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I’m sitting in my studio this morning with my television editing system all fired up to complete a client project. On the other hand, my trusty MacMini sits across the room with email on one screen and MTM Land on the other screaming for my attention.
So it got me thinking.
My email box is filled with letters of all types but a very common topic is procrastination. Now… I’m sure YOU don’t have that problem but I’m guessing you probably did at some point. I thought your input might help some other folks.
So… I’ve got question…
When do you procrasinate the most and why?
And…
How do you get control again and get back to doing what you are supposed to be doing.
Now don’t put this off. And don’t put anything else off to get this done. And don’t be put off by the thought of putting something off.
I’ve actually been struggling with procrastination for years. I have three ways of dealing with it that help me get back on track:
1. Break it down. Often the reason I procrastinate is because I’m overwhelmed—the task is just too big! So I break it down into smaller segments. If the segments are still too big, I break them down further until they don’t seem so big anymore. Ideally I’ll get them down to pieces which take less than an hour each. Then I can just tackle the pieces in order.
For example, “write a 20 page paper” is a HUGE task, requiring several dozen hours to complete. On the other hand, “find three articles in the library,” “read 30 pages,” or “write 2 pages” are all manageable tasks that don’t seem so daunting.
2. Backtrack timeline. Once I’ve got all the small pieces, I figure out how long they’ll each take me, approximately. Then I start at the end and work backwards, taking into account days I know I can’t work, and figure out the ABSOLUTE LAST day I can start working on something and still have it finished on time. Then I make damned sure I start before that date.
Again with paper writing. If I know that, after all research is done, a 20 page paper takes me 4-5 days to write and 1-2 days to edit, then I make absolutely sure that I start writing at least a week before it’s due. If I know that I’m going to be busy on the weekend, I’ll add two days to the beginning of the “start” time.
3. Reward myself. This is what I use if everything else fails. Sometimes, it’s not the size of the task that’s daunting, but the mental or physical obstacles involved. eg: I hate going to see the dentist, so it’s an ordeal every time I need to schedule an appointment. So, when the appointment is over (or, if it’s been particularly rough, even after I schedule the appointment), I give myself a reward.
What type of reward? Generally it’ll be things that involve time but not money (ah, the curse of a college student). So I’ll allow myself an hour to read a good book, a nice long shower or bubble bath, a walk somewhere pretty, an evening of movie-watching, or whatever. If I make sure it’s not something I’ll do anyway (this is key), then I can motivate myself to do whatever I’ve been putting off.
Hi Otto. I do the same thing, but in 15/5 divisions (15 minutes work, 5 minutes “play"). I find that the 10/2 division is too short a time to get anything done. But in general, I do like the idea.
I’m so much the opposite...I’m best under pressure, I guess, and procrastinate on that paper and then do a 20 page marathon all in one sitting. If I would take breaks, it inturrupts the “flow” and I’d get distracted into something else. Honestly, the more I have to do the better I am at getting it done. It’s like I get in overdrive. I’m the least productive when I have some free time because once I “sit” I don’t want to get up; I’ll stay online for hours. My key to avoiding procrastination is to stay busy!
This week, my calendar is very full and I’m getting everything done because I look at my calendar and write a To Do list for the day and just start banging things out and crossing them off. If there weren’t many things on it, it would be easy to NOT get started but since my list is huge, I’m less likely to sit around doing nothing..
Inevitably, I run out of time before the end of the day because I always have too much on my list but I waste very little time. This, however is why I prefer to workout first thing in the morning so it definitely gets done. Speaking of which… I’m taking off now!
Without a hard deadline, I have trouble getting stuff done. For instance, it is easier for me to work out and eat right when there is something coming up that I want to look smashing for. I’m working at being healthy just for me.
Oddly enough, when I do have a hard deadline, esp. at work, I often get my work done in advance because I hate that rushed feeling. But when there is no deadline looming near or far, I blow stuff off.
WOW! See? this is what I mean by not being alone. I procrastinate (what a hard word to pronounce that is!) a lot. Like Otto and Karen if I don’t have a deadline things don’t get done. But additionally if the deadline is not soon it won’t get done either, and because of this everything gets done at the last minute. But like Karen said I do work better under preassure, Especially with university stuff… and extra specially when it has to do with writing. If I don’t have a looming deadline I can’t write… I just don’t know what to write or how to start…
However, this is with work and university work. When it comes to Excercising it’s a bit different. To use Laura’s example, the more preassure I have to look good for some special ocassion or something like it, the more I crash, get depressed, pig out, stop working out and end up gaining 10 pounds for it. I start well for a few days and then get extremely frustrated, my evil voice takes over telling me I can’t do it and what was I thinking about and that’s it. Preassure to lose weight just doesn’t work for me and has never worked. So now, I try really hard to think about other things when I excercise. I think of being able to go hiking in a super sttep slope without losing my breath, of lifting the mop bucket without straining too much, running after my cats and actually catch them (though I don’t know if that will ever be possible).... very stupid and simple details like that, things that would enhance my life but have nothing to do to how I look or how others see me. And amazingly that keeps going for a lot longer than the thought of fitting into a dress.
Trying to analyze why is that, well I suppose I’ve been so obsessed all my life about looking better and then failing miserably that just the thought of it automatically takes me into a negative place… Maybe I don’t know…
But anyway, so this is how I deal with procrastination. I think… did I go off in a completely different direction? lol I tend to do that sorry.
I love this topic! I use a timer and set it for fifteen or thirty minutes, depending on the job. When it goes off, i just stop and take a break.
I’ve also learned that cultivating habits that put my most hated tasks on auto-pilot helps keep me from procrastinating. I have a quick morning routine and afternoon routine that makes sure bills are paid, email is answered, and basic “housekeeping” is done. Fifteen minutes, it doesn’t have to be perfect, just done.
ooh - one more thing. email, the internet, bulletin boards, listservs are THE WORST agent of procrastination! if anybody knows a good way to cut out time spent on the computer (like a 12-step program), would you share?
I have a quick morning routine and afternoon routine that makes sure bills are paid, email is answered, and basic “housekeeping” is done. Fifteen minutes, it doesn’t have to be perfect, just done.
Suzy, have you ever heard of the Flylady? What you’re doing is very similar to what she recommends, which is why I mention it.
if anybody knows a good way to cut out time spent on the computer (like a 12-step program), would you share?
Yup: unplug the internet. Just take the cable and detach it from your computer. If you’re doing a 15-30 minutes timer, you can put it in during your “break” time to check your email or listservs, as long as you’re loyal to your timer and stop when it goes off, and then unplug it again!
And as usual, Julie is right on. Hmmm… I think I’m going to have to give her a promotion.
I agree with unplugging from the internet.
I’m pretty good at staying on track but imagine 1 month ago when we launched the community. Suddenly I was getting hundreds of emails sent to me and of course I wanted to be involved with MTM Land. Still - I have things to do in my life so I can’t sit here all day.
Thankfully years ago I DID unplug to get my work done. I’ll still do occasionally today but for the most part I just unplug my mind now instead of the cable from the wall.
I can do that because when I physically disconnected the computer I was actually using a version of an NLP Pattern Breaker. In other words, unplugging the computer interrupted my behavior. Do it enough times and the behavior will be broken for good. Then you just replace it with your new behavior that works better for you.
There are many versions and uses. Think about it for awhile and see if you can come up with something that will break your pattern and allow you to be more production. Of course, make sure you leave enough of that behavior to keep posting here occasionally.
And as usual, Julie is right on. Hmmm… I think I’m going to have to give her a promotion.
Wow… a promotion? Do I get an award?
Scott - 27 February 2006 11:15 AM
Thankfully years ago I DID unplug to get my work done. I’ll still do occasionally today but for the most part I just unplug my mind now instead of the cable from the wall.
I find that for me, if I have the internet plugged in and my email program set to automatically check for new messages (which is the current setting), I get distracted by seeing the little number of new messages waiting for me. I want to know what they say! If the internet’s unplugged, there’s no temptation. If I need to look something up online, I’ll just write it down as a reminder to myself to do it during my “online time.”
Scott - 27 February 2006 11:15 AM
I can do that because when I physically disconnected the computer I was actually using a version of an NLP Pattern Breaker. [snip] Then you just replace it with your new behavior that works better for you.
I think this is key. You must have a new habit to replace the old one, otherwise you’re going to go right back to what you used to be doing. Hint: going to the kitchen to get a snack is not a good replacement behaviour!
You MUST replace your former behaviour with a new better, more appropriate behaviour that serves you. And it’s best that you know what that new behaviour will be before your begin. It’s amazing how the “old stuff” just doesn’t matter when you have something new and exciting to look forward to.
For those of us whose job requires being online, just unplugging doesn’t usually do the trick.
I use NetNewsWire to get all the news and recreational information in one place. So if I’m supposed to be working on something else, I can ignore NetNewsWire entirely. What’s really nice is that I can put special rules on certain feeds that may be important for work… so they refresh every hour, rather than the every four hours I have the default set to.
I find I read more websites, but I spend less time doing it with this method. I find the same effect with a DVR for tv, too.
Hey Otto his here! Actually - it looks like I missed your first post.
Otto has been with MTM since almost the beginning and I’m glad to see you’re still hanging around.
And good call on that “NetNewsWire” for RSS feeds. I’ve used it for about 6 months to help gather info and it works great. It’s one of the few software products that I actually wrote a letter letting the developer know how much it helps me. I can track hundreds of sites at a glance.
For those of you who are using iTunes to get your Podcast, NetNewsWire not only can receive and transfer your programs to iTunes, it will also gather all of the text information from the feed for you. Try it out at http://ranchero.com/.
