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Originally posted by mousethief:
I get tons of things done due to procrastination than I might never otherwise have gotten done. To keep from doing the thing I should be doing, I do those other things. Then if I'm lucky I still have time to do the thing I've been putting off.

It's a weird dynamic, but often it works.

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I find that too, Mousethief. Often the displacement activitiy - ANYTHING rather than doing my tax!- unlocks my ability to get on with said tax. Also, the DA seems in retrospect to have been something which is an enormous relief once it's done, so it was unconsciously bugging me and blocking doing anything else until it was attended to.

Having said that, I have found that as I get older, I just forget things. So I try to do them before I forget! This operates particularly at work. It is soothing to make lists and stick them on the wall (thank God for blue-tac) so that the information which I would otherwise forget instantly is visible and retrievable. Visible is important, as I would otherwise forget that I had this info, and certainly where I had put it!

One of our exam accompanists at school gets a great sense of security if she is given the music immediately, and I try to do this for her. There is a knock-on advantage in that I get a reputation for reliability and quick response which is all down to age related amnesia!

[ 13. April 2014, 06:29: Message edited by: jacobsen ]
 

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Posted by The Intrepid Mrs S (# 17002) on :
 
To-do lists! those bright yellow ones.

I found at work that if I had a to-do list, at the very least I would work my way through the things I knew were within my power, which might give me confidence to start off on the rest. And the feeling of delight when you can cross something off, often sets you up to tackle the next task.

FWIW and YMMV, of course.

The other thing I find is that if I tell Mr. S I need to do something, he will 'remind' me so many times that it becomes easier to DO the damned thing than make up another excuse

Mrs. S, wearing her Nike expression
 

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Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by mousethief:
I get tons of things done due to procrastination than I might never otherwise have gotten done. To keep from doing the thing I should be doing, I do those other things. Then if I'm lucky I still have time to do the thing I've been putting off.

It's a weird dynamic, but often it works.

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Yes!!

My house is never tidier than when I've got a huge pile of marking awaiting attention!


 

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Posted by ExclamationMark (# 14715) on :
 
Procrastination is ok provided others don't expect you to do stuff on time.
 

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Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Doing things immediatly when they're given to me rather starting the procrastination cycle by setting them aside helps.
 

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Posted by infinite_monkey (# 11333) on :
 
Warning naughty words:

why procrastinators procrastinate (with bonus monkey!)

I find that to be a pretty good summary of how procrastination can play out for me and often does play out for friends of mine--in the moment,short term, it's like anything is more pleasant than the item I'm putting off, though long term, the choice to procrastinate is ultimately the choice to taint everything else with the anxiety of not doing the thing I'm putting off.

I find that setting a timer and just bloody well forcing myself to do five minutes of it usually starts the momentum I need to continue: initially, the five minutes is not too daunting, and after the timer goes off, half the time I want to keep going.

Let's hope that works for my taxes today...
 

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Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :
 
I genuinely tried to do a project on procrastination at Uni as part of my undergrad course, but didn't get enough done on it so had to change topic - and return the book on procrastination I had borrowed and not got round to reading.
 

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Posted by ExclamationMark (# 14715) on :
 
If you are a procrastinator, then consider this. Y

You have a project that you have to complete by a certain date. The completion of said project does not depend on you but on someone else.

That person is a fellow traveller, another procrastinator.

Their procrastination results in non delivery of said project. Apologies and blame casting/finger pointing are useless: delivery is your job but this failure is not your fault. You get kicked and/or sacked. It's unfair and you seethe.

Now play role reversal. You are the procrastinator whose late or rushed or non delivery causes meltdown. You know what others feel like cos its happened to you. Do you get on with it because you empathise or do you still procrastinate because that's what you do?
 

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Posted by Doublethink (# 1984) on :
 
You are assuming a level of choice that may not be there, Nobody wants to procrastinate in the same way no one wants to be clinically obese, or addicted to drugs or alcohol. People want control, but they may just struggle to attain it.
 

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Posted by Lucia (# 15201) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Doublethink:
You are assuming a level of choice that may not be there, Nobody wants to procrastinate in the same way no one wants to be clinically obese, or addicted to drugs or alcohol. People want control, but they may just struggle to attain it.

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This.

I hate the way I seem to be unable to get on with things that need doing. I know it messes things up for others, and it certainly messes things up for me. It causes me stress, guilt, frustration and anger at myself. Yet still I do it... Seriously I wonder at times what is wrong with me? I find it incredibly difficult to start all kinds of tasks. All I can say is I think it is linked to deep seated feelings of inadequacy and lack of self-esteem that makes me fear even trying to do the thing that looks even mildly difficult. It's not rational, believe me, and it's really quite depressing. If I could easily change this my life would look very different, I would have achieved a lot more and would probably be happier. But mostly I just feel stuck and paralyzed as I watch issue after issue turn into a crisis due to my own stupid inaction...
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
Me too, and I'm diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
 

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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
Clutter clearing advice suggests that if the house is chaotic, start by sorting out one drawer. There's a good deal of sense in the proverbial "Well begun is half done." I think this could apply to almost any daunting task, but must admit to a continuous supply of cluttered corners in my life which need sorting out on a regular basis. So in fact becoming a more-or-less non-procrastinator means a complete change of life-style, at present in my case only partially achieved, and at work. It took me twenty years to get my tax details to my accountant in reasonable time for him to file my return without having to stay up all night to complete the job. Apparently many of his clients are dedicated procrastinators...

I would agree with ExclamationMark that the problem is intensified when procrastination impacts on other people. If willpower alone doesn't work, as so often it doesn't - Doublethink is quite right there - maybe it's time to seek help.
 

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Posted by iamchristianhearmeroar (# 15483) on :
 
Am I the only one to see the irony in this thread?!
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
Nope. But we live with that on a daily basis, and are too tired to wave at it once more here.
 

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Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
I wanted to be a procrastinator, but I never quite got round to it.

My wife thinks that I am really bad at putting things off, but I'm not as bad as she thinks I am! As a Minister, I have to hit several targets every week; the things which don't get done (principally routine visiting) are the ones which are not bounded by specific time constraints.

[ 15. April 2014, 13:59: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 

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Posted by Caissa (# 16710) on :
 
I teach my students the Seven Day anti-procrastination plan from David Ellis' Becoming a Master Student. It is a mnemonic device to remember seven ideas. Monday make it meaningful. Tuesday is take it apart. Wednesday-Write an intention statement. Thursday-Tell Everyone, Friday-Find a reward, Saturday- Settle it now, and Sunday- Say "no".
 

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Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :
 

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Originally posted by iamchristianhearmeroar:
Am I the only one to see the irony in this thread?!

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Not at all (she said from her w*rk computer).
 

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Posted by W Hyatt (# 14250) on :
 
I try to be a careful procrastinator by figuring out just how long I can get away with procrastinating on any particular task without getting into serious trouble. At that point, I have to count on the pressure to get started in order to find the motivation. After working for decades to counter my strong tendency to procrastinate (going back to when I was eight or less), I can finally report that I've been experiencing a little bit of success! At this rate, I'm hoping to report on significant success by the time I'm 150 or so.

It has taken me many years to find something that works at all for me, but it seems that I can allow myself to procrastinate as much as I want, as long as I don't allow myself to do anything else while I'm procrastinating, including SoF, Free Cell, surfing the web, reading a book, etc. All I allow myself to do is sit and think about all the things I'm putting off and how long I can safely put them off. It sounds depressing, but since I'm convincing myself that I can put them off, it's actually something of a relief. Sometimes, I can even convince myself that everything unpleasant can be put off for at least one more day and I'm free to do whatever I feel like doing. Otherwise, I eventually reduce the list to one or two things that I really should get started on. Then I think about those things as long as I want without actually doing anything about them, just imagining doing something about them. And eventually, voila! I find myself ready to get started. Of course, I don't push myself too hard to keep working on things once I do get started because that would just discourage me from getting started the next time. Instead, I just take a short break/reward whenever I run out of steam and start the whole process over again. All in all, only a little bit successful, but quite relaxing!

Hairy Biker, I hope you do get time to post those tips!
 

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