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At the End of a Procrastinated Day

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Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#81

Post by roryokane »

zalew wrote: post #62
dudurocha wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution is not on the post, is in the comments. So you think that the solution for procrastination is google for it? I see this approach going all way around, and making people procrastinate more. Here in hn we can listen to other peers, that have the same problem and have good solutions.

sheldon wonders why a lazy few lines post "hey, my day today was a lazy day, why is it so? I dunno, lol" is considered valuable enough to be upvoted, and submitted in the first place. how is it insightful in any way?

I think it’s a little bit insightful in that it highlights how not-fun procrastination is, even while we’re doing it (“Procrastination is the worst feeling ever”). A reminder of that feeling, which we often forget when we desire to procrastinate, can give people a little extra motivation to avoid procrastination.

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#83

Post by sukuriant »

gabaix wrote: post #23

I found a way to reduce procrastination, while enjoying some of it. I alternate a procrastinate day with days of non-procrastination. For one day, I am allowed to watch as many movies as I want, play chess, do whatever useless and enjoyable I might want. Then I would do variable periods without procrastinating. This could be 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month. It depends on your other priorities, work, family, achieveme…

So ... you've scheduled in breaks and call them 'procrastination days', because 'break' or 'vacation' or 'sanity holiday' sound wasteful?

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#84

Post by wtracy »

One partial solution for me: Buy a netbook that won't run any of my favorite games. Work on this netbook, from a location that has no internet access, if necessary.

If you need internet access to do your work, go to a public location (say, Starbucks) where you'd be embarrassed to be caught Youtubing.

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#85

Post by alf »

baby wrote: post #74
alf wrote: post #44

The Hemingway Trick: Stop in the middle. Never stop working at the natural barriers. They next time you start working, the barrier will be the first thing you encounter, and you won't have the momentum to overcome it. Try to stop writing mid-chapter, or mid-sentence (or mid function). Know how to finish, but stop working. The next time you start, you know exactly what needs to be done. There will even be the urge to…

This is a very interesting statement that I've read before. It is interesting because it deals with the moment you're working and not about the moment you're procrastinating. Because yeah we've all read those articles while procrastinating which gave miracle solution. Never works. This is a real solution. It doesn't tell you what to do to stop procrastinating, it tells you how to stop working as not to procrastinate…

I think I first read it here on HN actually :)

I think this trick is so great because it's so counter intuitive to a person in the mindset of getting something done. Stopping when you still have momentum seems counter productive, and it is in the short term, but you get more done in the long run.

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#86

Post by gnosis »

plebu wrote: post #27
kapitalx wrote: post #6

For me, procrastination always come from a lack of having a digestible plan of attack. When you find yourself procrastinating, figure out a single next step for your project, one single feature, or one single task in that feature that needs to be done. If you know what your next step in the project is, you'll have this urge to jump back in and do that task. If you can't find that task, then you need to step back and…

I agree. Procrastination is caused by a lack of vision. Here are some painless quick-wins: 1. Make a list of things you would like to accomplish the following day BEFORE you go to bed. Prioritize it. Then close your eyes and visualize the next day. Start from the moment you wake up. Wakeup -> Bathroom -> Coffee -> Get Dressed -> Check email -> Commits to GitHub -> etc... Visualize everything. Watch the following day…

That might work for mild cases of procrastination, but not severe ones.

I know all the things I should be doing, like setting goals, making lists, visualizing myself working on and achieving various tasks and goals, checking on my progress, etc..

The problem is that I don't do those things.

Well, sometimes I do manage to make some lists, but I don't work on any of the items on those lists. I don't even check to see what's due next on those lists. I've tried taping my lists to my bedroom door and to my bathroom mirror, but I just walk past or look past those lists like they weren't there.

It's easy for to say things like "just work hard" or "just do it" and give advice on things a procrastinator should do. But what's to be done when someone can't "just do it" or follow your advice? That's the real problem.

I would be the most productive person in the world if I could just follow through on things I know I should be doing. But I just don't.

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#87

Post by apurvamehta »

I can't believe that this has been up 8 hours without any mention of Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art" (http://www.stevenpressfield.com/the-war-of-art/)

This lays bare the root of procrastination. It is also provides forceful, direct ways for dealing with it. I don't know a single person who has read it and not taken something positive away.

And it's a really quick read. I went through it in an evening.

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#89

Post by tdavis »

This may not apply to everyone, but I found the thing that consistently removed my procrastination was simply to stop working in isolation. Whether it's going to the office of an employer or renting a desk at a co-working space, being around other people who are being productive worked wonders for me.

I used to think there was some fundamental flaw with my psyche; I would procrastinate quite often and always feel utterly depressed afterwards. Turns out that external motivation and clear delineation between "work space" and "play space" was all I needed. I still work after work pretty often, but usually on other projects. If I just sit around and watch TV or play video games I don't feel badly about it because I know I just put in 8 hours of solid programming, which is something I used to think myself utterly incapable of.

If you're in an environment where watching Hulu all day is acceptable, find an environment where it isn't. I practically guarantee it's all you'll need.

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