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How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

deprocrastination.co

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Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#31

Post by carabiner »

georgespencer wrote: post #25

It’s clearly not the case for everyone, but I struggled for an extended period of time with a few things in my personal and professional life: 1. Remarkable focus in topics which interest me and remarkable lack of focus in topics which do not. 2. Leaving “must do” tasks in areas of little interest until the very last moment, resulting in a predictable lack of excellence in execution. 3. Periodic deep dives into topic…

With #1, someone told me 90% of K12 education is supposed to help you get over this. School is supposed to train you to focus on and produce work on subjects that you have zero interest in. I was pretty good at that before, now I think I'm just burnt out.

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#32

Post by georgespencer »

elchief wrote: post #28
georgespencer wrote: post #25

It’s clearly not the case for everyone, but I struggled for an extended period of time with a few things in my personal and professional life: 1. Remarkable focus in topics which interest me and remarkable lack of focus in topics which do not. 2. Leaving “must do” tasks in areas of little interest until the very last moment, resulting in a predictable lack of excellence in execution. 3. Periodic deep dives into topic…

If you suffer ADHD, I strongly recommend reading Scattered Minds, by Gabor Mate. I found it enlightening

Thanks! I have a fortnight off coming up shortly and have added it to my queue. An area I spent a long time discussing in multiple consultations was the tension between genetic predisposition and environment.

Interesting for a few reasons: firstly there’s some limited evidence that early treatment with medication can have a permanent positive impact on the condition in children. Which to my pea sized brain is suggestive of the possibility that we have sufficient elasticity during our brain’s formative years to consider this, sometimes, an illness not a condition.

Secondly there is some evidence to suggest that other disregulations such as dyspraxia and dyslexia are linked to ADHD. A common question in diagnosis is about family history of those conditions.

I was also concerned when my doctor and two psychiatrists told me that therapy was certainly an option but highly unlikely to be successful for me. It seems like this book may paint a different picture.

Thanks for the recommendation! If you suffer from ADHD, do you mind sharing if the book changed your approach to treatment?

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#33

Post by non-entity »

georgespencer wrote: post #25

It’s clearly not the case for everyone, but I struggled for an extended period of time with a few things in my personal and professional life: 1. Remarkable focus in topics which interest me and remarkable lack of focus in topics which do not. 2. Leaving “must do” tasks in areas of little interest until the very last moment, resulting in a predictable lack of excellence in execution. 3. Periodic deep dives into topic…

Ok serious question: Every one of these points is very applicable to me, especially 1,2 and 3.

I haven't been to a doctor in years outside occasional emergency trips. How do you bring this up without seriously. I don't want to come off as the guy who compulsively self diagnoses based off what they read on the internet.

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#34

Post by Funes- »

stakkur wrote: post #30

I generally disagree with these kinds of models. Not because motivation, triggers, etc. aren't real things, but because they couch the problem as being either outside of us, or quasi-genetic (ADHD, etc.), instead of a choice that we make and own. Taking action has varying degrees of difficulty for every person. The factors are numerous. But in history, in life, in every scenario I've ever read or studied or watched,…

I agree. What anyone needs to keep procrastination at bay is strong enough resolve. It's the only thing that's ever helped me take action.

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#35

Post by non-entity »

carabiner wrote: post #31
georgespencer wrote: post #25

It’s clearly not the case for everyone, but I struggled for an extended period of time with a few things in my personal and professional life: 1. Remarkable focus in topics which interest me and remarkable lack of focus in topics which do not. 2. Leaving “must do” tasks in areas of little interest until the very last moment, resulting in a predictable lack of excellence in execution. 3. Periodic deep dives into topic…

With #1, someone told me 90% of K12 education is supposed to help you get over this. School is supposed to train you to focus on and produce work on subjects that you have zero interest in. I was pretty good at that before, now I think I'm just burnt out.

Heh, didnt work for me. I just failed the classes I didn't give a damn about.

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#36

Post by dtjohnnyb »

aplusbi wrote: post #27

I have started subscribing to the believe that it is not about motivation, it's about discipline. There is only so much you can do to motivate yourself to do a tedious or onerous task. But if you have discipline, you don't need the motivation. I still struggle a lot with procrastination, but I find this reframing to be helpful.

I think one issue with discipline is that there's a value judgement attached, so that when I procrastinate, I'm an undisciplined slob, I feel worse, more procrastination, spiral.

As you said, having discipline reframed into triggers and motivation allows more objective reasoning. You do the task because you have a well created system of triggers that you follow regularly because you know the _why_ of what you're doing at a big picture level. If I procrastinate, it means my system or my why isn't working for me, and I need to reevaluate.

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#37

Post by non-entity »

system2 wrote: post #26

There is nothing can stop procrastinating but only if we do things we love. I remember being passionate about little electronics projects when I was young, I would spend 10+ hours per day without getting bored. Now if In need to do anything I will find something to postpone or do it half assed while doing something else at the same time. Do something you love and wouldn't get bored of. Like gardening or something. So…

The problem is I spend 8+ hours a day doing something I don't care about and by the time I can work on the things I love I'm mentally exhausted and just sleep for hours.

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#38

Post by DecayingOrganic »

stakkur wrote: post #30

I generally disagree with these kinds of models. Not because motivation, triggers, etc. aren't real things, but because they couch the problem as being either outside of us, or quasi-genetic (ADHD, etc.), instead of a choice that we make and own. Taking action has varying degrees of difficulty for every person. The factors are numerous. But in history, in life, in every scenario I've ever read or studied or watched,…

It's but an apparent fact that we do not have full control over our actions. Just think of the popular game Sims, how you can control your sim to do whatever you want it to do.

Now compare that to your own experiences of attempting to control hunks of flesh on disintegrating bones.

Thus any simplification in the form of "just do it, it's your choice" motto fails to account for these very real biological constraints.

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#39

Post by laurex »

non-entity wrote: post #33
georgespencer wrote: post #25

It’s clearly not the case for everyone, but I struggled for an extended period of time with a few things in my personal and professional life: 1. Remarkable focus in topics which interest me and remarkable lack of focus in topics which do not. 2. Leaving “must do” tasks in areas of little interest until the very last moment, resulting in a predictable lack of excellence in execution. 3. Periodic deep dives into topic…

Ok serious question: Every one of these points is very applicable to me, especially 1,2 and 3. I haven't been to a doctor in years outside occasional emergency trips. How do you bring this up without seriously. I don't want to come off as the guy who compulsively self diagnoses based off what they read on the internet.

Go to a psychiatrist. Report your symptoms. They will give you a diagnostic and make the call. As long as you go in without stating your suspected diagnosis, you're not "diagnosing."

Re: How to stop procrastinating by using the Fogg Behavior Model

#40

Post by stevewodil »

non-entity wrote: post #33
georgespencer wrote: post #25

It’s clearly not the case for everyone, but I struggled for an extended period of time with a few things in my personal and professional life: 1. Remarkable focus in topics which interest me and remarkable lack of focus in topics which do not. 2. Leaving “must do” tasks in areas of little interest until the very last moment, resulting in a predictable lack of excellence in execution. 3. Periodic deep dives into topic…

Ok serious question: Every one of these points is very applicable to me, especially 1,2 and 3. I haven't been to a doctor in years outside occasional emergency trips. How do you bring this up without seriously. I don't want to come off as the guy who compulsively self diagnoses based off what they read on the internet.

Do you have a PCP? You just say that you want to get referred to someone to get tested for ADHD because of x, y, and z and you think a diagnosis would help you
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