make you feel tired or sluggish despite being well-rested.
I did come across a study once which argued this. You feel more productive when tired and stressed but in reality you are less productive.
I learned to say no to other people and that didn't work. Then I learned to say no to myself. That helped a lot.
Turned out I was saying yes to everything cause I liked the feeling of being important because I had a lot to do.
Words of warning from a not so young (36) chronic procrastinator with a rather messed up life: Take it seriously. I'm not talking about reading HN in your 7th work hour when doing stupid Excel sheets. I'm talking about messing up years and years of your life. I believe it's a symptom of some deeper issues and it won't go away from alone. Lack of sleep, stress, work overload, information overload amplify the effects b…
You can change. There's a technique called Releasing outlined by David Hawkins in his book Letting Go. I've undergone a metamorphosis since starting this practice. Not 10% better, but life altering, horizon expanding shifts I never thought were possible for me. It's inner work that resolves the feelings that create your outer reality.
Words of warning from a not so young (36) chronic procrastinator with a rather messed up life: Take it seriously. I'm not talking about reading HN in your 7th work hour when doing stupid Excel sheets. I'm talking about messing up years and years of your life. I believe it's a symptom of some deeper issues and it won't go away from alone. Lack of sleep, stress, work overload, information overload amplify the effects b…
Idea/suggestion: How about the old "delete all your emails" trick: Sell everything you have. Quit your job. Move to another place.
Having said/suggested that, I've done this email trick a couple of times and while it works wonders short term - I stop worrying about those highlighted emails I should do something about that are getting older and older - I tend to just end up in the same situation later.
But, having moved around a couple of times, it also does work wonders, as long as you keep focus on the "new you" while everything's fresh.
A lot of people talking about their struggles. I’m going to plug HealthyGamerGG and suggest people take a watch of this https://youtu.be/WQ5bkdFuFhg because it might help them. Basically he explains an equation that goes on in our head when we procrastinate and how to change that equation. This is done through a live therapy session with a Twitch streamer who struggles with laziness. I think this will help more than…
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I don't think it's about "avoiding difficult emotions" anymore. You'd think after years of procrastinating and as a result, getting even worse emotions, the brain would learn to not procrastinate in order to avoid unpleasant emotions. Imo, it's a brain malfunction/illness. Some spectrum of ADD, some people being affected more than others. Perhaps it was useful in the millions of years of evolution, but it's counterpr…
Unless your brain has some sort of trauma associated to whatever you’re avoiding. Brains are flawed. You may never learn without intentional therapy.
Words of warning from a not so young (36) chronic procrastinator with a rather messed up life: Take it seriously. I'm not talking about reading HN in your 7th work hour when doing stupid Excel sheets. I'm talking about messing up years and years of your life. I believe it's a symptom of some deeper issues and it won't go away from alone. Lack of sleep, stress, work overload, information overload amplify the effects b…
Words of warning from a not so young (36) chronic procrastinator with a rather messed up life: Take it seriously. I'm not talking about reading HN in your 7th work hour when doing stupid Excel sheets. I'm talking about messing up years and years of your life. I believe it's a symptom of some deeper issues and it won't go away from alone. Lack of sleep, stress, work overload, information overload amplify the effects b…
Tagging this on: If one is a chronic procrastinator and also find the idea that people doesn't think about something exactly all the time to be a very strange thought, it might be worth doing at least an initial evaluation for ADD. ADD/ADHD-PI is kind of a terrible name, but procrastination and a mind that never rests is a combination that while not unique, is quite uncommon outside "ADD type" brains/people. It's not…
I'm not sure I understand; how could one not be thinking about things constantly? If I try to just sit there and think about nothing, it doesn't work. The only time when the thinking has stopped for me is while under anesthesia.