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At the End of a Procrastinated Day

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Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#91

Post by billswift »

Tichy wrote: post #64
tomjen3 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since monday my home internet hasn't been working. Was told by tech support to call them if it didn't work two hours after rebooting it. My internet is important to me (and using an iPad with 3g wasn't a great solution). The tech call wouldn't have taken more than 15 minutes. I had the time. Yet I procrastinated making the call. I might have made it, but the connection started working today so I didn't. The plan was…

Having to wash socks is incredibly depressing. Not sure what can be done about it - perhaps move to a country where you wouldn't need socks, which would probably also have more sunshine :-/ Or get floor heating, or a household hand? Maybe some bearable solution could be found.

Wash socks when you want to procrastinate doing something worse. If there is nothing in your life worse than washing socks, you really don't want to move, you're already living in Shangri-la.

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#92

Post by gabaix »

sukuriant wrote: post #83
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?

You're right, those are breaks.

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#93

Post by billswift »

kbatten wrote: post #18
angkec wrote: post #14

Here's a realization that scared me to death that I don't procrastinate any more: The whole life only exists in the current moment. The reason being that the past doesn't exist any more, and the future has yet to come into existence. Hence all my life exists only in the current moment. This leads to the conclusion that if I procrastinate for even a bit moment, I'm wasting away all my life. This is the most scary conc…

It seems to me that working away all your life isn't any better that "wasting away" all your life.

"It is better to burn out than rust away." - - George Leslie Mackay

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#94

Post by kaizendc »

rhizome wrote: post #19
j_baker wrote: post #7

I don't understand why some people beat themselves up so much over procrastinating. Sure, it becomes a problem when you can't get anything done because you're so busy procrastinating. But everyone has a day here and there where they just can't be bothered to work on anything. Usually, it's a sign that your brain needs a break. Listen to it! Take a break. If it happens so often it interferes with your work, you need t…

So, my procrastination won't stop until I resolve the reasons for my procrastination. Thanks!

Isn't he simply suggesting that we might want to address the problems, rather than the symptoms?

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#96

Post by namank »

You know, I think its a manifestation of anxiousness about the work. Haven't figured out why this happens but I've seen that it is easier to overcome when I'm 1. working on a passion project 2. Working in a group.

Passion project point is really interesting because this implies that all other projects have something my(our?) subconscious is not quite comfortable with...but what is this??

Is it that I'm scared to attempt this new project for the fear of failure? Or is it that I'm too comfortable with it and therefore don't think its worth my time? Or is it because doing(attempting) this project will take me down an unknown route?

Ah!! So many possibilities...but I'm slowly learning to overcome this. One thing that works for me on a bad day: First think about the big picture of what needs to be done and how to go about it (sequentially) - I find this provides me with a time perception of the project, that I can visualize what steps are involved in completing this project. Then just start the project! Just start it without thinking anymore and pretty soon its been 2 hours and you're almost done with phase 1!

Re: At the End of a Procrastinated Day

#99

Post by bitops »

skrebbel wrote: post #78
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…

Kent Beck calls this the "Red Test Pattern". If you do test-driven development, check in your code, write one more test that fails, and only then stop working. Works wonders for me.

Agree - this pattern is really underestimated.

I find it especially powerful at the end of a long day when you've been deep in the details. When you come in the next morning and see that red test, you "download" the context you were in much more quickly. I've also noticed that you tend to remember little details and nuances more clearly.

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