Procrastination: can it be cured?

[Desert_Nomad]

Let me get back to you…

[FairyChatMom]

@seal_cleaner

I’m really into making lists.

This was what moved me. At the risk of saying something everyone already knows, I’m retired, so no schedule. I knew once winter broke, there were a gazillion things I needed to do in the yard, but the thought was just overwhelming and I knew I’d never even get started. So I made a list of tasks that should take an hour or less (OK, a few took longer, but I spaced them over multiple days.) It’s quite surprising how much I accomplished in multiple short spurts. And I didn’t end up exhausted, achy, and unmotivated for days on end.

I’ve scratched a lot of items off my list, and I need to add some more that have come up as I’ve gone along. It’s pretty easy to come up with small enough bites that I don’t lose steam or interest, and it helps that the weather has been gorgeous.

OK, not today. It’s raining, so I decided to clean the bathrooms - someone described tumbleweeds of cat hair, and that described our bathrooms. I hate cleaning bathrooms over almost all other chores, but they’re done, and I had enough ooomph left to push the vacuum cleaner around the traffic areas. I could have said “Today, I will clean the whole house” and I wouldn’t have done anything. Instead, I picked something I knew I could get done, and I did it. Go me!

Now, I think I shall read for a while.

[Boyo_Jim]

But I’ve just gotten comfortable with who I am NOW! Changing seems like a lot of pointless work to no good end.

[snowthx]

Lists can be useful. I use them because I am not smart enough to remember everything about everything. However, to enhance the effectiveness of lists, you need to prioritize. Looking at a long list of to-dos can be discouraging, and invite procrastination.

Here’s one approach - identify your top 3 priorities for the day, and work on those and nothing else until they are either completed, or moved along to a point where you cannot take them any further (e.g. you need something from someone else who has not responded to you yet). Then, move onto the next 3 priorities and work on them until completed or as far as you can take them. Tomorrow, assess what still needs to be done and prioritize again, focusing on your top 3 priorities for that day first, etc.

[Cabin_Fever_1]

@snowthx

Lists can be useful. I use them because I am not smart enough to remember everything about everything. However, to enhance the effectiveness of lists, you need to prioritize. Looking at a long list of to-dos can be discouraging, and invite procrastination.

Here’s one approach - identify your top 3 priorities for the day, and work on those and nothing else until they are either completed, or moved along to a point where you cannot take them any further (e.g. you need something from someone else who has not responded to you yet). Then, move onto the next 3 priorities and work on them until completed or as far as you can take them. Tomorrow, assess what still needs to be done and prioritize again, focusing on your top 3 priorities for that day first, etc.

Too practical. too logical.
Seriously, motivation.

[HoneyBadgerDC]

@snowthx

Lists can be useful. I use them because I am not smart enough to remember everything about everything. However, to enhance the effectiveness of lists, you need to prioritize. Looking at a long list of to-dos can be discouraging, and invite procrastination.

Here’s one approach - identify your top 3 priorities for the day, and work on those and nothing else until they are either completed, or moved along to a point where you cannot take them any further (e.g. you need something from someone else who has not responded to you yet). Then, move onto the next 3 priorities and work on them until completed or as far as you can take them. Tomorrow, assess what still needs to be done and prioritize again, focusing on your top 3 priorities for that day first, etc.

I have a form I made for my things to do list. It includes estimated time, cost and priority. I only put things on the list if I don’t start them right away. My list includes big jobs and jobs as small as 15 minutes.

[sandra_nz]

Sometimes when I’m faced with a bunch of work I really don’t want to do, I allow myself to have a 45/15 day.

What is a 45/15 day? Well, it’s a day where I commit to working solidly for 45 minutes (using a timer), with a full 15 minutes off to do something completely non-work related. It’s really important that I use up the full 15 minutes, because if I don’t time it, I’ll only give myself 5 - 6 minutes, and that isn’t enough of a break.

I find it so much easier to concentrate for that full 45 minutes, knowing that I get the big break at the end of the hour. And whilst it means I’m only doing 6 hours work throughout the eight hour day, I tend to get more done because I’m so focused.

[Boyo_Jim]

@snowthx

Lists can be useful. I use them because I am not smart enough to remember everything about everything. However, to enhance the effectiveness of lists, you need to prioritize. Looking at a long list of to-dos can be discouraging, and invite procrastination.

Here’s one approach - identify your top 3 priorities for the day, and work on those and nothing else until they are either completed, or moved along to a point where you cannot take them any further (e.g. you need something from someone else who has not responded to you yet). Then, move onto the next 3 priorities and work on them until completed or as far as you can take them. Tomorrow, assess what still needs to be done and prioritize again, focusing on your top 3 priorities for that day first, etc.

This sounds like a great idea to implement at some point.

[Hershele_Ostropoler]

How does David Allen’s system/program/technique/approach/whatever work? I’ve looked at it, but I’m not sure someone who has trouble in that area to begin with is going to get much use out of it.

[bump]

@Anaamika

Ok, so I broke the habit in myself. It took about a year. But I don’t have any tips or tricks. I literally just woke up one morning and said, “Self, you need to go back to school and get your degree. But you’ll never get it if you don’t break this procrastination habit.”

So I broke it. I literally forced myself to do everything as soon as I thought about it. Even if I was miserable about doing it. If it was that bad I’d make myself spend just 15 minutes on it. More often than not after the 15 minutes I’d kind of be into it.

This, combined with making clearly defined and prioritized task lists will keep you from procrastinating, or at the very least, mitigate the effects of your procrastination.

So when you remember something, put it on your list, with an accurate priority. Then make a point of doing something off your list. The only real hurdle comes when your #1 priority is also the #1 time-sink; it’s often easier to do the #3, #4 and #7 priority items because they’re quick or easy.

[HoneyBadgerDC]

I wish I was more qualified to talk about this but I am a big believer in rewiring myself, or reprogramming. I do it with food, work habits, social interactions literaly all areas of my life.

 Very simple process of finding out what proper behavior is and then acting it out as an actor. The positive feedback and rewards we get will soon start to form a pathway in our brain that reinforces good behavior and before long it starts to come natural. I would imagine it is a biochemical reaction but it does work and is very simple. 

Set yourself up situations that have a good chance of positive feedback and validation, when there is none learn to appreciate your own good work and reward yourself somehow. My favorite reward is several hours of guilt free relaxation!