Procrastinators of TBOT - how do you keep from procrastinating?

Relic · #1 02-23-2011, 11:30 AM

meh I'll just finish this post later...

No really, serious question:
Sometimes I really suck with procrastinating. It's almost as though I fall into a trap where I start to put off doing stuff until it all builds up to a point where I get myself into a mess and have twice the amount of work to fix it...

I guess the answer is just to 'buck up and do what I need to do and don't wait", which is what I normally do, but why is it that I even have to force myself to do so in the first place? I'm not sure if it's just a matter of laziness though - if I'm intersted something - a hobby, activity, etc, I'm all over it with no delay at all.
It's such an odd trait when you think about it.. obviously problems, responsibilities, and such are not going to go away, so waiting isn't going to do anything but possibly make them worse. So what the heck is up with it?
So how do any of you who are also shameless procrastinators handle this annoying trait? and where do you think it comes from in your opinion?

Cabazon · #2 02-23-2011, 11:33 AM

The procrastinators are not the right group to be addressing this kind of question to.

Anway, I'll get you an answer later.

Skitch it! · #3 02-23-2011, 11:42 AM

No-one want's to be 'owned' mentally all the time imo, I'm good at prep, but I'm best under pressure, I get the full focus on then. Life is ticking on, and people crave a bit of 'me time' to forget everything once in a while I suppose, familiarity breeds contempt et al.

SoonerMatt · #4 02-23-2011, 11:44 AM

I'll get back to you later.

macaroni tony · #5 02-23-2011, 11:47 AM

The only way that works for me is to write out a schedule for the day with the hour blocks that I will use to do each thing. Otherwise, I will wait until the end of the day to do the things that aren't all that fun, and by then I'll go "Eh....I'm too tired now. I'll do it tomorrow." And then tomorrow....well, ya know

MJ5150 · #6 02-23-2011, 11:51 AM

For me, I seem to perform better with my back against the wall and an impending deadline looking over my head. So, I just wait until there is a mass amount of work to do and chaos then I get to work.

I also like to go from task to task to task with no downtime in between, so I will also put off a bunch little things here and there until there are several. Then I line them up and knock them out.

Since this method has been successful for me all of my adult life, I suspect there will need to be a catastrophic failure on my part before I consider another approach.

-Mike

MakiSupaStar · #7 02-23-2011, 11:53 AM

There are two types of procrastination. Putting off stuff that you don't want to do, and putting off stuff that you do want to do. For me the two are related. For some reason, I do my best creative work when I have other things that I have to do. If I'm procrastinating on things that I don't want to do, I have less procrastination on the things that I do want to do. If I have done the things that I do have to do, I have more procrastination on the things that I do want to do. I have come to accept procrastination as part of my creative process.

Relic · #8 02-23-2011, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

There are two types of procrastination. Putting off stuff that you don't want to do, and putting off stuff that you do want to do. For me the two are related. For some reason, I do my best creative work when I have other things that I have to do. If I'm procrastinating on things that I don't want to do, I have less procrastination on the things that I do want to do. If I have done the things that I do have to do, I have more procrastination on the things that I do want to do. I have come to accept procrastination as part of my creative process.

I had to read that like 3 times...

, but you hit the nail on the head, I do the same.
For me at least - it's as though having something unpleasant looming over your head, forces you into this state of "creative escapism"..where you kind of absorb yourself into a project or hobby very readily.
then, once you get done with the unpleasant stuff, there's no more need for that "creative escapism" so it then becomes harder to find that mental place - again this is just my own take on why I personally do stuff the way I do.

Jared Lash · #9 02-23-2011, 12:00 PM

I can tell myself that I'll work on something in an hour or this afternoon, tomorrow or next week and mean it and yet it doesn't get done. Starting is the hardest part.

One of the traps of procrastination is to think that you'll do something when you "feel like" doing it. That you lack motivation and when you have it then you'll work.

The reality is that motivation follows action.

Relic · #10 02-23-2011, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

The reality is that motivation follows action.

Yep. In my case, that statement gets twisted bass-ackwards.

**baba** · #11 02-23-2011, 12:06 PM

I keep a few prioritized lists. A that day list, a relatively soon list, and a long term list.

onosson · #12 02-23-2011, 12:07 PM

In any case, when you find you'd rather be cleaning the bathroom than what you *should* be doing, you know you are truly a procrastinator.

elgecko · #13 02-23-2011, 12:20 PM

I tell myself "You can do it now or you can do it later. If you do it now, you'll have free time later!"

onosson · #14 02-23-2011, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgecko

I tell myself "You can do it now or you can do it later. If you do it now, you'll have free time later!"

The problem with that is, if you do it later, you'll have free time *now*!

Skitch it! · #15 02-23-2011, 12:24 PM

I think it's to do with subliminally reminding yourself of freedom of choice a bit too, something that I'll have to do, (but not to do with work, friends etc that's different), sometimes I'll reject that reality, and substitute my own just because I feel like saying, 'later gator, I'z not letting you in to my mind today, I'm doing something else instead'.

As Maki mentioned above, some of the things I want to do I'll put off, purely I think for the fact that even though I want to do it, I decide to exercise my 'freedom of choice' and knock it back for a while. Anyways, reinforcing your not ruled all the time, even by yourself sometimes imo, freedom to choose or not.

elgecko · #16 02-23-2011, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onosson

The problem with that is, if you do it later, you'll have free time *now*!

But if you wait till later to do it, something else might pop up that you have to do.

onosson · #17 02-23-2011, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgecko

But if you wait till later to do it, something else might pop up that you have to do.

What's that? I can't hear you, my dirty bathtub is calling me...

Relic · #18 02-23-2011, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skitch it!

I think it's to do with subliminally reminding yourself of freedom of choice a bit too, something that I'll have to do, (but not to do with work, friends etc that's different), sometimes I'll reject that reality, and substitute my own just because I feel like saying, 'later gator, I'z not letting you in to my mind today, I'm doing something else instead'.

As Maki mentioned above, some of the things I want to do I'll put off, purely I think for the fact that even though I want to do it, I decide to exercise my 'freedom of choice' and knock it back for a while. Anyways, reinforcing your not ruled all the time, even by yourself sometimes imo, freedom to choose or not.

Steve - yeah that's good stuff as well. I know that part of it for me is the "my time" aspect. With two bands, a full time job, kids etc my ability to have time that belongs to me and me alone is pretty limited. So there's a definite part of this where I feel a "hell no, you're not stealing my free time" aspect.

Against Will · #19 02-23-2011, 12:38 PM

Scheduling and making lists works best for me, though I still suck at procrastinating.

Making lists of the things I need to do helps me organize my thoughts and makes scheduling easier for me.

When I need to take care of chores or errands or fixing things, I block out time on a particular day and commit to doing it. I still tend to put it off; whereas I may have committed myself to cleaning the bathroom or the car at 3, I'll put it off and do it at 4:30 or 5. But at least it gets done and blocking out time definitely increases the chances that I'll accomplish a given task.

For more abstract work, like when I need to do work on the computer, I try to remove distractions and go someplace where there isn't any wireless internet (I have a laptop) so I'm not tempted to log on and watch videos, etc.

Also, every now and again I get on a "roll" where I'll get lots of things accomplished in a day. In these cases a list is really handy because I'll be in the "getting-things-done" mode and can transition from one task to the next.

guroove · #20 02-23-2011, 12:41 PM

Three words: Do it now. Just keep those words flying around your head all the time. You'll realize that procrastination is something you do all the time. When you think about the task that you don't want to do, you are procrastinating. When you think about what you can do to avoid doing the task you are procrastinating. Just do it now. DO IT NOW!