
Dear procrastinator - edo
Dear procrastinator,<p>Procrastination has nothing to do with disciplining yourself or 'just doing it' This is the most common misconception about procrastination and will instead achieve exactly the opposite of what you want. Let me explain:<p>The reason why human-beings procrastinate is to feel in control of their life. The act of rebelling against an oppressor, an authorative figure telling you what to do, is your way of regaining mastery over your own fate. Very much the same way kids throw a tantrum when their parents order them to do something, the procrastinator puts off tasks because he has come to harbor resentment against the thing to be done. Why, you ask? Because in your admirable will and ambition to achieve your goals, rather ironically, you have created the only thing that can stop you from reaching your goals: a separate mental authority figure causing unneccessary internal strife. You have created a bully out of yourself.<p>Start listening to the way you talk to yourself; Instead of punishing yourself for not following up on things, you need to learn to let loose. Adopt the belief that you have the natural tendency to work productively and act creatively. Nobody needs to man up, shape up, or be disciplined. Stop framing the world as if it is a constant struggle to get things done, instead start viewing life as a sequence of awesomely fun and exciting things to work on.<p>Good luck,
Edo van Royen<p>edit: Humbled by your comments, thank you all. I write pretty regularly, just never on a public forum like this.<p>note: I notice my writing could use some nuance. Painting an extreme is just a style of writing which helps bring across a point. Obviously there are things that are objectively less fun to do.
======
silverbax88
I'm sorry to disagree, but I do. My own battle with procrastination is
completely due to laziness. No one likes to do difficult things, and sometimes
even things we kind of enjoy. The reality is that we, as humans, never
procrastinate when we really, really want something. Not once in my life did I
have to "trick" myself into playing a video game a few extra minutes or watch
a big basketball game.

In short, we accomplish what we want to accomplish (meaning, the 'fun' stuff),
unless we push ourselves.

~~~
edo
Silverbax, thanks for your comment.

What makes you really want to play a video game and dislike doing the dishes?
Is it something objective about the thing to be done, or does it have to do
with your mental framing of the task at hand? I feel it is the latter. A
friend of mine reviews video games professionally, and he procrastinates on
playing games. I think it's because he is told to play games. An authority
figure is pushing him to do something and he rebels by putting off playing.

Pushing ourselves only leads to ourselves pushing back.

Cheers, Edo

~~~
gexla
Going along with the thread that was started here.

When I play a video game, it's the game I want to play at the time I want to
play it and with the goal that I picked for that session.

If I have to review a video game then I have all these choices largely made
for me. The goal is to review the game rather than go for whatever I might
want out of the game.

The reality of our lives force us to do things which don't always align with
what we really want to do. That's when I procrastinate.

~~~
mc32
I think, for me, procrastination has to do with projecting complication into
things. So, if I want to cook something new, I imagine needing to find the
perfect recipe with the perfect ingredients, for example.

But, then, there are times when I just decide to do it even if I'm missing
ingredients or have not come across a recipe which makes sense to me. Powering
thru.

I think for the video game tester, if I were them, I'd project difficulty onto
it. Finding the bugs, etc. Feeling like I might not be up to finding anything
interesting. It's a bit of a fear of failing, in a way, till I felt, "I'm up
to the task now."

~~~
jodrellblank
_I think, for me, procrastination has to do with projecting complication into
things. So, if I want to cook something new, I imagine needing to find the
perfect recipe with the perfect ingredients, for example._

Need to... or else what? Instead of forcing onwards, ask yourself why you
don't want to go forwards...

~~~
mc32
Else fail. A kind of set up fear of failing, I guess.

~~~
jodrellblank
That doesn't go far enough to do any good as an answer. What happens after (or
during, or because of) failing that you are afraid of. What is it about
failing that you are afraid of?

(I'm not asking so you can tell me, I'm prodding you to ask yourself. To think
"hey, I don't really know the answer to that. I wonder why I do feel this
way?)

------
janjan
This is not true for myself at all!

Actually I think in my case all the stuff you read about procrastination does
not really aplly to my procrastination:

I think I am one of the worlds worst procastinators and it took me about 10
years to figure out what might be the main reason for my behaviour. It has
nothing to with all the stuff you read in all these procrastination books.
It's not about the fear of failing, it's not about the fear of winning, it's
not some kind of rebellion against some outside force as you pointed out. It's
something completly different:

I never learned to do (unpleasant) stuff!

When I look back on my childhood now, it's very obvious what went wrong: I
grew up as a very very spoiled kid which never had to do anything
"unpleasant". Did not want to clean up my room? No problem. Did not want to
help my parents with preparing lunch? no problem. Did not want to do homework?
no problem.

From all those years growing up I can remember only one occasion at which my
mother tried to force me to do something. But since I was already 12 or so
that this time, she gave up after 10 minutes.

I never learned to endure the "stress" or "pain" of all those unpleasant
things I have to do (washing clothing, cooking, ...) so it's very hard for me
to do them intstead of just browsing the internet and get instant
satisfaction.

In combination with some above average intelligence and a very big portion of
luck I was still able to study with good grades and I'm currently in my second
year of a PhD thesis. For me it's hell on earth! Giving lectures, preparing
papers, filling out forms, applying for grants, ... I postpone all of this
stuff all the time not because I am afraid i could not do them or because they
are pushed on me from the outside. I postpone them because I never learned to
actually _do_ unpleasant stuff.

Does this makes sense? English is not my first language and the topic is quite
hard to describe.

~~~
Tichy
Can you learn to do unpleasant stuff? What does that mean - that your will is
broken? Unpleasant stuff is after all unpleasant.

I managed to see some positive things, for example when I do the dishes I
enjoy the clean state of the room afterwards. Or in general I try to see
cleaning as a workout. But you can only trick the mind to a degree...

If procrastination really is there to prevent us from doing stupid tasks,
maybe it is not desirable to learn to do unpleasant stuff. It would mean
circumventing that protection.

Thinking about it, maybe the way to learn doing unpleasant stuff is really to
look at the bigger picture and why it makes sense to do the unpleasant stuff.
If it doesn't make sense, not doing it might be the right decision.

~~~
timwiseman
_Can you learn to do unpleasant stuff? What does that mean - that your will is
broken?_

I would say that it generally means the opposite, that your will is strong.

Getting yourself to do something unpleasant can be difficult, even if you know
the long term benefits are there. It takes a strong will to make yourself do
something unpleasant without the threat of an external punishment hanging over
you in the short term.

------
TeMPOraL
Wow.

That actually resonates with me much better than anything I've read on
procrastination so far. I am burning lot of my mental cycles on thinking about
my own procrastination, and it crossed my mind that when I start to do things
that I'm (in broad sense) forced to - by my boss, lecturer or even myself, I
feel like loosing some kind of self-awareness, control of my life... I never
pin-pointed the feeling exactly, but it resonates closely with what you wrote.

Also, I'm so used to my personal GTD-like productivity management methods that
I sometimes feel I'm not able to think or work without using pen & paper or
Emacs for organizing my thoughts. Now, the thing I'm worried about is that it
doesn't really feel like I have 'boosted my cognitive skills' or whatever - it
feels like I'm so handicaped that I can't think without help of external
tools. I look around and see people (that look) smarter and more successful
than me, and they don't seem to be using _any_ productivity tricks at all.
Maybe it's [something]-bias [1], but it gets me really worried. Anyone on HN
felt something similar?

[1] - need to catch up with LessWrong on that ;).

~~~
goblin89
Hey, your post resonates with me as well.

I think, the key is to go level up and turn it around. It's not lecturer or
boss who force you, it's you who are using them to get something you want.
(Here, ‘something you want’ _might_ include money, knowledge, a degree, but
_must necessarily_ include plain ‘having fun’ (because the validity of any
other reason is questionable—and when you question the validity of reasons to
do something, you're procrastinating).)

In other words, a problem of procrastination stops to exist once you start
enjoying the process. The GTD tools problem gets partly solved as well: you
surely are going to get things done if you enjoy the process (although if it's
hard to remember all of these things, then some sort of todo list might be
handy, you'll know when you start actually needing it).

I'm not saying this is simple (although I'm sure it is, in some sense) or I
know how to do this, simply suggesting that thinking about how to enjoy doing
things might be a more productive way to burn your cycles than thinking about
how to stop procrastinating. The former problem is clearly stated (which is
important, prevents losing focus when you're thinking a lot about it) and is
likely simpler to solve.

* * *

IMO, many successful people actually _do_ use productivity tricks without
knowing it. It's implicit in their life, so they don't talk about it. Many of
these tricks may not like like tricks at all. And even if people _did_ talk
about them… The real productivity trick is not the trick, it's your habit,
tricks become truly effective when you do them naturally, without thinking.
Pick good habits. [1]

[1] Relevant: <http://lesswrong.com/lw/60y/action_and_habit/>

------
toddmorey
I'm not lazy, I'm not too proud to do mundane things, and I don't feel others
control my life. (How would that last perspective explain procrastinating on a
personal project like a painting?) I didn't understand procrastination until I
understood it from this perspective (and I imagine a lot of the folks on HN
are similar): I procrastinate because I'm a perfectionist. If it's not
finished, it can't be judged. There's more I can tweak! Once something is
turned in, published, or launched, it stands as an example of my best effort.
It wears my name. And that scares the hell out of me.

~~~
hetman
My tendency for perfectionism also contributes but for an entirely different
reason; I often feel it's hard to motivate my self because of the increased
effort yielding diminishing returns. Yet I know once I get started the
perfectionist can take over and I end up burning a lot of time with not much
to show for it.

In many ways I sympathise with the OP's point of view to a large extent, while
don't really understand yours. That makes me wonder if there's some even more
fundamental reason that causes procrastination or whether it can be just
different things for different people.

------
joshklein
There is not a singular cause for procrastination. I've mentioned it many
times on HN, but I think it's again relevant to recommend "Procrastination" by
Burka & Yuen.[1]

Half the book is spent helping you investigate the root cause or causes of
your procrastination, which can include fear about control (losing OR gaining
it), as well as fear of success, fear of failure, fear of separation, fear of
attachment. They discuss the influence of family and culture, gender, and the
role of ADD & executive dysfunction.

The second half of the book is a practical guide to coping with your
procrastination and habitualizing better behaviors.

If you're serious about procrastination, my only advice is to listen to the
experimentally & research-backed psychiatrists.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/Procrastination-Why-You-What-
About/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Procrastination-Why-You-What-
About/dp/0738211702)

~~~
syntaxfree
There's something else that's a bit rarer, but not as uncommon as often
thought: depersonalization. (Mark my words: depersonalization disorder will be
the next ADD/Asperger's/depression as fashionable illness du jour)

In fact, as acute (non-chronic) depersonalization can be a natural response to
an anxiety attack, it may be at the core of why "fear of X" can lead to
paralyzing procrastination. I've been debugging mine for years with a
psychiatrist now, and it's still not clear that I have DPD itself and not
depersonalization as a secondary symptom of one of the many things that are
wrong with me, but clearly it plays a huge part.

I'm kind of oversharing here, but it's in hope that more people are aware that
depersonalization is something that exists, like headaches or muscle cramps,
and like ADD (and ED to an extent) is a continuum.

------
petenixey
HN will never see a more eminently clickable post than one titled, "Dear
Procrastinator"

------
munchhausen
_"The reason why human-beings procrastinate is to feel in control of their
life."_

Agree completely. Having said this, your suggested solution is incredibly hard
to put into practice for many procrastinators out there.

I have bills to pay and a family to support, and working for the Man seems
like the only option, at the moment, to meet my financial obligations. I don't
particularly enjoy my day job, and I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to. To
maintain an illusion that I am not just a slave tied to a very short leash, I
procrastinate. Ignoring my email inbox full of pending tasks and spending the
day outside in the sunshine instead can feel very liberating, but obviously it
doesn't solve anything, and doesn't get me a step closer to greater freedom.

 _"life as a sequence of awesomely fun and exciting things"_ sounds great, but
the reality is that only a very small percentage of people are lucky enough to
lead this kind of life.

~~~
aterimperator
I would argue that a portion of that is simply the way you view things. I
would also argue that you could eek out control like the method by which you
choose to meet your deadlines.

Still... I have this work I should be doing...

------
wisty
Procrastination has many causes. I expect this is because humans haven't often
needed to motivate themselves, as they have often been motivated by fear and
hunger. Above $5 or $10 a day, basic nutrition and shelter is not an issue.

Here's a few reasons why I think some people procrastinate. Mix and match:

\- The need to feel control. \- Some urge to punish or test someone (a
parent?)

\- Perfectionism (high standards, the need to over-achieve, or egotism), or a
fear of being judged. If it's not done, nobody has to see your crappy work.

\- Laziness. Sometimes an issue for people who can pass without working.

\- Habit. See all the above.

\- Dopamine addiction. The internet has given rise to the junk food equivalent
of achievement.

\- Unrealistic expectations, leading to a lack of motivation. Sorry, but they
lied when they said the course / job you are getting into is the most
important one in the world. They say that about every course / job.

------
peteretep
[http://www.amazon.com/Self-Discipline-10-Days-Thinking-
Doing...](http://www.amazon.com/Self-Discipline-10-Days-Thinking-
Doing/dp/1880115026) <\-- this book pretty much sorted out my procrastination
problem

~~~
eazolan
Book is out of print and 33$ used.

~~~
mv
a quick search shows that it was republished: [http://www.amazon.com/Self-
Discipline-10-days-Thinking-Doing...](http://www.amazon.com/Self-
Discipline-10-days-Thinking-Doing/dp/1880115107)

I haven't read it, but looks interesting.

------
makeramen
Very well written Edo, thanks! While I disagree that this applies to _all_
cases of procrastination, it definitely applies to many, and was very eye (and
mind) opening to read.

Curious if you have other writings posted anywhere? I'd love to read more
about your thoughts on other topics.

~~~
edo
Hi makeramen, thanks for your comment, glad it was fun to read.

I have been toying with the idea to write more publicly. If you'll follow me
on twitter (<http://twitter.com/edo>) you will be the first to know when I do
;-).

Cheers!

------
lionhearted
Great post.

Relevant tactical point:

Replace "I have to" with "I choose to" and "I should" with "Would I like to?"

It really, really, really works.

Instead of, "I have to take out the garbage" - "I choose to take out the
garbage." (Or alternatively, "I choose not to" - that's okay too, if you
choose to do it that way.)

~~~
ahalan
"I prefer not to" (Bartleby)

------
juliano_q
I think the OP argument makes a lot of sense. When I was young, my mother
often asked (not exactly gently) to do some tasks and many times I refused
just because I was obligated.

In the school and in the college it was exactly the same behavior, I refused
to study but when I found an interesting topic outside the college (like
programming) I had a lot of will to study it by myself. I never really learned
anything in the school class, I am 100% autodidact. The single fact that I was
obligated to learn something made me completly ignore that stuff.

------
WilhelmJ
There are tons of interesting books I bought, but I have kept on
procrastinating reading, since I know that I can always read them later. That
feeling IMHO - that I own something and can process it later - is major cause
of procrastination for me.

same way my browser windows are a mess with 70+ tabs open. Most of them are
only open because the content is too interesting to close and I am too lazy to
read!

------
user24
Wow, this is such good advice. You're right, I'm constantly having stern talks
with myself about being a mature, clever guy and so why the heck am I wasting
time, etc etc. Thankyou.

------
jodrellblank
That doesn't seem to _answer_ anything. If human beings procrastinate to feel
in control, what of soldiers? They can be happy and fulfilled, work damn hard,
and be only doing exactly what they are told.

The next question, for you perhaps, is "what do you fear so much about the
idea of not being in control of your life?"

~~~
orillian
A soldier is programmed to be the way they are, their lack of procrastination
is beat into them as a response to fear, primarily the fear of death. Do what
you’re told or your squad mates will die, your commanding officer will die,
and by extension "you" will die. Death is one of the ultimate motivators.

That said you get a soldier outside the army life and he finds ways and
methods of procrastination that rival the rest of us.

I have always fought with procrastination, and it always has boiled down to
feeling forced to do things. If something is not happening in the moment, if
it’s not feel spontaneous then I balk at doing it.

The analogy of rebelling against a virtual or fictitious oppressor self is
very fitting, for me, and my natural reaction to this internal dictator is
only heightened when it is influenced by an external entity.

I might internally procrastinate about doing dishes for example, but if my
wife dares to even suggest or ask if I’d be willing... that procrastination
will flare into an outright rebellion against doing that “THING” that is
“required” of me. Not saying I externalize the conflict, but mentally that
part of me that was causing me to procrastinate is now engaged in guerrilla
warfare.

My morning was just ambushed by this small bit of writing btw. I'm "supposed"
to be doing some programming you know. Deadlines are looming, people are
getting anxious and I'm writing about my penchant for procrastination. ;)

O.

~~~
jodrellblank
_I have always fought with procrastination, and it always has boiled down to
feeling forced to do things. If something is not happening in the moment, if
it’s not feel spontaneous then I balk at doing it._

That's no more an answer than saying if a painting is has too many chairs in
it you balk at looking at it. Balking at not-spontaneous things is a
description of _what_ you do, but not why you do that behaviour, right?

 _that procrastination will flare into an outright rebellion against doing
that “THING” that is “required” of me._

This is not explaining that you procrastinate because you feel controlled,
this is observing that you feel controlled and observing that you
procrastinate, both when (something unspecified) is the case.

Feeling controlled -> procrastination is not a link which must exist, is it?
You can imagine people without that link, right?

------
ThomPete
I think you are replacing one extreme claim with another.

Becoming better at something means that either your body or your brain have to
do do something that it's not used to and doesn't feel comfortable with. It
doesn't matter how much you love what you do it's still going to feel harder
and thus there are a million other things you would rather do.

When I were young I practiced the guitar 10 hours a day for a long period of
time. I loved (and still love) music but it was hard even with this love for
my field.

If I wanted to I could simply have been playing things that I already knew.
Playing around and not getting any better.

But to become better at something you need to get the discipline to get on
with it and that will "hurt".

There are no easy ways to become better.

~~~
starwed
I don't really see where that contradicts what he wrote... could you explain
what you mean?

------
ctdonath
"The act of rebelling against an oppressor, an authorative figure telling you
what to do, is your way of regaining mastery over your own fate."

Surely you jest.

Oh, sure, some people will procrastinate as rebellion.

Just as sure, some people procrastinate a simple matter of choosing from a
menu: choosing steak over fish is for some a simple preference, not weighed
down with rebellion against diet or splurging against budget. At a given
moment I have the choice to do interesting thing X or less interesting thing
Y; I choose X not out of the oppression of why Y is an option at all, but just
because it is what I would rather do.

You may struggle against authority an procrastinate as an act of rebellion.
Others because it's just what they would rather do.

------
culturengine
Great post. Many great things can be achieved with a short burst of
energy/focus, but these things are often temporary and unsustainable, which is
why the Man Up approach gets trumped by the I Will Continue To Do Better
approach once real life kicks in.

------
gwern
> The reason why human-beings procrastinate is to feel in control of their
> life. The act of rebelling against an oppressor, an authorative figure
> telling you what to do, is your way of regaining mastery over your own fate.

The academic literature disagrees that procrastination is about rebelling, and
'efficacy' is only one factor; see
<http://lesswrong.com/lw/3w3/how_to_beat_procrastination/> and especially its
reference section (Luke is great about jailbreaking PDFs and hosting them; I'm
slowly reading through those specific PDFs).

------
RobertHubert
First off, Nice post. But I disagree slightly out of experience from my own
toils with procrastination. I find that I, among many other humans simply want
to remain in a state of comfort, whatever that means to each person. Every
little thing that deviates one from constant comfort becomes a bump in the
state of mind, this bump can be smoothed out in 1 of 2 ways, You can do what
you should do, the task at hand, or you can put it off in exchange for a
moment of instant gratification, or some distraction action. Now in behavioral
theory, there is much less mental strife or tension involve in procrastination
(initially), and if the competitor action to inaction a mentally or physically
longer journey requiring more energy to complete, the natural response would
be the shortest of the two. Instant gratification is powerful! Its a tug-of-
war calculation between actions, we will do whatever we can do that's easier
or more enjoyable unless we fear the outcome of inaction so much so that it
out-ways the positives of the other. We are fundamentally powerless against
this. For all you fellow entrepreneurs out there, we simply love building
things more than anything else. My procrastination for example consists of
working on projects or prototyping a new app. I will default to that when
countered with options of going to the movies, eating out, or playing video
games. One could argue however that fear of failure motivates one above all
others to strive for success. Just my 2 cents.

------
adimitrov
Dear Procrastinator,

Go read up on the topic of procrastination, because it's actually an
interesting field of research within psychology. I know you want to, because
that way, you can procrastinate even more!

I'm appalled that nobody has yet mentioned <http://procrastination.ca> — home
of the Uni Ottawa procrastination research group. Also home of the excellent
iProcrastinate podcast: <http://iprocrastinate.libsyn.com/>

It turns out that procrastination is an immensely complex and multi-faceted
issue, and no one single solution is going to help everybody. I like the OPs
advice, but don't think it applies to every procrastinator! Also, it might be
the right advice for you if you want to combat your procrastination, but it
won't help you combat other "bad" aspects of your psyche, and eventually,
you're going to fall into your old habits.

I'm talking out of experience here: I originally went to a psychiatrist
because my life wasn't working out anymore (it was really that general.)
Several (mostly inconclusive) diagnoses and 2 years of psychotherapy later, I
feel like I'm finally starting to grasp why and how my life went wrong.

Not everybody who procrastinates has serious mental issues. But just as a
hint: if, for a prolonged period of time, say, a year, you aren't able to get
back on track, or you aren't able to fulfill your dreams or expectations, try
a therapist, if you can afford it. (I happen to live in a country with free
health care, so I didn't have to deal with that, gladly.)

------
Arias
This is the first time I've heard someone speak of procrastination in this
light, have to say its impressive. "Regaining mastery of your own fate" makes
almost too much sense haha. It's eerily true, kid throwing the tantrum is a
good example. We don't feel like doing it, but ;now we have to, so we build up
stress and despise the fact that we have to. Very good advice!

------
horofox
Actually, I know the problem:

It's with our right hemisphere, it's the one of you that is creative, that had
hopes as a child to really do something useful for the world, the one that is
out of control, seeks freedom.

The thing is that you aren't doing art/music(that's what people frequently do
with it) and art/music is well known as freedom, what you are probably doing
is:

A stupid startup to proove yourself, make some money and shit. Even if you own
twitter or facebook, it's still shit compared to art, believe me. It's shit.

If you were doing something that would eradicate some sickness in africa and
would save millions of people or had anything altruist in it, i doubt your
heart wouldn't be pumping from the second you started.

Believe me, it's because what you do is shit, your brain knows and it wants to
free you from this bullshit.

I don't procrastinate to wash dishes for my girlfriend, no matter how much
it's boring, i fucking love her. But you know, if i had to wash it for ME, i
would procrastinate all day. You need love.

------
aterimperator
I like how this meshes with Cal Newport's ideas on procrastination. As I
understand it, he views procrastination as the mind's natural tendency to
avoid things it doesn't trust: that crappy plan you came up with for getting
that project done? Yeah, you don't trust it, so why would you actually try to
implement it?

------
sireat
The OP's point is a good one but it is not the whole story. People
procrastinate for various reasons, as others have already attested.

Personally, I found a simple habit cured me of 50% of HN and Reddit addiction
and let me work on things I had procrastinated for a long time:

First thing when I do every morning when I sit down at a computer is e-mail a
simple TODO list to myself and also send a report of what I did on yesterdays
TODO list.

This e-mail is very simple, a few items and simple descriptions. Only caveat
is making the items "actionable" that is something you can do, not something
you can just try or consider.

Also, if I do not complete every item on the list, I do not beat myself over
it.

This takes a few minutes of time and was very easy to make a habit of using a
Don't Break a Chain technique. After a week or so, it doesn't feel forced at
all anymore.

------
lists
I'd be interested in exploring the ascetic dimension of procrastination.

That may ring the wrong religious bells but the problem of procrastination in
the West was first of all, and there's a lot of documentation surrounding
this, a religious problem. Saint Jerome is the first to directly speak of
idleness but it's even there in Paul's letters: How do you secure a base of
pagans for your Judaic sect in a world swimming with very similar cults and
mythologies? Keep em busy with your sect.

This is related to the consistent demand for communal surveillance stretching
throgh all the church fathers; everyone should make sure everyone else is busy
being faithful. So I wonder how and at what point that discussion of
procrastination transforms into the modern formulation?

------
Killah911
Just got done reading "The Now Habit", and the book concurs with this
prognosis. The book also suggest several ways to tackle these issues that
cause procrastination. Anybody have any recommendations/pitfalls from "The Now
Habit"?

------
vetleen
VERY rarely do I stop and think "Wow. I was worng!" This is one of those
times. GJ!

~~~
adnanymously
Eckhart Tolle's ideas have a deep similarity of meaning with your idea: that
the mind is part of you, and you are not defined by your mind. You need to
control it just like any other part of your body. This concept has helped me
immensely in casting off procrastination.

------
samspot
When I procrastinate, it is quite often a task I do want to accomplish for
whatever reason. But I put it off because I'm tired, just don't feel like it,
etc. The authority figure you refer to is the voice of wisdom telling me that
if I don't go ahead and do it, I will regret it later (this figure is right
99% of the time).

My personality is a high 'C' (for compliance), meaning that I have an
appreciation for authority. I think your original essay misses the fact that
we all have different personalities and motivations.

------
olalonde
Reading all these comments, I'm starting to believe that something like
Alcohol Anonymous would not be a bad idea for chronic procrastinators...
Procrastinators Anonymous?

------
Jach
Yeah, sometimes you can't just think your way out of it.

Hopefully one day we'll have a repeatable, very high success method of letting
people get work done when they consciously desire it.

------
stray
Note to self: read this article in your copious free time...

------
amorphid
I have two forms of procrastination:

1\. Virtual procrastination. This happens when I want to achieve more than I
can physically do. The end of the work week is here, yet I don't have the
sense to just let go and pick it up again next week. I feel burdened by my
inability to complete the surplus tasks.

2\. Vanilla procrastination. I hired an assistant. She helps me stay on track.
I am a fan of this.

------
qaexl
I've had similar, fleeting thoughts brewing for a while. Seeing this stated
together like this crystallized it. Thanks for sharing.

------
ailon
Next task - start listening to the way I talk to myself. I'm going to get to
it right after I check the twitter. Honest!

------
al-king
Dead on! Thinking in terms of "choosing" to do things rather than "needing" to
do things has really helped me recently.

------
MushiD
Ashamed when I read something and learn that I'm causing these perceived
issues all myself. Thanx good post

------
sdoctor
amazing. eloquently describes some Truth I've been banging my head against the
wall trying to explain to people but not able to find the words. It's the same
dichotomy of inner-authority and genuine-self that drives people to force
themselves to diet and then cheat on their diets etc

------
umjames
What about scheduling some time (daily or weekly) for doing the things that
you would normally consider your procrastination activity? Has anyone here
tried that? How did it work out? The more details you can provide, the better.

------
jamesrom
Wow. Mind: Blown. What a great insight.

Words can't describe how well this resonates with me.

------
trucious
So true. This was exactly my way of dealing with the deadlines in college.

------
toblender
Or you are simply experience "Resistance" as mentioned in the "War of Art".

<http://toblender.com/comic/resistance-the-war-of-art/>

------
Sthorpe
The simple truth about procrastination is that it happens because you delay
your happiness. The act that you are procrastinating or putting off is
motivated by a risk of your final reward.

------
dreamisnot
I think that procrastinating is beliving there is an easier way to reach your
real goals. If your real goal is to enjoy and do nothing procrastinating is
the right way to go.

------
doctororange
I put this together a few years ago with some similar insights...
<http://antiprocrastinator.com/>

------
bobx11
The Now Habit is a book that explains that exact idea... I do procrastinate a
bit less after reading that book.

------
mcritz
I'll finish reading this article later.

~~~
ww520
I actually won't reach this comment without searching. I was going to read the
whole thing later.

------
olh
tldr: "The reason why human-beings procrastinate is to feel in control of
their life."

The other parts are contradictions.

------
prawn
I procrastinate because I can get away with it. Any solution for me is derived
entirely from that.

------
tryitnow
I find that preventing myself from reading HN works wonders for reducing
procrastination.

------
pknerd
Usually I procrastinate when I don't have a clear goal or not sure about it.

------
jrisg
I'm not a procrastinator, I'm an anticipation junkie.

------
asdf3334
There is a colon where a semicolon belongs, and a semicolon where a colon
belongs.

------
bo_Olean
Dear Edo,

Since you directly addressed me,

thanks for the insight. Do share more.

-

Cheers.

10

------
hasenj
The other day I tried to use "LazyMeter". I got a few things done using it,
but I felt _extremely_ uncomfortable. The feeling was familiar: the same
feeling I had in my previous job. I felt suffocated and deprived.

------
camperman
Of all the anti-procrastinating advice I've ever read, this is the most
succinct and the most helpful. Thank you.

------
Jebdm
[citation needed]

~~~
makeramen
It's self-signed... Even if the idea isn't completely original, I would assume
the writing is.

Or if you're doubting the factual evidence behind it, I don't think he's
presenting this as fact, despite his tone. This is the same tone of many self-
help books, even those backed by "real" evidence and data who cite sources.
Still doesn't mean they work for everyone.

If you disagree, then don't take his advice.

~~~
Jebdm
I don't take claims without evidence as a rule, and he didn't present any
evidence. His case is especially problematic because he is making strong
claims about a fairly well-studied field in which there is not a clearly
dominant theory.

If he's not intending to present what he's saying as fact, he should say so.

~~~
epo
He is clearly presenting his opinion. You are clearly nitpicking for no good
reason other than to nitpick.

~~~
Jebdm
See <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2886575>

