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How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

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Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#61

Post by d23 »

jeremyjh wrote: post #43
Jun8 wrote: post #16

You may want to not waste time reading this but instead use that time to read pg's essay on similar ideas, "How to Do What You Love" ( http://paulgraham.com/love.html ), which, if I had the power, I would have millions of copies printed and have every kid in the world read it. It explains (at least) two simple ideas very effectively: 1. The work versus fun dichotomy is taught very early: "The very idea is foreign to…

I've already read all of Paul's essays, most of them more than once. I come to HN to read new things. I liked this article, I think it was worth it just to be reminded of this: >I could be in discomfort and nothing bad would happen.

I don't know why people feel like it needs to be an all or nothing proposition.

I realized this applies to me on day to day things that cause me to procrastinate a lot. For instance, today I had a doctor's appointment that I wanted to reschedule because it was snowing and I got in late last night. I realized that I just needed to push through it and get it done, because it would cause me more pain in the long term if I didn't. Plus, it honestly wasn't that big of a deal -- I woke up a bit earlier and took a cab. Now I don't have to think about it anymore.

It'd be nice if I could do this on a regular basis. I chatted up a good looking girl while I was waiting on the appointment too, rather than sitting there uncomfortable and wishing I had the courage to say something. I just pushed through it, and it was fine.

Just casual every-day things, that's all. That's what I'm going to aim for.

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#62

Post by Bjartr »

thelogos wrote: post #5

I feel like procrastinating is such a common human condition that it's really not about you but about the work you're putting off. When I was in college, I would put off doing lab reports until 6am in the morning. Watch youtube, surf the web for 30 minutes and actually work for 5 minutes. But there was a reason. It was boring drudgery. Now that I get to work on my own project, I code almost all day. When I eat, I thi…

ADHD is mostly understood to be a failure of executive function, which include brain processes that are involved with allocating cognitive resources to tasks. As such you get periods of poor focus from under-allocation of resources. At other times you get periods of hyper-focus from over-allocation of resources. This is also why certain stimulants work for those with ADHD, it stimulates the part of the brain that deals with executive function.

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#63

Post by dgreensp »

Jun8 wrote: post #16

You may want to not waste time reading this but instead use that time to read pg's essay on similar ideas, "How to Do What You Love" ( http://paulgraham.com/love.html ), which, if I had the power, I would have millions of copies printed and have every kid in the world read it. It explains (at least) two simple ideas very effectively: 1. The work versus fun dichotomy is taught very early: "The very idea is foreign to…

PG's essay and this one are complementary. PG adds a valuable piece which is to question the idea that work is generally or largely unpleasant by nature. Both authors agree we must get over our momentary discomforts and press ahead to lead a fulfilling life. PG doesn't really say how, only how to recognize intellectually that it's necessary. Extrapolating what he says into procrastination advice, you might end up with "remember your goals" and "be able to delay gratification."

"Letting go" is a particular in-the-moment experience that is very valuable to understand. It sort of looks like "sucking it up" but it's a release rather than a bottling up, so it's right at the heart of the issue of managing your energy and willpower well rather than flailing around and beating yourself up in response to the pressures and goals you are laboring under.

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#65

Post by TheSOB888 »

randallsquared wrote: post #53
vidarh wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unproductive pleasures pall eventually. After a while you get tired of lying on the beach. If you want to stay happy, you have to do something." Nonsense. This in itself is a result of falling prey to what Leo Baubata (the author of the linked article) writes about: Inability to "let go". There may certainly be things you'd find more fulfilling. But if you need to do stuff to be happy, you are letting yourself suff…

Happiness is a natural measurement of how well you (believe you) are achieving your goals. If you are unhappy, it's a signal that you should change something about your life, not a signal that you should short-circuit the measurement system.

That is nothing at all like happiness. Are you one of those people without emotions? It's OK, I was too for a long time. It happens a lot to people in tech, or people who end up in tech.

Anyways, happiness is an innate emotion. It's much more central than anything about "achieving" your goals. If you don't feel stressed about the future, don't wish you were somewhere else/someone else/doing something else constantly, if you are having your psychological needs met, you are happy. Goal-based happiness is almost as bad as money-based happiness. You have to be more well-rounded than just focusing on your goals.

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#66

Post by TheSOB888 »

ibuildthings wrote: post #37

I do empathize with the original article a lot. I used to have/still have a strong fear of failing, especially in intellectual tasks. According to my own introspection this is primary angst that caused/causes me to procrastinate. There are two major references I often go back when I find myself paralyzed. One being an advise I got from one of my PhD advisors: All creative tasks might appear that it requires enormous…

I just have to say, I love washing dishes. I was convinced by Leo (the author) to start trying to enjoy myself while washing dishes, and now I love it. I don't even use the dishwasher anymore.

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#67

Post by pekk »

Bjartr wrote: post #62
thelogos wrote: post #5

I feel like procrastinating is such a common human condition that it's really not about you but about the work you're putting off. When I was in college, I would put off doing lab reports until 6am in the morning. Watch youtube, surf the web for 30 minutes and actually work for 5 minutes. But there was a reason. It was boring drudgery. Now that I get to work on my own project, I code almost all day. When I eat, I thi…

ADHD is mostly understood to be a failure of executive function, which include brain processes that are involved with allocating cognitive resources to tasks. As such you get periods of poor focus from under-allocation of resources. At other times you get periods of hyper-focus from over-allocation of resources. This is also why certain stimulants work for those with ADHD, it stimulates the part of the brain that dea…

Alternatively, people who have trouble being motivated by something boring are diagnosed with ADHD. But no, let's instead use the explanation which is very complicated and sounds big but is hard to falsify.

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#68

Post by randallsquared »

TheSOB888 wrote: post #65
randallsquared wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Happiness is a natural measurement of how well you (believe you) are achieving your goals. If you are unhappy, it's a signal that you should change something about your life, not a signal that you should short-circuit the measurement system.

That is nothing at all like happiness. Are you one of those people without emotions? It's OK, I was too for a long time. It happens a lot to people in tech, or people who end up in tech. Anyways, happiness is an innate emotion. It's much more central than anything about "achieving" your goals. If you don't feel stressed about the future, don't wish you were somewhere else/someone else/doing something else constantly,…

"Are you one of those people without emotions? It's OK, I was too for a long time."

Haha. Healthy people have emotions for reasons. If you don't introspect about why you are happy, sad, content, enraged, or depressed, you will have less information about how well you are living your life according to your own standards.

"It's much more central than anything about "achieving" your goals."

It's not clear to me how something could be more central than goals, so I don't think we're using the term "goal" in the same way.

"You have to be more well-rounded than just focusing on your goals."

Why would you want to be well-rounded?

That answer you just thought of? It's a goal.

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#69

Post by pekk »

jwdunne wrote: post #23
esalman wrote: post #14

Procrastination comes from lack of motivation. Address that first.

Hrm I thought this was true at first. Spending lots of time consuming materials on how to increase my motivation, etc. Nothing worked! But then, why would it? I'm obviously motivated to do what I want to do or else I wouldn't be trying so many different ways to stop putting off! The best results I've had have been from a) just doing and b) reducing anxieties. Nothing I have tried has been sustainable but I still keep…

It is always possible that one wants to have done something, but does not wish to actually be doing it. So one has difficulty starting, and if one starts one has difficulty following through, but one still keeps trying to start. Or, better yet, starts doing other things which don't really cause forward progress but which seem like they might eventually - like reading motivation books

Re: How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, and Love Letting Go

#70

Post by dbingham »

randallsquared wrote: post #53
vidarh wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unproductive pleasures pall eventually. After a while you get tired of lying on the beach. If you want to stay happy, you have to do something." Nonsense. This in itself is a result of falling prey to what Leo Baubata (the author of the linked article) writes about: Inability to "let go". There may certainly be things you'd find more fulfilling. But if you need to do stuff to be happy, you are letting yourself suff…

Happiness is a natural measurement of how well you (believe you) are achieving your goals. If you are unhappy, it's a signal that you should change something about your life, not a signal that you should short-circuit the measurement system.

Actually, no. That is not what happiness is. We don't know exactly what happiness is. But ironically, those who are happiest are often those who we would say are least productive and haven't achieved anything.

Case in point, one of the happiest families measured is an old family that lives in the Louisiana bayou. They're poor. They don't work much. They hunt and fish for a lot of their food and they all still live pretty close. They spend their days wandering the bayou and hanging out.

And they're happy.

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