Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time • Hacker News Board

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#331

Post by bumby » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 9:03 PM UTC

Seaphyre wrote: post #289

Reedx wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The offense is when we drug kids for not wanting to sit at a desk, or not wanting to concentrate on something they're not interested in, or not performing under a certain teaching/learning model. We put kids (and then adults) in the wrong environment and "fix" them with drugs so they conform to it. Maybe we should change the environment or model instead. Different people thrive in different environments. A good thing…

The actual offense is making handwavy statements like 'we're drugging kids for not wanting to concentrate on things they're not interested in'. ADHD is not as simple as that. And for people affected by it, even interesting things are often physically impossible to concentrate on - it's incredibly frustrating and a debilitating condition to live with without medication (depending on severity, of course). A different e…

I don't know much (anything, really) about this so please don't construe my comment as one of any judgement. I'm really just curious to learn more.

A quick search shows that 9.4% of kids are diagnosed with ADHD.[1] (It's also the exact same percentage of total population with diabetes, which society seems to treat as an epidemic [2]) Of those kids, over 60% were on medication. Maybe I'm naive, but that seems like a lot. Do you think there are really that many kids who have "a debilitating condition"? The source lists a "behavior or conduct problem" as the number one reason to be diagnosed. That...seems a little suspect to me at first blush, but again, this isn't something I have much knowledge about.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html

[2] https://www.diabetes.org/resources/statistics/statistics-abo...

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#332

Post by sdinsn » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 9:15 PM UTC

INGELRII wrote: post #124

As the society advances and problems are solved for us, we are left with the most central core problem, ourselves. Related to concepts like 'agency', 'impulse control', 'willpower', 'restraint', 'free will', 'delayed gratification' are connected to our status and self image. If you think humans as AI systems, we are facing issues with our reward function. Short term reward seems to overrule long term planning and goa…

> I think the subject deserves a Black Mirror episode and few startups.

I can't tell if this is sarcastic or not

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#333

Post by sdinsn » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 9:32 PM UTC

pdbrito wrote: post #78

mettamage wrote: post #47

Yesterday I had a bit of a talk with myself about my behavior pertaining to procrastination. I am addicted to: - YouTube - Gaming Worse, I have quite a runway due to low living expenses. I came with a new idea today, I hope it helps anyone else. I need to get good at generating my own feelings. This is why I play games and watch videos. I do it to feel something. In order to do that I need to stay as close as to the…

I had a similar conversation with myself recently. In the spirit of sharing coping mechanisms... What I found helpful was to dig deeper into why I enjoyed playing the genres of games that I do. My favourites are MOBA/ARPG/MMORPG and there was quite some overlap in what I was enjoying. Stuff like: - MOBA - Skill based gameplay - You get better over time - You get to play with/against people better than you and learn f…

This is known as the "gameification" of goals, and its been known to work quite well. People gain more satisfaction when they can quantify progress.

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#334

Post by wikibob » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 9:36 PM UTC

willidiots wrote: post #273

gdubs wrote: post #263

Dr [David] Burns is one of the people who helped popularize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in his book, “Feeling Good”. It’s cool to see these ideas becoming validated through studies. I’m not very familiar with ACT, but as an offshoot of CBT that includes a mindfulness component, it sounds fascinating. Burns talks about the “do one small thing” strategy in his books, and (anecdotally) it can be very effective. W…

I spent two years with a fantastic psych in the bay who studied under Burns. She used a combination of 50% ACT, 50% Burns CBT and it was very impactful. Workbooks for homework were The Happiness Trap and the Feeling Good Handbook. Fundamentally changed my life for the better.

Who was it?

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#335

Post by mensetmanusman » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 10:16 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #184

jp555 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is a domain of unknowable unknowns not a sort of singularity (systems theory), and therefore a kind of infinite?

I didn't encounter that concept, so I don't know. That said, I'd argue these are unknown unknowns, but they're not unknowable in principle (except perhaps in areas where incompleteness theorem applies).

There are many physics ideas that are unknowable in principal due to the laws of nature. Back to the singularity.

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#336

Post by throwaway373438 » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 10:40 PM UTC

jhayward wrote: post #297

swiley wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I absolutely think there is a such thing as ADHD and these people were prescribed the medication to manage it. There was one person who I think managed to get a prescription despite being “normal” and I didn’t notice much about him that changed but we also didn’t hang out much after that.

> I absolutely think there is a such thing as ADHD and these people were prescribed the medication to manage it Then why do you claim they were "high"? No, they're more toward "normal" than they would otherwise be. Claiming ADHD people are high, while you are "sober" is a pejorative which diminishes the fact that ADHD exists and needs treatment, and is usually intended to embarrass and denigrate those that have it.

Because amphetamines make you high, whether or not they are treating a disorder.

I have ADHD. I have taken quite a few medications for it over my lifetime, as have many of my friends. Clinically indicated amphetamine treatment does not mean the patient will not become high, or that the patient will remain sober.

It is an issue with which anyone taking these sorts of medications will be well acquainted. It's why many folks suffering from ADHD will sometimes not take their medication.

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#337

Post by andai » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 10:50 PM UTC

stared wrote: post #123

andai wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know any ways we can use this knowledge to improve the situation?

The biggest insight is this NOW vs NOT NOW. Rationally I know what is time (heck, I did my PhD in physics, so I have an edge here). When it comes to actions... I often zone out, daydream, get distracted by a random post, get too focused so I spend well more time than I realize on something I didn't plan to do, etc. Once I realized this NOW vs NOT NOW, I set some triggers to make a project "NOW". Of course, one natura…

I thought you might appreciate this clip from a lecture by Dr. Russell Barkley which explains how to use the environment to compensate for ADHD (externalize everything - time, to-do's, motivation, rewards, feedback) and how to keep your willpower reserves high (frequent breaks, positive self-talk and positive mental pictures, meditation and exercise).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tpB-B8BXk0

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#338

Post by MattSayar » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 10:57 PM UTC

CaptArmchair wrote: post #198

mettamage wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, IMO that sounds sexist. I think especially the second thing is sexist (dependent on a man). I can point to counter examples. There might be a trend in some locales? I wouldn't know. But the way it's written it sounds a bit like it's inherent to the woman (being dependent on the man for purpose), that's why it sounds sexist. Just pointing it out how it sounds and why it sounds to me that way (I didn't downvote).…

Two assertions: One. Men can have kids up to high age, yes, but after 35, quality declines and the probability that their children will have face disorders and disabilities increases. Two. Having children to leave a happy life isn't an obligation. It's an option. Most parents love their kids to bits, but will also grudgingly admit that the drudgery of parenthood is probably the most grueling thing you can do with lif…

> it's literally playing lottery: disabled kids happen too

The odds are definitely in your favor compared to mega millions though.

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#339

Post by MattSayar » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 11:08 PM UTC

CartyBoston wrote: post #209

mikelyons wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is quite a good description of it. I'm so tired of existing. I don't have a brain that's wired in such a way that I'll ever really create something worthwhile. I am equally unlikely to ever find a partner who would want children with me. Why even maintain this existence...?

The pain you express here is one I recognize, I'm sorry. For me the answer is simple to say and difficult to execute - if I don't value the world I am in, create a world that I do value. Creating worlds is awesome, literally Godlike. And very, very hard work that I try to be patient watching me flail at.

Kindof reminds me of that one poem about changing the world:

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.

I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.

When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

Re: Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time

#340

Post by zackmorris » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 11:45 PM UTC

I posted this comment under the "Why I procrastinate" (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22127841) and "ADHD, a Lifelong Struggle" (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22129777) articles today, but I think it's important enough to the HN viewership that it should be shared here as well. Hope this helps someone:

I just discovered yesterday that I suffer from task anxiety related to ADD/ADHD, after a lifetime of struggling against falling into patterns of depression. It's felt as almost a pain in my gut between my chest and belly whenever I go to start working on something I have to do. I just worked through this series of exercises and it really helped me identify what's actually going on, with some solutions:

https://addandsomuchmore.com/2012/01/29/taskmaster-getting-t...

https://addandsomuchmore.com/2012/02/11/task-anxiety-awarene...

https://addandsomuchmore.com/2012/02/14/virtue-not-own-rewar...

https://addandsomuchmore.com/2012/02/16/doling-out-the-cooki...

https://addandsomuchmore.com/2012/02/24/when-the-game-is-rig...

Some other keywords to look for are "impossible task" and "executive dysfunction", both maladies being seen predominantly in millennials. I just happened to get them 10 or 20 years ahead of time by starting computers when I was 12 as a Gen Xer.