Why I Procrastinate (2019) • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#61

Post by J-dawg » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:08 PM UTC

VBprogrammer wrote: post #55

J-dawg wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I sometimes feel like these articles are popular because procrastination is just a universal part of the human condition. I doubt anyone scrolls past these articles and thinks “that doesn’t affect me at all”. I procrastinate to the point where it’s causing me real problems in life, yet it feels kinda indulgent to say that as if I’m the victim of some disease, when I’m actually just failing to deal with something that…

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.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#62

Post by alexashka » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:13 PM UTC

Procrastination is not a problem. Having to go to school and listen to dimwits recite largely useless information for 12 years and demand that you memorize it is demoralizing.

It should be demoralizing, because it's bullshit and it's not what you want to be doing.

The key takeaway is that if you don't become excellent at something that society appreciates (will pay good money for), the remainder of your life will be spent with dimwits at work.

The solution to being in a shitty situation is seeing a clear path out, not pills and blog articles.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#63

Post by Jarwain » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:14 PM UTC

tempsy wrote: post #22

Doesn’t this contradict the other article that was upvoted on how procrastination is more emotional than anything else? To say it is ADHD is to suggest it is neurological e.g. some chemical imbalance in the brain, but if it’s really an emotional response then saying you have ADHD is more like pointing out the symptom rather than the cause here.

For context, I've been diagnosed with ADHD and this article resonates with me a lot, and I also related to the other article. But I'm no neuroscientist and it's possible my understanding is flawed

I don't think this is inherently contradictory. ADHD isn't _just_ a neurochemical imbalance (and imbalance is weird because that 'balance' differs from person to person (and characterizing all neurological issues as chemical imbalances is a bit reductionistic) ). ADHD is also characterized by an under-developed prefrontal cortex, which is the region of the brain responsible for executive function.

More directly addressing your point, as far as I understand, emotions are largely just temporary changes in the availability of your neurotransmitters/your neurochemical balance. So yeah, sure, procrastination is an emotional thing, which is just minor changes in your neurology.

Ultimately, ADHD is kinda characterized by the Severity of these neurochemical changes and, more specifically how they affect behavior. It's a label for behavior, and also a number of traits that result in that behavior, but not a Thing in and of itself, if that makes sense.

In other words, saying it's both isn't inherently contradictory, cuz ADHD also has an "emotional" component to it. You could argue that the emotional part is a symptom or side effect.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#64

Post by marcosdumay » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:22 PM UTC

dredmorbius wrote: post #10

kitd wrote: post #2

All these procrastination articles are obviously finding their target audience here on HN!

We need to extend the "noprocast" feature to address this.

The noprocast feature does not work for me because if I am not procrastinating, I will open several tabs and keep them there for short breaks during the day. The noprocast rules will only accept my procrastinating behavior.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#65

Post by pmoriarty » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:23 PM UTC

jlangemeier wrote: post #27

keyanp wrote: post #13

"I find it extraordinarily difficult to just... relax. Sit on a bench and watch the clouds. [...] But even if I'm in that perfect scenario where there's nothing to do... my brain will just fill the void with absurd daydreams and rabbithole trains of thought. " This is the case for many (all?) people. I've found that you need to intentionally train your ability to not let your mind do this. I recommend this book for s…

This is doubly/triply/quadrupley difficult for those of us with ADHD; I've spent years working on meditation, and I only get glimpses of silence; and that's only on the best of days. To take a medical condition such as ADHD and say, "hooboy, everyone gets distracted" is to entirely dismiss what those of us with it are dealing with. It's not just sometimes I get distracted; it's nearly all the time I get distracted if…

"I've spent years working on meditation, and I only get glimpses of silence; and that's only on the best of days."

Just out of curiosity, what meditation technique do you use, and what's been the longest meditation session that you've had without quieting your mind?

For me, who doesn't suffer from ADHD, and whose technique of meditation consists of simply focusing on the sensation of air flowing past my nostrils as I breathe, I'll always eventually quiet my mind if I meditate long enough. The primary challenge is just giving it enough of a chance instead of getting up and doing something else.

Of course, even when mind quieting is achieved, the moments of quietness are of finite duration, and some thought or other will eventually (usually sooner rather than later) pop in.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#66

Post by marcosdumay » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:23 PM UTC

tdsamardzhiev wrote: post #20

cryptozeus wrote: post #9

Procrastination articles start to appear on HN as we get close to end of January. There is a lesson in there somewhere.

Man, I feel like it's the 75th of January already. Does this month ever end?

January is usually longer than the remaining of the year. Enjoy while it lasts.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#67

Post by pmoriarty » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:28 PM UTC

keyanp wrote: post #13

"I find it extraordinarily difficult to just... relax. Sit on a bench and watch the clouds. [...] But even if I'm in that perfect scenario where there's nothing to do... my brain will just fill the void with absurd daydreams and rabbithole trains of thought. " This is the case for many (all?) people. I've found that you need to intentionally train your ability to not let your mind do this. I recommend this book for s…

While we're on the subject of meditation books, I can recommend Mindfulness in Plain English[1] and The Heart of Buddhist Meditation.[2]

[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-G...

[2] - http://www.khamkoo.com/uploads/9/0/0/4/9004485/the_heart_of_...

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#68

Post by erobbins » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:48 PM UTC

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 doing something you don't want to do because they're paying you... and doing something I don't want to do is very VERY hard. Almost impossible at times.

If you're a teenager or in your 20s, try and get some help now so you don't toil in futility for the next 20 years. Trust me.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#69

Post by 0xff00ffee » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 7:57 PM UTC

RickS wrote: post #53

0xff00ffee wrote: post #43

EDIT: My apologies. I was overcome with a bout of head-in-ass-syndrome.

First, the other commenters are correct. Your tone is needlessly hostile. Would you talk to a cashier like this? Or a peer at work? I hope not. Anyway, related to your actual post – you said: > Buckle up and get it done, it's that simple. Would you tell a depressed person > Cheer up and go outside, it's that simple. If so, what evidence do you have that this is an effective treatment? If not, what makes the two situa…

>> Buckle up and get it done, it's that simple.

> Would you tell a depressed person

Yes I would absolutely tell that to a depressed person. And I have said it. I was depressed for a decade. And yet people spoke to me this way, because that's life. I was on antidepressants. I took care of my problem(s) and I still got my job done while struggling, medicating, and going to therapy. A big part of therapy was learning to separate "them" from "me" in my internal dialog.

You know what? I'm glad someone spoke to me that way. It got me up and motivated to work on myself. I can't imagine how poorly I would have turned out if I was coddled and allowed to stay in bed and read about all of these new pop-psych diseases I could blame. But that's just me. Maybe I can reach someone the way I was reached.

However, you are conflating two completely unrelated things. I am not responsible for your internal mental state, nor is anyone responsible for mine. This is a crucial skill that I believe is sorely lacking.

Re: Why I Procrastinate (2019)

#70

Post by jlangemeier » Thu, Jan 23, 2020, 8:10 PM UTC

pmoriarty wrote: post #65

jlangemeier wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is doubly/triply/quadrupley difficult for those of us with ADHD; I've spent years working on meditation, and I only get glimpses of silence; and that's only on the best of days. To take a medical condition such as ADHD and say, "hooboy, everyone gets distracted" is to entirely dismiss what those of us with it are dealing with. It's not just sometimes I get distracted; it's nearly all the time I get distracted if…

"I've spent years working on meditation, and I only get glimpses of silence; and that's only on the best of days." Just out of curiosity, what meditation technique do you use, and what's been the longest meditation session that you've had without quieting your mind? For me, who doesn't suffer from ADHD, and whose technique of meditation consists of simply focusing on the sensation of air flowing past my nostrils as I…

I suppose I should clarify some as well; 'traditional' mainstream meditation doesn't work well for me; I've spent up to an hour doing either box breathing or air flow focus breathing as attempts to clear my focus and quiet my brain, and in general it just doesn't reach a desired effect. On the regular though, I would say I average about 15 to 30 minutes a day attempting this meditation form. This may at best allow for 3-5 second times of 'blank' space but never longer.

That being said, I do martial arts, and I would compare intense focus on performing an intermediate to long kata to the generally expressed trance or meditative states; and in those times I would consider it similar to either art or programming flow.

And I think that's where the distinction is, as 'traditional' meditation tends to be a more passive meditation style that doesn't work well with the active needs to essentially distract my brain into a present tense form.