Ask HN: Were you a procrastinator and could overcome it? How did you do? - ussser
======
dyukqu
I was a (I'd call it _hard-core_ ) procrastinator. I still am a
procrastinator, but I've come (relatively) quite a long way.

I have never been a lazy person in terms of physical activity. I like all
kinds of sportive activities - hiking, biking, football (soccer), swimming,
working out, etc. But over years I had become _very_ lazy for mental gym, _a
master of procrastination_ , developing a massive fear of intellectual
activity. A few years passed, and I became so tired of myself not doing a
useful cognitive work. I hated it - if you ever been a mentally-active person
even in a childhood and in later years you realize you've become slacker, then
you will hate yourself for not doing useful things. It's a good thing if it
bothers you - it _should_ bother you.

What started my recovery from procrastination was reading. It was like _going
back to roots_ \- I was an avid reader as a child, so, it really helped me to
kick-start. At this point, I guess everyone has some kind of useful hobby, or
habit, as a mental activity and if it has gone rusty, they should clean that
up and start rotating the gears. BTW, I should also mention the "Learning How
To Learn" course (MOOC on Coursera by Barbara Oakley). It helped me a lot too,
as I like learning by listening and it motivated me to set a daily goals &
complete them. Essentially, it taught me to follow a lesson/lecture again.
Maybe this course (it's like "brain 101" or "how a brain works and how to use
it efficiently") will not do the same for everyone, but is't not about this
exact course - it's about _to start learning again_ , you choose your own one.

All in all, IMHO, procrastination is a massive _fear_ of mental activity
(rather than lazyness) and it's so harmful as almost all other fears & one
should face it to get rid of it - again, like other fears, it frightens you as
long as you avoid facing it. After the face-off, it's just downhill and you
feel relieved. (And procrastination can never be overcomed enough and one
should never let languor overtake them, IMO.)

~~~
neverminder
I agree mostly and I am in a similar position. What I don't entirely agree
with is that "procrastination is a massive fear of mental activity". For
instance, even though I'm not a big gamer, when I procrastinate I can spend
hours playing one of my favorite strategy games and strategy games require
quite a bit of mental activity. I think procrastination is a fear of boring
mental activity, something that doesn't provide immediate reward.

~~~
afarrell
I suspect the problem is less boredom and more ambiguity. Goal pursuit is easy
to figure out with a health bar, mana bar, and purse with two few gold pieces.

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FLGMwt
I was a terrible student in K-12 and then I college before I dropped out.
Starting probably in middle school, I didn't do homework at home. I would do
it in a panic the class before. Then in high school, I'd barely do it at all.
I did well on tests so I suppose that's how I got by at all.

In college, I got a part time job which I started taking more shifts at and
stopped going to classes altogether because I was anxious about doing
classwork.

After dropping out, I went full time self studying 3D art and animation
through DigitalTutors (now Pluralsight). I found myself more interested in
programming so traded that for Pluralsight and Safari Books Online.

Both 3D art and programming were immensely more interesting to me than Physics
(which I was studying before) which I think influenced my work ethic.

I got a programming job which forced me to learn as an additional full time
job.

I'm a relatively successful professional now, but I still suffer from
devastating procrastination​. I put off launching an engineering blog for my
company for almost a year because there was a step I avoided which eventually
I did and it took 15 mins.

The things which _have_ been effective for me are the pomodoro technique. I
use kanbanflow for this which also has a kanban board. I don't use this for
everything, but I rely on it when I'm unmotivated or the task is really
important.

I also became more effective when I switched managers and made it a point to
ask them to bug me about things. I tend to take on a lot of side projects and
get them 80% done. Having a accountability (peer and/or manager) whom you
actually care about impressing (or disappointing) is important, even if
they're not in tech or at your company.

~~~
UnoriginalGuy
Just want you to know that your post inspired me to setup kanbanflow and to
try the pomodoro technique. Thanks! Even if it doesn't work for me, at least
it got me trying something.

------
oldmancoyote
I wish I had learned this trick 50 years ago.

Sit on the couch and get feeling "good" and guilty about not doing a given
task.

Then, promise yourself that if you get up and just get it started (assemble
the materials, or scrape the dishes, or define the variables...) you will have
pushed the project forward and earned the right to sit back down.

That's surprisingly easy to do. Once your are started though, there will be no
way you will want to sit back down. You have got this thing on the run. You
are wining!

I KNOW it sounds silly. It works for me, and it works for others I've talked
to. It's your life. Good luck.

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omarchowdhury
Just do it. _shrugs_

The biggest thing would be to shift from future mentality to now mentality. Be
interested in the process, not the results. When you visualize or anticipate
the results, it robs required energy from the present to perform the action
that leads to those results...

Basically you've got to rewire yourself to derive satisfaction from _doing_ ,
not resting in anticipation of a future outlook. A future which never actually
matches the visualization exactly, because if it did, you'd be a gotdamn
oracle.

~~~
webmaven
_> Just do it._

 _Were_ you ever a procrastinator? Because that is something I mostly hear
from folks who weren't. Sometimes people who think they are procrastinators
are actually just being lazy, which is completely different.

I don't mean that in a pejorative sense. Here is the difference, in a sitation
here a task becomes larger the longer you wait: A lazy person will usually
think "If I do it now it will be less work than if I wait until later",
whereas a procrastinator will almost always think "if I do it later, it will
only be a little bit of extra work".

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dvtv75
Sometimes, there are actually reasons for procrastination. I've mentioned my
disability a few times here, and now I'm going to again: as a result of it, I
tend to avoid situations that make me uncomfortable, ones that I've not been
in before, and just about anything that involves paperwork or having to read
something and really comprehend it.

As an example of the situations I avoid, right now I'm meant to get in touch
with my doctor and ask for a referral to an organization who can help me with
my disability. I've been at this point for the last 25 days - because I don't
know if I talk to the office administrator, the nurse, or the doctor.

That's it. That's the only reason, and like omarchowdhury says, it's a case of
"just do it." But - and this is the killer - I have a really powerful
compulsion to avoid it. It's similar to the compulsion not to climb a scaffold
for those of us scared of heights, a strong driving compulsion that is
difficult to overcome.

Similarly, I've got a stack of books the length of my arm, all waiting to be
read, but I haven't touched them in probably five years. I used to read a book
every few days, sometimes two a day if they were short enough, but I haven't
(re)developed the rule set that allows me to get back into that.

A friend and I are developing a project (and game), and I haven't done
anything on that in two or three weeks. Longer, if I'm honest with myself.
Again, that same compulsion drives me to avoid working on it.

I have an email waiting to be sent. It's almost ready, I just need to read it
to be sure it's correct, re-write a small bit of it, and then I can send it.
Three weeks.

Instead, I just sit here, reading short but pointless crap on the internet,
watching videos on YouTube, going off to work for a couple of hours a day,
which brings me to my next point - that if I'm doing something for someone
else, I can usually fly right through it with ease.

I have no explanation for this, just that it can be a symptom of my
disability, and I have no understanding on how to approach it or beat it, so I
will be watching this thread with some interest.

edit:

Think I should point out that when I reply on here, quite often I'll forget to
check and see if anybody's replied to me. When I do remember, it's often while
I'm out and I'll plan to do it later, but then I don't remember. Not strictly
a procrastination problem, but it falls roughly in line with it.

------
namechecksout
Put yourself in a position where you would have to publicly admit it on a
constant basis and it would make you uncomfortable. I started spending more
time with my significant other and hating to admit that I spent all day doing
nothing, I just started doing stuff to avoid the shame. As a side note, I also
became good at giving (increased) value to what I do, or at least presenting
it as something important. Also, if I need to do something, I will sometimes
go to a cafe or a coworking, because when I come there I think to myself "Well
I didn't get here to do nothing, so I will be working". If you have people who
support you a lot to the point where you could do something just for them -
just keep a reminder of it somewhere on your eyes level.

------
Bumerang
For me, the biggest problem is the start of the (boring) activity. Once I'm
already in it, I can work for hours -- just the first step.

So my solution is simple. I say to myself: "I'm not gonna work on that boring
thing, I'll just have a look at it." This relieves the pressure and allows me
to get started. Next thing is: "Ok, so I'll just do this one little thing."
Three hours later: "Shit, it's done.".

Also it helped me to write down activities I want to stop, e.g. "No HN before
5pm; No news before 5pm".

And the last thing is to remove all possible distractions. Put your phone out
of your visual field, block sites, etc.

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danieltillett
I became a really bad procrastinator after being a university professor (I am
slowly getting over his). What caused this was being given tasks that changed
3 or 4 times before the deadline and/or were not missed if they weren't done.

Administration would give me tasks to do, then change them multiple times, and
finally do nothing if I didn't do them 95% of the time. I got to the point
where I could not complete any paperwork unless someone from admin was
standing beside me saying this had to be completed that minute or else the
university was shutting down.

------
laurentl
I don't know if I'm a "real" procrastinator but I am definitely a "P" on the
MBTI scale. This means I usually do things at the last minute. I can rarely
manage to get interested in a task (especially a boring one) until just before
the deadline. Also, I can't seem to do any productive work if I don't have a
huge workload. (As an example, after putting off stuff all week long I'm now
hauling ass to get everything done by the WE - despite posting on HN at the
same time - and I'm fairly confident I'll get most of it done)

The flip side for me is that I'm very driven by deadlines: I hate to be late
(or more specifically, _too_ late). So, to overcome my ingrained habits, I
split up tasks and set intermediate deadlines for each subtask, not too far in
the future. If I have a real, hard deadline I'll impose myself an arbitrary
deadline the day before; this way I may slip my own deadline by a few hours,
but I'll definitely make the real deadline. I may also sit on tasks for a few
days (or weeks), until the accumulated feeling of urgency from all those
chores to be done is enough to get me moving.

It's more coping than overcoming, but I find it useful in practice, at least
for my natural inclination. Taking an MBTI course really helped as well, it
helped me understand why I behaved in certain ways and identify my coping
mechanisms for what they are - I've behaved this way for a long time, but I
always felt kind of guilty for having to use tactics to get anything done.

------
aidenn0
Figure out the reason you are procrastinating.

For me it was ADHD; the stress of a deadline is stimulating which increases my
focus. That's a shitty way to live though so getting it treated helped a lot.

I see another comment where it was anxiety.

If you only procrastinate certain things, you just might find those activities
aversive. You can adress that, to a certain degree, by scheduling. Do X amount
of the work you hate followed immediately by Y amount of work you like; it's a
simple way of rewarding yourself for doing what you don't like. If all of your
work is work you hate, prepare yourself for a different job if at all
possible.

Some people procrastinate just because they are poorly organized; any system
(GtD seems to be popular) can fix a lot of this.

Other times procrastination can just be a form of self-sabotage (there are
many reasons for doing this; you think you don't deserve success; you are
avoiding the greater responsibility that will come with success &c.). "I left
it to the last-minute" is a simple excuse for doing a mediocre job and lets
you avoid self-reflection for why you are sabotaging yourself.

There's probably lots of other reasons for procrastination, but the one
pattern for myself and friends who had procrastination persist into adulthood
was that it was a symptom, and while treating the symptom can help in the
short term, treating the problem is a better long-term fix.

------
feydaykyn
I keep it in check now, but it has taken years. What was instrumental: \-
discovering something I really love to do, programming \- realizing what my
procrastination always happens when I don't understand what is expected of me

Taking these into account, I set up some nets: \- started a therapy to work on
the why \- before starting a task, I try to identify all unknowns before
running into them. If it comes from me and is not discovered while trying to
accomplish the task, it's easier to overcome, and often not an issue at all \-
I work in programming, so I have a very high incentive to do all chores
quickly so that I can go back doing something I love (not always effective!)
\- my coworkers/family know me and often check with me my progress on whatever
I need to do for them \- I know how I procrastinate and try to justify it to
myself, so when I catch myself doing it I start identifying explicitly what I
am avoiding and what would unlock me, even if I can't stop procrastinating on
the spot. When I regain control of myself later, I know what to do and its
easier. \- I ask help when I am stuck for more than one week, and people has
always helped me, for instance by doing the one bit I can't. Just speaking is
rarely enough at that point \- I try to sleep at least 6 hours a night, I love
so much having energy and a working brain \- I emphasis the positive
consequences of my actions \- I choose to procrastinate when I am too tired, I
won't be able to do something of quality anyways, so I can enjoy these moments
almost guilt free

So in short, reflect on what is triggering your procrastination, and create
various safety nets to catch yourself. If you have a problem solving mindset,
it's quite fun to "solve" yourself. Try also to discover some solid ground
within yourself, so you can use it. For instance, I can't stand boredom and if
I procrastinate for too long, I get so much bored I am willing to do anything
to stop feeling it, even doing what I was supposed to do.

------
mezod
I am not sure I can say I have overcome it but I can say that my productivity
has improved ever since I started doing little apps to help me be more
productive, like custom todolists, custom kanban boards, etc. I've just
finished an app to help me form habits (
[https://everydaycheck.com](https://everydaycheck.com) )

I've realized that if I do something every day at some point I don't see it as
a task anymore but as something I do without thinking, like brushing my teeth,
so I have more time of the day allocated to useful/productive stuff and
procrastinate much less.

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philippz
Procrastination doesn`t start at your work. I`m sure there are other areas in
your life that could be better. Start establishing healthy habits. It will
affect every part of your life and thereby reduce procrastination.

One important point is your level of energy and a fresh mind.

* Stand up earlier

* Decrease your coffee consumption

* Get used to cold showers

* Eat healthy

* Do sports

* Stop using social media

* Don't watch TV or series (make it a rule to only watch with others)

* Don't listen to music all the time. Enjoy music. If you definitely need it, listen to some without vocals. Vocals are more distracting and so you are less focused and so you get less stuff done and so you are less motivated and BOOM, back on HN.

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salmo
My procrastination is basically an anxiety problem. How do I deal with it now
and stay somewhat sane?

Most importantly I do a lot of working on my self-awareness, and recognizing
when I'm not in control.

Next would be medication so I can actually do something when I hit that
realization. I'm fine without it until the stress hits and then it's too late.
I've considered that maybe it's a placebo effect thing, but at this point I
don't really care. I don't have horrible side effects or feel weird or
anything I can't live with.

I have to be extremely honest about myself all the time. If I'm behind, I say
so. If I'm stressed I say so. It rarely bites me and it keeps me from having
to scramble to cover a lie or exaggeration. Anxiety feeds on anxiety.

Then there's all that agile bullcrap. I try to think in 1 or 2 week sprints
depending on the project. Occasionally I look up to see what my bigger goals
are and make sure my small ones make progress towards them.

I have to work in a supportive team, so we keep each other on track and in
perspective. We have to be able to cross-delegate so we don't get bogged down.
It's way more fun to share in success and failure with friends.

I get killed by long-term deadlines. Give me 6 months and I'll turn a shell
script into a new language project. So I ignore the "cure world hunger" stuff
and just make sure I'm making progress all the time. That way I enjoy my
success rather than constantly feeling like I'll never make utopia. I focus on
MVP, then MVP + 1, and so on. I never fall in love with my own work or some
piece of tech, so I'm happy to scrap it when it stops being useful.

Now I get a lot done. I have a reputation for getting a lot done in short
periods of time. But I still always have to combat the feeling that I'm not
moving fast enough and I'm letting people down. Talking with people who care
about you (because they're friends, your spouse, or you're paying them to
help) is the only way to really deal with that.

I guess the common themes here are to be self-aware, communicate, and keep
moving forward in as small iterations as is reasonable.

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iEchoic
I've had a lot of success recently forcing myself to do something "boring" in
the morning, while I still have willpower remaining, avoiding high-stimulation
activities (internet/apps/junk news etc.) until later.

After getting better at beating procrastination, the main problem has been is
the feeling that my brain is totally dead and "heavy" after working on
mentally-taxing things for hours - napping seems to help with this, but I
can't always just nap whenever I want.

Also Chrome plugins to block Reddit and HN (sorry, HN).

------
Mz
I have health issues. Getting them under control is the crux of getting my
time management issues under control.I suspect this is far more common than is
recognized.

I was called "lazy" my whole life. Then I got the right diagnosis in my mid
thirties and began getting my act together. I wasn't lazy. I just didn't have
the energy to do the things I needed to do.

I still am not as productive as I would like to be, but it is vastly better
than it used to be.

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taphangum
Procrastination is basically you being out of alignment with what you really
want to be doing. On a larger scale that just that task that you are wanting
to do at the moment.

I've found that when I align myself mentally, spiritually and physically with
what I feel I truly should be doing, procrastination reduces dramatically.

That's a hard thing to do, though. Takes a lot of thinking and meditation. But
it's achievable.

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psyc
When I was working on something I thought I had to work on, I used an app
called Freedom to block the web. When I dropped the thing I thought I had to
work on, and started working on something I really wanted to work on, then I
didn't need external help.

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bjourne
I buy candy. Then I don't eat the candy until I have completed all important
tasks I have to do.

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tmaly
for me I use a quote by Derek Sivers

"You have to meet inspiration half way"

What that means is just sit down and start doing something. After about 30
minutes you get in the flow and it carries you the rest of the way.

------
orange_fritter
Procrastination is a holistic issue with no single fix.

I am not a psychologist, so take the next 5 points with a HUGE grain of salt.

1\. Ask yourself if you are suppressing an impulse to perform tasks, or
waiting the impulse out, or simply not experiencing the impulse at all. Ask
yourself what dots need to be connected to actually lead you to performing the
task. Some people procrastinate tasks that require nearly zero effort... often
at great personal cost. If you notice yourself doing this, take some time to
reflect(non-judgmentally) on your behavior-- its profoundness, irrationality,
and what could be gained if it were changed. Think about the day-to-day
reasons that a 5-minute task gets drawn out over 2 months. Rephrase your
question to "am I accidentally thinking procrastination is helpful?"
Procrastination may be a mood regulation technique; rather than thinking of it
as "avoiding a boring task", ask if it is "the pleasurable experience of
defying or hiding from an 'undesirable' task". When viewed through that lens,
procrastination is a maladaptive coping mechanism vaguely like binge-eating or
self-harm. The next questions become "why would I think procrastination is
helpful?" and "why would I feel the need to cope?" Hypothesize your reasons--
the self-fulfilling prophesy of underachievement. The avoidance of engagement
with real life. The assertion of control. What else? Be with these ideas for a
while, and ask what is best for you.

2\. (rephrasing oldmancoyote's comment) 1/10 rule: for 1 minute of work, you
earn 10 minutes of "break." Seriously, get 10 minutes of break guilt-free for
1 minute of work. It's a great deal.

3\. Present and patient. Practice mindfulness meditation to help with your
emotional state and train your ability to be "present" in your current task.
(see omarchowdhury's comment) Being able to be present without thinking about
the future is difficult, but it is paradoxically important for your future.
Also realize that by being fully patient and present in this menial task, you
can sometimes be in a self-healing, meditative state.

4\. [http://www.procrastination.ca](http://www.procrastination.ca) /
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhFQA998WiA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhFQA998WiA)

5\.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load)
(feel free to assert that cognitive load does not affect work avoidance) You
may be experiencing a self-regulation failure due to high cognitive load.
"Abnormal" brain chemistry like ADHD, bipolar, depression, etc., ... dysphoria
sometimes due to a sedentary or unhealthy lifestyle, and social or personal
problems will eventually sap your emotional energy and cause you to revert to
coping mechanisms(see point 1). Invest in that emotional energy. Also blood
sugar/insulin

A Exercise B 1/10 idea C Therapy D Healthy Lifestyle E Meditation F Brain
Chemistry

