The Procrastination Demons

[Revah]

They keep respawning! Help!

Seriously, I have problems getting things done. I spend far more time sitting and looking at pointless stuff on the internet and thinking about what I have to do than actually doing it.

I find that once I get started, I'm fine. I can work 6 hours flat-out on an essay or paperwork or house cleaning or whatever I have to do, if it's necessary (I prefer not to get into the situation where that is necessary, but if I need to, I can do it.) So it's not that I'm lazy so much as that I just have zero self-discipline. It's the getting started that is seemingly impossible. Just one more YouTube video/blog to read/TV show to catch up on first, right?

Anyone gone from inert to organized and want to tell me how they did it? I'm thinking of appealing to my inner 4-year-old and going for a sticker chart where I can track not only exercise but other life stuff too (different coloured stickers FTW!)

[Oz.]

I don't know the answer, but right now im procrastinating

I have exactly the same problem at work. Am i just lazy? I dont think so, I do a lot of things, but at work....

Oz.

[Shaun1105]

I have the same procrastination problem you do, seems like I always have. I don't know that it's because I have zero self-discipline, it's just that I apply it very selectively. For instance, I can't seem to lose weight unless I'm involved in a competition for money, but if I am I can turn down any dessert and even pizza.

Part of it is consistency. I was able to write a blog post daily last summer for like two months, but when I had to take a week off (went camping) I totally couldn't get back into it. I can keep a fairly strict diet, but if I allow myself to cheat, it turns into a binge.

So I guess my advice is to just tell yourself you're going to do something, get started, and keep the ball rolling on a daily basis. If you find yourself stopped, repeat the process.

[Bumblebee4]

I have the same problem and I have it bad. Grew up in a family of procrasinators and I haven't kicked it yet. I know my sister is a lot this way too. I found a site called Flylady and her plan is a really good one. She tells you how she came from exactly the same place and how she changed it. She even knows that we'll start to follow her plan and then fall off the bandwagon because we are that way. One of her things that helps me a lot is to set a timer for 15 minutes and do what you need to do for that time. Lately I've been setting the time for 15 minutes so I don't end up on the internet for hours at a time. Time flies so quickly here.

I have a person here on NF holding me accountable somewhat if he sees me hanging around on here too long. It helps to have people that will make you check yourself.

[Cosmo]

Bribery. Just bribe yourself to do stuff. I usually use the lure of new shoes, new clothes, spa days for bigger goals and smaller bribes for other bits.

[Bumblebee4]

I wish bribery would work for me but it won't. I'd actually lie to myself in a twisted kind of way and justify why I should still get the bribe even though I didn't really do all the work. I was the kid that when I had to clean my room or get in trouble I'd stuff it all in places that would make it look clean and an hour after I was off the hook, it would look like a tornado went through because I needed something that was way in the back underneath my bed or back of the closet so everything else would come out.

[Book]

*sighs* I'm actually afraid to look at this thread or post to it because it's such a big problem with me.

[Bumblebee4]

Come on Book. You, me and Revah could start helping each other. I have my plan of how I'm going to get back on track but I just realized I've spent an hour online. Signing off now but I'll be back later after I've done some of the stuff I HAVE to do this morning.

[Ryan Sannar]

Take cold showers in the morning.

http://joelrunyon.com/two3/

[Book]

Come on Book. You, me and Revah could start helping each other. I have my plan of how I'm going to get back on track but I just realized I've spent an hour online. Signing off now but I'll be back later after I've done some of the stuff I HAVE to do this morning.

Care to share this plan???

[unicornassassin]

I have a person here on NF holding me accountable somewhat if he sees me hanging around on here too long. It helps to have people that will make you check yourself.

Great idea!

[Artinum]

Lists. I make lists of things to do. Of course, it's very easy to make a big long list and never look at it, so I have two lists at a time. Actually, I have three now (one for my life goals). Let's call that one List 1 - the big stuff that you're aiming for in life. Don't worry too much about crossing this one off, as doing so is a BIG task.

List 2 is the main working list. It's a load of stuff that needs doing, but not set for any particular time, and this is your regular checking list. Items on List 1 should be broken down into smaller tasks and those tasks, one or two at a time, end up on List 2 - along with more generic things like "sort out the garage". If you can cross anything off List 2, good for you! If you cross off any subtask of List 1 from this list, replace it with another one.

Finally, we have List 3. This is best written on a piece of paper that you carry with you and is not worth spending too long over - because it only lasts for ONE DAY. At the start of each day, you write a new one. This includes all the work you have to do today - chores, shopping, laundry, appointments - and it should also include at least ONE item from List 2. Break it down further if you need to. If you do not finish everything on this list by the end of the day, you'd better have a good reason for it. This list should not normally have more than about five things on it. Don't fill it up with meaningless drivel like "feed the cat", which you'll do anyway.

The upshot of this is that all the generic mundane stuff we have to do gets done, and our life goals and bigger tasks are slowly chipped away until they get done, too. Oh, and if you have a big task that you're avoiding? Anything is better than nothing. I got on with a novel I'd stalled on for months by making it a daily goal to write just 500 words. It moved faster than it had since the beginning, even though 500 is nothing. If that was too hard, I'd have gone down to 200. Because 200 words a day is slow, but it's infinity percent faster than 0 words a day...

[Bumblebee4]

Artinum I appreciate your way of doing things but I can say that for me it's way bigger than getting things on a list so that I do them. I am so far behind that I should still have my calendar up from 2007! Things started getting out of hand for me around 2006 when I took in a niece while my brother went through some stuff. About a year after she moved back out, it was time for my Dad to get pretty sick and move in with me until he passed away. Both of those times I turned my office into a guest bedroom and seemed to never recover fully. Even my housekeeper noticed that areas of my life were slipping. Then about a year after my father passed away my brother was back into full blown addiction and living on the streets and his daughter came back to live with me for 2 years. I had just moved before that and had to move again and then again to be able to take her in from foster care as I had downsized. My brother now lives in a psych ward of a nursing home and I am his healthcare surrogate. I make all his decisions etc for him. I am the executor of my Dad's estate. Not that he left anything of big value but I have to keep the property maintained, hire a realtor, pay the taxes, etc etc and I'm still the aunt to a young adult niece who has very little in the way of parental involvement so I try to still be there for her as much as possible.

I have 3 years of bookkeeping to get caught up on for my brother. I have several boxes of paperwork from my Dad's death that need to be filed and made sure there's nothing important to do. I know that the only way to do any of these things is similar to what Artinum stated though. The biggest thing is for me to at least do something everyday. Even if I only spend 15-30 minutes a day working on bookkeeping, it will eventually get caught up. I just get sooo overwhelmed by how far I've let these types of thing get. So I end up saying, screw it I'll start tomorrow and tomorrow has turned into years.

So Book, my plan is to set aside 15 minutes a day to work on the really big stuff. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I know that often times once I get started I'll work a lot longer and that is great but if I tell myself I only have to do this for 15 minutes it will help me at least start. That's the hardest part. So my 15 minute work time is now on my daily schedule and I've just got to do it. And I'm only allowing myself a certain amount of time everyday online. Damn internet can suck me right in for hours.

[Denny]

To me it's easiest not turn on the computer until everything else outside the digital world has been done, then ensure I don't open the web browser until I really have to.

[Revah]

Bumblebee4, I'm sorry that you went through all that. :/ My family's got a pattern of alcoholism so I know how hard it is when family members suffer with addiction. All I can say is that given your circumstances, it's no wonder you're behind with paperwork and such. It can't have been a priority for you with everything else you had going on.

My issue was depression. I've overcome it now, but some of the old habits stick around far longer than they ought to.

I like the idea of 15 minutes a day. I think I could get myself started if I knew it was only 15 minutes that I had to do it for - and then if I get in the zone and want to carry on, all is good. I think I'm going to join you in that.

Cold showers - eep! Saying that, I do turn the water down cold for 30 seconds after my nice hot shower. I do like the rationale behind it though. Perhaps a future challenge.

Lists - I know some people swear by them, but they don't work for me, I get to the end of the day and look at my half-completed list and then don't carry on with it.

I do go online first thing in the morning. It's actually a good thing for me because it gets me out of bed at 6am (or earlier!). If I don't get up, I don't have any internet time before leaving for work. I like getting up early, and I like the relaxation of a cup of tea and some internet reading before I have to properly start my day, so that's one habit I want to keep.

[Bumblebee4]

Lists - I'm the same as you Revah. I make, them get overwhelmed by what I need to do or didn't get done yet and then I conveniently lose the list until weeks later when I find it and I go "Damn I forgot I had to do that before today!"

Doing this 6 week challenge has made me aware of how much time I waste especially in the morning and how often my schedule changes and if I haven't worked out or done my to do list in the morning it can all go out the window when my schedule changes so I need to work on getting the most important things done first and stop thinking I have plenty of time to get it all done today.

Babysteps!

[Korosia]

I'm terrible at this too (I should be writing a physics report that I've had for about five weeks!). I've found a couple of things have helped a little bit. Firstly, regonising that once you get started you actually get into the swing of things helps. All of a sudden the challenge isn't to "sit down and write 3000 words about the thin-lens equation", its "sit down and *start* writing 3000 words about the thin-lens equation". Then you can just focus all your enegry into that first big push.

Also, seeing everything you do as a practice towards becoming more disiplined. You know how sometimes your workouts suck, but you think "hey, at least I did *something*."? Well, I kind of think about working the same way. Sure, I only sat down and did half a question, but now my procrastination-muslce is that little bit stronger.

I also found a fantasic website that deals with procrastination issue a lot: http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/

Like I say, I epically suck at self-disipline, but hopefully this has helped a tiny bit

[MrHyde]

I'm test-driving Beeminder.com for this at the moment. You might wanna take a look.

[Guest Gemeaux]

Gah I have to do so many assignments ( Okay , two ) and I just can't concentrate . I had two or three week to do them but didn't and they are due Tueday ! someone needs to lock me in a room with no distractions .

[GoGo]

..

[Ryan Sannar]

You guys need someone there to break the cycle. Lucky you have us huh. I really suck with this too though.

Also video game reference. Just find their respawn point and sit there with a rifle.

[Pat G]

Bad guys (procrastination demons included) keep respawning till you achieve your objective depending on the difficulty setting, which for most of us is set to "reality".

For the guys stuck on computers that have issues with browing, use a program that blocks all internet access for a set period of time of your choosing. For example, the chrome webstore has a website blocker in beta, or try Freedom web blocker, used by Seth Godin.

[TheSavageBean]

I know what I'm meant to be doing. I know because my tasks are very clear. At any point of the day I SHOULD be engaged in one of the following: Lifting. Eating properly. Studying. Programming. Practicing music. Having recreation.

Knowing this, I just need to tell myself I'm motivated, and then I am.

One practical thing that helped my productivity though was installing ubuntu on my rig. Ubuntu can't play games, therefore I can't either.

[GreenEyesBright]

I know me. If I want to kill my demons, I'd get rid of my PS3 and cable. Eventually I get bored enough to start doing things I need to do. Eventually =)

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

[rix]

Take cold showers in the morning.

http://joelrunyon.com/two3/

I second this - I'm actually doing it and it helps. Also, you learn how long 5 minutes can be ...

Also video game reference. Just find their respawn point and sit there with a rifle.

Chances are that I'll play CS today to do just that ...