Get Everything Done

Hi everyone,

I am having a serious procrastination problem at the moment...

The more work I have to do, the more I try to avoid it, I just think '...i'll do that another day' but 'another day' never seems to come.

I have deadlines approaching quicker than I want them to yet what I don't want is a mad rush at the last minute...

It seems actually the more I procrastinate the more tired I get... which seems quite strange to me.

I wondered if anyone can offer any advice to a serious procrastinator?

It is a tough habit to break, but I think it is a habit, just like efficiently working is a habit. The problem for some is the one you mention overwhelm. Others may be addicted to the adrenalin of the last minute rush.

I wrote about procrastination at one point you may find the article on my blog. But, one technique I have taught some people is to use short daily lists. This removes the overwhelm of looking at huge lists which can be a roadblock to some. This builds the completion muscles as I call it and proves you can get things finished. This technique works for lots of no-project things to do. It is basically DIT, using a closed daily list and the little and often principal to reduce a backlog

For projects, the other technique I have used which goes against some time management principals is to get calendar and schedule out in small chunks projects you must complete. Try to schedule them in a way that they are done a few days to a week in advance of the deadline. This margin of safety can be comforting. By showing yourself there is time to get the project done and no one chunk is too big, can again be a sign of relief and get people on the right track.

Good luck

Gerry
http://www.simple-time-management.com

I have found Procrastinators Anonymous (PA) to be invaluable. There are 15 minute morning phone bridge meetings at 7:30 am and 8:30am EST. Each day at those meetings, there is an opportunity for sharing, making action commitments, & "bookkending" check-in meetings are scheduled on the half-hour at requested times during the day. The support and accountability are great, as are the 12-step tools & promises. Google procrastinators anonymous for the website which offers on-line check-ins, chatbox, and online meeting, as well as phone bridge meeting info. Over 20 years, I read many books re: procrastination, tried many methods, and worked with three therapists. PA is the only thing that really helped me.

Hi Simon,

sorry to hear you are struggling. If things are getting desperately bad my initial response is to try the 'not insane to do list' (available on the American Digest website).

Basically you choose your 3 most important tasks for the day and work on them before thinking about doing other tasks. Undone items roll over into one of the 3 slots for the next day.

My personal view with procrastination is the simpler the better and the shorter the to do list the better.

Good luck!

An after thought Simon,

I have seen somewhere the idea of the 'have done' list where one basically writes down what they 'have done'. This is in order to acknowledge work done and progress made. This can often go unnoticed.

How about:

today's date

(not insane to do list items)

1
2
3
---------------------------------------

('have done list - under the line)

I might try it myself!

Try to solve the underlying problem.

I currently procrastinate on a task that would be fun, but I don't have the time to do it well enough to be satisfied myself (I know that less would be good enough) - and being a commitment where others are involved gives it far more priority it would get otherwise. In this case, the reasons boil down to overcommitment and perfectionism. So I promised myself that I will avoid the same overcommitment next year (it's an annual opportunity for overcommitment ;-) ) and that I'll just do the minimum and refine if there's some time left.

You mention being tired. Because of doing too much or because you don't feel well? Maybe this points to another reason for procrastination (been there, done that, avoided getting the t-shirt).

Good luck!

Lazy Cat,

Of course! Good advice - it's better to get to the root of the problem first rather than guggesting solutions first.

ooops, should read 'suggesting'

Keep the suggestions coming ! I'm thinking two keys are good: start small, and it gets easier once you've started. Second ponder (in detached observational style) what is your reason for acting and what for postponement. Get clear in your mind how realistic those motives are, rebalance your thinking, and then go back to my first point and take action.

At least that's what I'm going to try now.

Hear, hear Alan, keep those suggestions and ideas coming!

It's always good for someone to start a thread like this, reminds some of us (all right, me!) that we have strayed like lost sheep.

For a big task which HAS to be done: try the Salami techniigue and build up a series of initially small steps into a real flow.

However, as other have said, also celebrate the small stuff as well. I realised I had slipped back by not clearing my Inbox every evening - 'clearing' does not necessarily mean EVERY email has been deailt with in full, if at all - but a an empty Inbox first thing in the morning is fare more encouraging than seeing stray sheep from the day before.

Having just emptied my Inbox, I'll log off and shut down, anything else that would have come in during the last few minutes can bloody well wait. If it's REALLY urgent, a line in my email signature tells folk what to do.

It is best to discover WHY you are procrastinating before you simply apply the most popular technique you come across. Most techniques you'll hear about apply to procrastination caused by a feeling of overwhelm. If that is not your case, then techniques addressing that issue will not help much.

My suggestion is that you do some serious introspection to discover why you are procrastinating and then choose a technique accordingly.

Good Luck.

My name is Beth L and I am a procrastinator...
Yes it is a tough one to conquer. In my search for help with this, I have come up with a few things. Certainly discovering the underlying issues is a must if it persists. Yet sometimes a simpler answer can work in the moment.

One thing that works for me is to take 30-60 minutes and clean off my desk. Having a clean work space is critical for me and is well worth the time it takes. Then make a simple list of whatever must be done NEXT.

I have also gathered some quotes to inspire me along the way:

~Procrastination is putting off what you want most for what you want now. [unknown]

~To go far you must begin near, and the nearest step is the most important one. [Krishnamurti]

~The shortest answer is doing. [Lord Herbert]

~The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. [Mark Twain]

~It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities. [Anonymous]

~Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. [William James]

~Now would be an excellent time to start. [Alan Cohen]

And now, back to the task(s) at hand!

Mike: Not sure if I'm in a majority here but I think telling a procrastinator to 'do some serious introspection' is going to be a bit counterproductive. Basically that's just more procrastination, right?

Hi Ed. Being a self-professed procrastinator (see above) I will say that I have spent a lot of time in introspection on the issue, as well as many others. So for me, they don't seem to be directly related, and that may just be the way I am wired.

Deep introspection is something that draws me in naturally and easily. I think one thing that is true about "procrastinators" is that only SOME things sit there while others do in fact get done effortlessly. I would say that no one that knows me would say I am lazy...quite the contrary. I do a lot in any given day. I just don't always do things I often "should".

Not sure if others who procrastinate relate to this, but it is true for me. Hence, spending time looking at why some things get done and others do not is a great thing to reflect on and has been fruitful without a doubt. I do think procrastination is an issue that I must "stay on top of", giving it sometimes continual attention.

One more thought on this...and yes, one can get caught up in the looking at and not the doing.

It is a balancing act...one that requires maturity and intention to get real, meaningful movement on in the long one.

And indeed in the short term when things just must get done, I find that doing now and reflecting later is the only way. Hence, why I love that quote: The shortest answer is doing.

Looking for answers can be procrastination if one uses it for that purpose. The thing is that using the wrong technique can eat up a lot more time, energy and attitude. I reiterate, using a technique to deal with overwhelm when you are not procrastinating because you feel overwhelmed, is worse than useless.

If I'm procrastinating on a task on my daily list, something that helps me is to draw a little 'tree diagram' to the right and break it down into more manageable pieces.

Then find the time of day when most motivated/least tired and start working through these pieces, ticking each off as I go.

Oops, one other thing I find helpful is 'save up' distractions in a grasscatcher list, and then schedule a break when I can look forward to them after doing some work.

Breaks are more enjoyable if you feel like you've earned them.

Simon,

Me too!

Things I find help:
- Lying to myself: "I'll just open the document" rather than "I'll finish the report"
- Lists
- ManicTimer: "I spent HOW MANY hours on Mark Forster's blog??"
- escalating timed bursts: 5 minutes on thing A, 5 minutes on thing B, 10 minutes on thing A, 10 minutes on thing B, etc
- taking breaks BEFORE getting to a good stopping place, so the subconscious keeps working and wants to get back and finish off

Now, If you'll excuse me, I've got a backlog to work...

Sometimes, I get so frustrated and angry with myself for procrastinating on important stuff. At these times I find the best answer is to just completely get away from it for an hour or two, or even a day or two. I do what I WANT to do instead -- go for a walk, watch a movie, read a book, surf the internet, play a game. When I am ready, I will get back to work. And it is truly amazing what I can achieve in a very short time just before an important deadline :)

Hi All. De-lurking to post three thoughts, as a chronic procrastinator:

1) Recovering Procrastinator said: 'I have found Procrastinators Anonymous (PA) to be invaluable.'

Absolutely. PA is wonderful.

The PA website and network takes procrastination extremely seriously. It starts from the idea that procrastination is not a small problem. Procrastination has cost people their job, their career, their marriage, their home etc etc.

Some of the articles on the PA site are very thought-provoking. My own first steps back from procrastination came from reading articles on the PA site. From them I realised that procrastination was not funny or quirky or in any way cool. It’s deadly.

A key insight for me from the site was the idea of 'demand resistance', where I resist doing things for no better reason that than somebody has asked me to.

I realised this idea explains why I preferred freelance work to salaried work. As a freelancer, I'm doing a piece of work because I'm working with my client and helping them and it's my idea to do what I'm doing; as an employee I may be doing exactly the same piece of work, but I'm doing it because my boss told me to. I see that as a demand, and I resist.

2) And I loved the anonymous quote Beth L gave, that is ‘It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities’.

There’s a big truth in there. I’m sure a lot of my procrastination is down to an unhelpful ability to separate actions – or rather, the failure to act - from their consequences. A question to the psychologists out there: is this an example of cognitive dissonance?

3) Another related idea that works for me came from the classic children’s book ‘We’re All Going On A Bear Hunt’. A recurring them in the book is that some things just can’t be avoided. You have to do them, because if you don't, the bear will get you. So I can break thru procrastination if I can get myself to just sigh, accept the inevitable, and apply the ‘bear-hunt’ principle: ‘I can’t go over it, I can’t go under it, I’ll just have to go through it’.

Good luck Simon H. Procrastination is a horrible thing to suffer from.

Don,

You made two very interesting and valuable points:

- Demand resistance is a very common cause that has nothing AT ALL to do with overwhelm and so the standard advice won't help AT ALL with it. I.E. if the reason you are not doing it is that you are rebelling against authority then chunking the task down is not going to help.

- Consequences. One very important factor is the inability to, not so much see the consequences of our actions as to make them REAL to ourselves. That kind of disconnectedness in time from consequences also plays a big part in addictive behavior. Addicts seldom connect what happened the LAST time they got drunk, or high, or whatever with taking that next drink, or hit or whatever. Each experience is fresh and new (no matter how many times they have repeated it) and so they never "learn". Procrastinators are much the same. It never occurs to us what happened LAST YEAR when we put off doing the taxes until the night before they were due. There is a big difference between saying "I'd better get started on this or I'll be in trouble." and FEELING what you FELT the last time you got into trouble.

One thing you probably got from that website (and I got from reading some very serious books on the subject) was finding your particular mental orientation. Which is why I have been advising people to find out the REASON before taking the medicine. You don't take Aunt Millie's heart pills just because they made HER feel better ... they are not going to do a thing for your broken leg. You go to the doctor who determines what is wrong with YOU before he prescribes something -- a cast not heart medicine.

Is part of the problem also that there is no immediate attraction or tangible benefit?

Like not having that next drink or cigarette.

Mike,

It really struck a chord with me where you say “… the inability to, not so much see the consequences of our actions as to make them REAL to ourselves. That kind of disconnectedness in time from consequences also plays a big part in addictive behavior… Each experience is fresh and new (no matter how many times they have repeated it) and so they never "learn". Procrastinators are much the same. “

This helps explain for me a hitherto baffling aspect of repeated procrastination: namely, I’m not stupid, and I know what happened last time, so how come it’s happened again? I haven’t caught my leg in a car door since I was five years old. It hurt too much. But individual instances of procrastination have hurt my life much, much more- and I keep doing it.

So, dealing with procrastination is not a question of simple logic or memory or reason or tips and tricks. It’s an entirely different question altogether.

This is where, as you say, Simon H needs to find out the reason for his procrastination.

Hi Simon H,

Two thoughts:

1) I’m sure you know many tips and techniques for dealing with procrastination. But you can, right now, also write down the likely results of your current procrastination. So dealing with your procrastination is not a matter of learning more techniques; it’s something else.

As Mike says, procrastination seems to be akin to addiction.

A number of things follow from this, which I am in no way qualified to talk about. But I know from personal experience that once you start thinking of procrastination as being like an addiction, your thoughts about it can change.

For me, I accepted that a tendency to procrastinate was natural for me; that it would be a constant daily fight to keep procrastination at bay; that no amount of intellectualising would make any difference; that it had the potential to damage my life very seriously; and that I would have to humbly listen to people who had in any sense beaten it.

It also helped me understand why I couldn’t apply the knowledge I had of anti-procrastination tips and techniques.

It’s not easy to put into words, but to me it’s a bit like the idea that there’s no point giving a gambler tips and techniques like ‘avoid racetracks’, or ‘keep out of poker games’, until something else has happened first; and that ‘something’ is some kind of self-knowledge followed by some sort of decision which makes it possible – at last – to start applying the tips and techniques.

I have found it helpful to tell myself that I’m a procrastinator in the same way that a gambler is a gambler, or an alcoholic is an alcoholic. That is, it’s not how I define myself, but it is a part of who I am.

From this acknowledgement came something - a kind of humility/acceptance/falling away of scales from the eyes - which allows me to start to use the techniques to fight procrastination. Techniques which I’ve known for decades. The point I’m trying to make, rather badly, is that the techniques come second. Something else needs to come first.

Which leads me back to the PA website, which treats procrastination as an addiction. It also suggests procrastinators are susceptible to other addictive behaviours. I can’t comment on that, other than to say that for me it’s true.

If your procrastination is as bad as you suggest, can I humbly ask you to please think deeply and humbly about what procrastination really is, and the reason(s) why you procrastinate. That’s the key, and it’s not always easy to find.


2) Your tiredness: I think the internal conflict implicit in procrastination might explain your tiredness as well.

Somewhere in your rational mind, a voice is going ape at you the whole time, shouting ‘You should be working on X! You should be working in Y! You know what will happen if you don’t!’

And somewhere else in your mind, the procrastinator in you is saying ‘Lalalala, whatever, let’s carry on with the displacement activity I’m doing right now’.

So you carry on not working, knowing full well that you’re not doing what you should be doing, and knowing full well the painful consequences you’re risking. The internal conflict goes on, unceasingly, for as long as you procrastinate.

This is not a zen-like state of peacefulness and flow. It’s got to be pretty exhausting. I know it is for me.

Pete,

Could you expand just a little on what you mean there?

Don,

I'm glad it stuck that chord. The approach I recommend for this is to practice moving into the future. Get into a relaxed "meditative" state and imagine your future if you take certain actions, or do not take them. Try that future on, as it were. Then see how it plays out in reality. Compare what you anticipated with the actual result and adjust your expectations. Do it enough times as necessary to make your prediction accurate. Obviously, do this for very short times into the future so you can do the comparison's easily. As with all things, we get better with practice. In any case, this is a good tool to have in your kit.

Don and Mike,
I could not agree more with your posts.
People like me don't procrastinate because they want to, they do it because it's a learned reaction to a preceived unpleasant situation, whether imagined or real.
I began to win my battle with procrastination once I realised that not doing things was my imperfect answer to other deeper problems.
I found the book "Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go from Thinking to Doing" by Theodore Bryant invaluable. It's a deceptively short book, some would say even childish in parts. All I can say is that something resonated with me and I found my attitude changing well before I finished the book. If you can get hold of a copy it's well worth it. Do the exercises too.
I hope you find a solution, Simon H. Let us know how you get on.

Wooba's suggestion, taking an hour break to do something fun, is a very bad one for me. That hour soon turns to 4 hours which then turns into "I'm too tired and it's too late", and that means another week passes with nothing achieved.

*perceived* - sigh - untangles fingers from keyboard.

Also I can totally relate to the "internal conflict" described by Don. It is exhausting and demoralising and a million miles away from the "lazing around" that we are accused of.

Mike

Thank you for your thoughts on practicing moving into the future.

It’s a really interesting idea: to meditatively and consciously place yourself in possible futures to see the effects of actions either taken or not taken, and to practice doing so enough to make the predictions accurate. A way of making consequences real before they arrive, before it’s too late to avoid them. I’ll go for that.

I suspect procrastination incorporates a desire and an ability to ignore the future. This is not a positive thing. Wilfully ignoring the future is not the same as living in the present.

My wife gets an enormous amount done, and can’t stand having undone jobs hanging over her. She totally does not understand procrastination. She simply can’t ignore the future. My ability and inclination to do so frustrates her enormously. Often I think she does too much, including things that don’t need doing, at the expense of enjoying the moment. She of course thinks I do the reverse.

From the rate this thread has expanded vis-a-vis the staler threads that preceded it, procrastination almost seems to be the one thing that binds us forum folk.

But then if we were like Don's wife, we would not "need" the forum and all its thoughts, hints, tips, baring of souls etc.

Yes, I know one should explore the reasons for one's procrastination (and other behaviours?), but I've sometimes found that I've compounded the situation by trying to rationalise things - "until I understand why, i won't change or try to change!" There's not a why for everything and everyone, sometimes things are just, things.

We all have our own demons (perceived or perceived to be real), whatever hints and crumbs of comfort we can derive, so much the better.

I for one have liked some of Don's late entries, especially 'demand resistance'. We KNOW doing it will help, we just don't like being 'told' to do it. Like the circumstance Don describes, I am also a rebel, or maverick (not the Palin kind, Mike!).

It explains why I am finally a freelancer, and that a psychometric test i did some 25 years ago tagged me has 'having a problem with some authority figures, especially when the authority is positional or referential eg "I'm the boss" and similar.

The consultant shrink's analysis stated that I could only accept an authority figure if I perceived that person to posses integrity and honesty. Which is one reason why I loved my Dad and maternal Grandad.

Alan,

I understand your anxiety about taking a break to do something you enjoy. But if you aren't doing the things you are procrastinating about, maybe it just isn't important enough, or maybe it doesn't need to be done now at all. I think I often make the mistake of making too many things important, with the result that nothing gets done. The break helps me to realize that some of it isn't as important as I originally thought (if it was, I would have lost the client, or the world would have ended -- but the world is still here).

Taking a few hours or a few days for myself when I am completely stuck gives my subconscious a chance to get to grips with what is really important.

Go on, take a few hours off -- you know you want to.

Nope, Wooba. The problem is exactly that: I have taken many (many many many) hours off, and almost no hours on. For months. On the one project I really want to get started. Because I know the project will be exciting and because I know the getting started part is so hard it could take unknown many hours before I get to the exciting part. I need to reach a point where my response is neither running away nor pondering without action, because those responses haven't gotten me far.

What a great post and thread! This has absolutely hit a nerve for me, particularly the points on responsibility for and consequences of actions (or rather lack thereof), and the agonising loop of repeating such behaviours which are seriously damaging quality of life and trust in relationships.

Don this is so well articulated in your comment - "I’m not stupid, and I know what happened last time, so how come it’s happened again? I haven’t caught my leg in a car door since I was five years old. It hurt too much. But individual instances of procrastination have hurt my life much, much more- and I keep doing it." I repeat it here as it is so relevant to me and I suspect many others here.

Beth, the following quotes particularly resonated,
-It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities. [Anonymous] and
- Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. [William James]

Mike, thank you as always for your well thought through posts, I am going to work on the meditative and conscious projections of consequences. Having recently discovered the benefits of meditation I had not thought of applying it in such a way, and I feel this may be an very powerful tool.

@ Alan
-"On the one project I really want to get started. Because I know the project will be exciting and because I know the getting started part is so hard it could take unknown many hours before I get to the exciting part."

Having been there myself I have found the following to be really helpful to get me out of those holes to start or move a project forward.

Is the perception of the many hours before the exciting part actual, i.e. you have time-mapped/project planned it out and know what those many hours contain or do you just feel that to be the case?

What is the very next "first thing" that you need to do? Can you say what is so difficult about that very first next thing? When you can articulate that is it actually that difficult - if no then take an action no matter what size on it - and hey presto, some progress. If it really is difficult then consider, can someone else help or do it for you so you can move onto to the next thing you can do or is there another way to do it or, ultimately if you cannot get past this step then there will be no project so however hard, accept it and move onto something else. This final "nuclear option" can sometimes be the catalyst to unearthing the real problem or fear you face.

Hope that helps, I'm now off to take a healthy dose of my own medicine, as writing this down has given me a renewed vigor to address a project with a similar problem which I'll then follow up with some meditative reflection on some of the consequences of not doing some other procrastinating issues which are task and not project related...

Unusually, I agree with everything that's been said above (including the contradictory advice to to take a break and stay on task).

I like the idea of tackling the urge to procrastination as a development project: a current Initiative, perhaps?

Sometimes, (most times, right now), I'm just too tired though. My life is out of balance and I can't seem to find the path. At times like that, all I can do is grab the nearest tool and do the best I can. For me, that means
- lying to my inner lizard (just open the file...)
- keeping my list open and alive and
- staying off this forum

Oh dear...

Titch,

I'm glad you found some use in what I said. Good luck with that approach ... it really does work. Think of yourself as Einstien doing a thought experiment to discover the theory of General Relativity ;-) Might as well imagine a really big thing ;-)

Will,

As usual, you are a very funny guy ;-) I particularly love your "inner lizard" ;-)

I like your idea of dealing with procrastination as a "project". The only thing there is that it mostly shows its ugly face when we are involved in ANOTHER project ... one which generates overwhelm, fear, etc. (I'm trying to visualize procrastinating about dealing with procrastination or dealing with it absent a real underlying project of some kind.)

Ear skricthes to Rosie ;-)

I must say a big "thank you" to everyone that has replied.

I think, after reading the comments, my main problem is "overwhelm".

I have so much to do, all of it important, some of it urgent, but as I soon as I start task A I think about task B, so I leave Task A, then the telephone rings...

Suddenly I remember Task C which needs my urgent attention, then Task D comes floating into my mind which just HAS to be done today...

On it goes, until the end of the day, then I realised I haven't actually achieved a great deal...

@ Simon -

Glad we could help you, your post and the responses to it has certainly helped me!

Overwhelm is a whole other area, do you want to start a new post on that I think we would get a lot of very thought provoking feedback?!

For what it is worth, when I am faced with issues such as overwhelm as you discribed I do the following (after previous suggestions on this forum)

1. At start of the day identify three must do's for that day
2. Use a timer 15 minute bursts to do something on each of them (time may vary but I always reset it)
3. If the phone rings let it go to answer and get the message at the end of a time burst, then deal with it as necessary, return ifurgent or add return to my e.g. todolist/AF/DIT
4. If i remember anther task whikst in the middle of task A I write it down on my todo list for the day and then return to the task in hand. i'll then consider it once my time burst has finished.

It really is very effective and you loose the desire to flit between tasks because you are allotting time and know it won't be long before you can address what was on your mind.

Works for me...

Simon--I used to get overwhelmed a lot more than now. After trying lots of different approaches, the one thing I now do differently that is effective, is to force myself to focus on the single task before me, discarding all others, if even for that moment. Whereas I used to jump around from urgent task to urgent task, now I try my best to not do that. Multi-tasking is just not all its cracked up to be!

I love this quote: If you find yourself in a hurry, the first thing to do is to slow down.

When I slow down, take a deep breath, and force myself to focus on the single thing before me, it grounds me and can actually relax me. As though I have gathered my inner self and now know what I am doing. (And then when that one thing is done, I do the next...)

I might add that it took practice. And still does at times. But simple as it sounds, it has become a lifesaver for me.

<<Is part of the problem also that there is no immediate attraction or tangible benefit?>>

<Could you expand just a little on what you mean there?>

Maybe the task we're resisting doesn't immediately meet our expectations or desires in some way.

So making a shallow dent in a mountain of scutwork probably won't appeal our perfectionist tendencies, and filling in the tax return doesn't fulfil our expectations for an interesting life.

But they're both an essential first step. Perhaps they need to be consciously incorporated into a system of values in some way?

Or maybe make them a part of something that is valued. Some of the appeal of AF1 seemed to be that following the system got less desirable tasks done, was that because doing things the AF way was valued such that the things themselves mattered less?

Another aspect may be habit, whether it contributes to the problem of procrastination, or can habits be formed that help break procrastination?

Pete,

Yeah, that is very true. I find it helpful to link tasks to goals and values. Else how do you know why you are doing what you think you should be doing?

titch, yes I have mapped it out and it's clearly many hours of hard preparation work. I still think it's worth it though, and I actually got a couple hours done today. Another 40 to go.

Thank you for those kind words, Mike. Rosie says "Mraouw".

Hey Will,

Louise says marouw backatcha! The others just opened an eye part way and waved a sleepy paw. ;-)

Simon

Like many on this forum, I have a serious procrastination problem which has cost me a lot of money and a lot of heartache. I have tried both "bottom up" methods and "Top down" methods. By bottom up I mean discovering underling reasons why I procrastinate and attempting to deal with them. Top down methods are broadly time/task management ideas, tips and tricks.

I believe you suspect the main driver of your procrastination is overwhelm. From my own experience you can end up in a horrible downward spiral- that initial feeling of overwhelm leads to avoiding starting things that you consciously know need doing leads to paralysis and running out of energy leads to even more overwhelm and so on ad infinitum. Hence the paradox that you feel so tired after being busy doing nothing.

Certainly when I "goof off" because of overwhelm, it feels like a mixture of anxiety/discomfort avoidance-"I've so much to do that I can't bear thinking about it," and internal rebellion-"Bugger your goals, outcomes, whatever you call them, I'm going to read a badly written thriller all afternoon."


As a result of reading the useful comments here I seem to have stumbled upon a productivity method that has worked really well for me-I know it's early days, but here goes. Please accept apologies for length of this post-I don't have a blog site to direct you to.(Note to myself-put "Investigate starting productivity blog " on AF list.)

It addresses the disconnect that occurs with any bad habit between instant reward and long term harm, uses time boxing to help reduce anxiety and task resistance, helps resistance due to tiredness and lack of focus, and gives you a reward before you start.
It also seems so far to have addressed being unable to get myself going again after a long break.

Try it out if practical, obviously adjusting to your circumstances. My circumstances are I work from home, am semi retired and working through a backlog of tasks connected with closing my business down practicing an instrument , sudying jazz improvisation and working out how I could make money from the music-Weddings, Bar Mitzvars
and Funerals type band anyone?

You do need a kitchen timer ideally, but if not practical, glancing at your watch should do.
I will now describe what I am doing. The timings are purely based on what worked for me.

Step One
Set timer to 5-10 minues. Spend some time imagining the benefits-feeling better about yoursel getting it out of the way etc of making a start on what you intend doing. Then imagine long term impact of not doing-or even short term feeling of failurewhich we numb ourselvesto.
Dont worry if you other thoughts intrude-hard to describe- but don't force it too much-should be a pleasant drifting feeling rather than a white-knuckle ride. In fact the first itime I did this I awoke fom a deep sleep when the timer went offafter 10 minutes.

Step Two
Reset timer for ten minutes and do your work.

Then simply reset timer and repeat Step One
Then do 20 mins work,repeat step one then do 30 mins work.
Repeat as necessary.
I haven't tried to go beyond 30 min work bursts yet.
Then repeat cycle.
Regarding "rest" periods. The basic idea is to connect good feelings with working towards your goals, but above all give yourself a reward before doing your work, so don't make the breaks hard work for yourself-if it feels right to cut short your breaks. I find that I need shorter breaks in the morning.

Yesterday I was pretty tired in the evening,so I just cycled through 10 mins practice, 10 mins rest.At the start of each rest period I imagined how I would have made 10 minutes progress on music compared to calling it a day and slumping in front of the T V I got an extra 30 mins practice out of one hour, so I've got 30 minutes practice on Charlie Parker's"Confirmation" under my belt instesd of one hour watching rubbish on T.V. That's a good deal in my books.

I've so far used this on admin type work and musical practice and it has worked extremely well. I intend to use the idea of connecting long term benefits against short tem "bad habit "gains to work on my poor eating and exercise habits.

Sorry for length. Hope this helps

Jim






.

Start now. Do what Mark recommends. Putting everything that is undone in the backlog. Getting all of the undones out of sight helps to reduce the feeling of overwhelm. For me, deciide what I am willing to do tomorrow. Then take an adderall.

I prefer to pop a Soma.

I pop both. But it works.

Mike,

A question, if you don't mind...

At May 23, 2010 at 11:53, Jim P posted his method which includes alternating short periods of visualising/meditating with periods of doing.

Do you see this as linking or relating to your suggestion of practicing moving into the future? Is there a common underlying principle, and if so do you think it can be expanded in some way to deal with more than just procrastination?

I hope the question makes sense. I'm grasping at an idea here.

Thanks