Help for Procrastination

[OLTB]

I have an awful procrastination problem - TLF doesn't help!

I have looked into the potential ways to help (make lists, little bits of work at a time, rewards etc.) but none of them seem to work - no joke intended, but most of the time I can't be @rsed to give them a try.

Sometimes I think I just need more sleep (about 6 hours/night at the moment).

Any assistance gladly appreciated (I promise I will try them!).

Cheers, OLTB.

[AleisterCrowley]

And me. I find making a list helps.

[OLTB]

Thanks AleisterCrowley - I'm looking at the grass in my back garden, have made a list to, 'cut grass' and have put this to one side. Now to implement. I may be some time.

Cheers, OLTB.

[OLTB]

Success!

[bungeejumper]

I have looked into the potential ways to help (make lists, little bits of work at a time, rewards etc.) but none of them seem to work - no joke intended, but most of the time I can't be @rsed to give them a try.

Sometimes I think I just need more sleep (about 6 hours/night at the moment).

Sorry, OLTB, I've only just come to this topic and I don't know whether this is an ongoing scenario for you or just a one-off. But, all things considered, I'd say that your lack of sleep is likely to be more of a symptom than a direct cause of your procrastination problem.

Only you can know this, but I'm going to guess that you're under a severe stress of some sort or other. It's probably the most common reason for feeling like a rabbit in the headlights, and for failing to get any of a series of non-threatening tasks done (like cutting the lawn.) I've had spells like that, when the simplest of tasks have seemed to gang up on me so that I couldn't get any of them accomplished. And then (for me, at least), the guilt of not having done them started to magnify and amplify my omissions, until I discovered that I was running scared of something as stupidly simple as doing my accounts or getting a dentist's appointment made.

Stress is a good thing until it becomes a bad thing. Without it, we'd never get anything done. (Such as getting up in the morning.) But when it turns inward on us, it can dominate our lives so that we sometimes end up feeling as though we want to curl into a ball and make it go away. That was how it felt for me when I was having a truly appalling time of conflict with my sister after my mother died - and it was only by stepping back to acknowledge it, and then to get it into perspective, that I was able to confront it head-on and get all those tasks dealt with in some sort of a consequential order.

If any of this rings a bell, think seriously about talking it over with somebody, because procrastination isn't just a thief of time, it can also be a signal that something needs to be addressed. OTOH, if your lawn cutting problem is nothing more than a variant on how I feel every time I look at clearing up my chaotic office, then please feel free to ignore the aforegoing.

BJ

[OLTB]

Many thanks for the time taken to write BJ - it is appreciated.

The thing is - I never really feel under stress, or down, or anxious. It is just a huge weight of lethargy. I'm not lazy (at least I don't think so) it's just the motivation to get started - especially at work. I really enjoy work and there are things that I could do that would make me cash, and as ridiculous as it sounds, I just look at the files and quickly switch on The Lemon Fool to see what's happening in other people's lives!

It's maddening and maybe I should try and find a way of disconnecting myself from t'internet + other distractions.

It's time to re-wire my brain and I've just downloaded "The Now Habit' on Audible so I'll give that a listen to as seems to have some good write ups. It's also something else to do rather than the ironing!

Cheers, OLTB.

[bungeejumper]

The thing is - I never really feel under stress, or down, or anxious. It is just a huge weight of lethargy. I'm not lazy (at least I don't think so) it's just the motivation to get started - especially at work. I really enjoy work and there are things that I could do that would make me cash, and as ridiculous as it sounds, I just look at the files and quickly switch on The Lemon Fool to see what's happening in other people's lives!

It's maddening and maybe I should try and find a way of disconnecting myself from t'internet + other distractions.

Aaaah, the always-on social media environment is chipping away at all our sanity, isn't it? I don't have anything to do with Facebook or Twitter for exactly that reason. And there have been times when I've wished I could ask Motley Fool (and more recently TLF) to ban me for a couple of months so that I couldn't be tempted to waste a lot of time!

If it's doing this to you and me, spare a thought for all those people who check their social media accounts in bed at night. Addiction is a terrible thing.....

There are, of course, medical conditions that can cause a lack of energy - quite a lot of them, actually, and some of them very debilitating. Some 15 years ago I went to my doc because I wasn't coping (and was putting on weight), and she took me absolutely seriously and ran me through a long series of tests, all of which came up negative. But hey, that negative result was useful knowledge too. From there it was down to looking at my situation. And by the way, I love my job too! I am lucky enough to have a truly stimulating line of work that I'd do as a hobby if I didn't get paid for it.

It could, or course, be something really minor, or something right off-the-wall like sleep apnea. I had a pretty nasty cold recently that knocked all my energy right out of me. I've now recovered just in time to pass it on to the wife. So guess who's doing the lawn this week? But try to keep an open mind. And do try to change that sleep pattern. Or at least to try and figure out why you're not sleeping.

BJ

[OLTB]

If it's doing this to you and me, spare a thought for all those people who check their social media accounts in bed at night. Addiction is a terrible thing.....


BJ

Ah yes - I have a 19 year old with his face permanently stuck to his phone. Like you, I stepped away from social media a number of years ago as I realised that it wasn't improving my life whatsoever. I therefore sleep very well, never tempted to look at my phone and rise early to get to the gym every morning.

It might be something medical so a trip to the GP may be in order - or maybe I should take up lion taming - that will teach me to be constantly engaged...

Cheers, OLTB.

[AleisterCrowley]

Somebody (Mark Forster?) suggests 'just doing 15 minutes' on a task.
You will often find once you have done a bit it's easy to carry on. Getting started is the difficult bit.

[OLTB]

Somebody (Mark Forster?) suggests 'just doing 15 minutes' on a task.

Thanks AleisterCrowley - I haven't heard of Mark Forster but a quick Amazon search shows he seems to be a bit of an expert in this field. I shall order his "Do it Tomorrow' book as from reviews, that seems to be a good one.

Appreciate it, cheers, OLTB.

[AleisterCrowley]

Good luck - I have settled on a fairly simple things to do list, which (sort of) works for me.

[UncleEbenezer]

And me. I find making a list helps.

I find quite the opposite. Making a list just leaves me dithering over what else should be listed, and where to start on the list.

I would procrastinate, but I never seem to get around to it.

[Itsallaguess]

I have an awful procrastination problem - TLF doesn't help!

I have looked into the potential ways to help (make lists, little bits of work at a time, rewards etc.) but none of them seem to work - no joke intended, but most of the time I can't be @rsed to give them a try.

Sometimes I think I just need more sleep (about 6 hours/night at the moment).

Any assistance gladly appreciated (I promise I will try them!).

Cheers, OLTB.

Pick something that's been hanging around on the 'to-do list' for an embarrassing amount of time, and then pick an hour in the day that you're simply going to 'do-it' in.

I think it helps if this is relatively early in the morning, so that you can then bask in the glory of completing the task for the remainder of the day, and this helps embed that process into your psyche.

Never underestimate what you can get done in just one single hour if you put your mind to it.

Make sure everything is available to 'get the job done', so that you've not got any excuses once you start.

Lists can be helpful, but they sometimes become more important than the tasks themselves, so if you're not a fan then just let the tasks that rise to the top of the mental 'I must get round to that' pile be your prioritisation list, as it might well turn out that they are the same tasks that you'd write down anyway....

Also, do take heed of bungeejumper's post and what's being said in it. Have a think about what might be some underlying causes for your listlessness. If there's deeper reasons behind your current situation, then the never-ending to-do list may just be a symptom of the problem, and not the problem itself, so trying to tackle that side of things may well be very important to your long-term progress.

Good luck. Procrastination is a difficult habit to get out of, but you can do it. The fact that you've recognised it's an issue is probably half the battle. Now you've just got to start doing things....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[OLTB]

Thanks everyone - I'll take everything on board and if there are any success tips, I'll be sure to pass them on.

As Itsallaguess suggested, sometimes you just have to choose an hour, get everything ready and JFDI.

Cheers, OLTB.

[TedSwippet]

As Itsallaguess suggested, sometimes you just have to choose an hour, get everything ready and JFDI.

Maybe consider training yourself in emotional regulation through mindfulness?

[UncleEbenezer]

Never underestimate what you can get done in just one single hour if you put your mind to it.

If you can put your mind to it, you're not a true procrastinator.

Make sure everything is available to 'get the job done', so that you've not got any excuses once you start.

You've just made a whole new task. And a bunch of excuses, as you figure out how to organise having everything available. All it takes is one thing you know you have but just can't find, and you could be procrastinating another few years before you finally give up and get a new one.

[OLTB]

Maybe consider training yourself in emotional regulation through mindfulness?

Thank you TedSwippet - that link was really interesting.

I've never quite got to grips with defining Mindfulness - is it just meditating or is there a subtle difference?

Cheers, OLTB.

[TedSwippet]

I've never quite got to grips with defining Mindfulness - is it just meditating or is there a subtle difference?

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
...
While mindfulness is innate, it can be cultivated through proven techniques, particularly seated, walking, standing, and moving meditation (it’s also possible lying down but often leads to sleep); short pauses we insert into everyday life; and merging meditation practice with other activities, such as yoga or sports.

If you want a good structured introduction with a large practical component, the University of Leiden is regularly runs a free 6-week online course through Coursera. I'm sure others are available too.

[XFool]

"Procrastination"? Hey! It's my middle name.

My first name and last name too. Least it would be, if I'd got round to completing the paperwork...

[Watis]

I'm going to set up a Procrastinator's Society, where we can all share our experiences and help each other.

Watis