

Ask HN: Advice for those with poor discipline? - newsisan

I have a lot of time to get stuff done, it just doesn't happen. The easy choice is really too easy, and inconsequential.
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graeme
1\. Completely eliminate the source of distraction. This can be temporary,
with essential things. The separation can reset habits. With lesser things,
remove them permanently.

2\. Try to procrastinate with activities that are still productive. Don't feel
like working on your major project? Complete some chores.

3\. Create names for bad habits. Then, when you notice you're doing the habit,
say "oh, I'm doing X again". Often naming something is the first step to
beating it.

~~~
ndcrandall
I agree with these suggestions, and I'd like to add to #1.

Get away from your usual place of work. If you can go to a place such as a
library, empty office space, or school campus you'll be more focused. These
places should be a bit unfamiliar so you're not as comfortable there. Don't
think this applies to everyone, but I have seen it work well in my situation.

I have to admit I sometimes find myself in the same boat as this post and I'm
always looking for ways to improve productivity.

~~~
GeneralMaximus
This works very well for me. Sometimes, just moving away from my main work
area to another room works wonders for productivity. Heck, changing my Emacs
color scheme sometimes makes me feel more inclined to work. It's not a
replacement for true discipline but it's a neat trick that can get you out of
a rut.

Humans crave novelty, some more than others.

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luxpir
Far from being a productivity guru, some things that have definitely worked
for me:

1) Lists. By priority. Also checking off easy tasks as low-hanging fruit to
reduce overall pressure of all those tasks.

2) RescueTime - a free service that highlighted where I would drift out of
productivity and for how long, and typically when I would do it. This helped
me to tighten up my day and focus on which distractions I wanted to keep,
while making their use more efficient.

3) Deadlines. Don't work as well as the above on their own, but in conjunction
with other people they tend to help. Find a partner or confidant.

4) Do something else/take a break. If you find yourself just sitting in the
place you want to work, but not actually working, get away. Walk, talk, read,
play a game. When you get bored of doing that, you'll probably want to work
for one reason or another. This may take a few hours or a few days, and isn't
always practical, but reminds you of the importance and satisfaction of
working.

5) Keep researching productivity methods (despite most of them requiring as
much work to maintain as the task itself) and share them. With me, if you can!

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michael_fine
Two ways that work for me:

One, don't try to reason it out. Don't make every chance you have to slack off
be a constant mental battle of willpower. This is why eliminating distractions
works so well. Also, just make it a habit. This is the harder part, but try
something like the pomodoro method, where you work for 25 minutes, and take a
5 minute break. No distractions at all during that 25 minute period. Once that
becomes a habit, it gets much easier.

Conversely, if you do find yourself wondering why your doing what your doing,
or you have to convince yourself, just think of what you want to accomplish.
Is it going to the gym, or working on a side project, or reading more? Just
think of the first step. The first step of going to the gym is just getting in
the door. Getting in the door is not very hard, but how can you possibly get
fit without getting to the door? Whenever you lack motivation, just ask if
you've completed step one (<http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2011/07/18/step-
one/>)

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daniel-cussen
Check if you have Adult ADD. 8% of people have it, and if you have it and
don't know it, it can lead to a lot of frustration with yourself.

You can print out a preliminary test here, and have a sibling or close friend
fill out one half--you'll fill in the other. If you score high, there's a good
chance you have ADD and should make an appointment with a psychiatrist so he
or she can guide you through the diagnosis and narrow down whether you have
ADD or not.

[http://www.drstubblefield.com/patient_forms/Adult_Intake_For...](http://www.drstubblefield.com/patient_forms/Adult_Intake_Form.pdf)

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srconstantin
Systems are your friends.

1\. Track the things you want to accomplish. Joe's Goals is good for that. If
your problem is working enough hours a day, track hours.

2\. To-Do lists. I use ToodleDo religiously.

3\. Block distracting internet sites. I use SelfControl (for Mac.)

4\. Quit your biggest distractions altogether. (For me, that's webforums. I
deleted all my webforum accounts.)

Systems are great if it's just forcing yourself to do stuff you're really
going to need to do. In a way, that's the easy part. The hard part: when you
chronically avoid doing something, often it's because you genuinely don't want
to do it, and the right answer is to find a way to stop doing it entirely. One
of the biggest improvements in my recent life was to identify certain kinds of
work that made me miserable, and make a plan so that I'd never have to do them
again. Discipline is a good thing for work that's a little hard and boring but
still worthwhile to you; but discipline can't get you through work that you
really hate, at least not for long.

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readme
I am not a fan of using discipline to get things done. I think it is akin to
brute force. Come up with a reason to do the task. Think about the users you
will please, think about impressing your client or boss, think about the money
you will make.

Essentially discipline is the ability to do something even when you don't want
to. However, I believe an unwillingness to excel at your work underscores a
larger problem: you don't like what you're doing

This doesn't have to be an objective property of the work. With the wrong
attitude, the wrong physical and mental health, the wrong financial situation,
the wrong sleep, the wrong anything, it is possible to dislike and even resent
rewarding work.

Attack the disease, not the symptoms. Discipline is only a plug in the deck of
a sinking ship.

We all need autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

