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tips for extreme procrastinator


georgiasayshello

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georgiasayshello

Is/was anyone else here an extreme (and I mean extreme) procrastinator? 

I have a paralysing fear of failure that gives me a lot of stress with uni work etc and I'm trying to break the cycle

anyone have any tips/tricks/success stories?

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I'll come back to suggest something later...

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One tactic I use now, is to set my own deadlines earlier than the original one, and then focus only on that one and hopefully you forget which the original is.

One thing I did at Uni was go to a place with no net, and use my phone to set up a hotspot. I didn't have *that* much data, which meant I couldn't watch Youtube or play games really. 

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Anthracite_Impreza

My tactic is to have no goals and then I don't have anything to worry about :ph34r:

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georgiasayshello
3 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

My tactic is to have no goals and then I don't have anything to worry about :ph34r:

lol... so you mean having no goals actually motivates you to work? because anything is a success? or helps to excuse your lack of trying haha

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I get nice and worried about getting stuff done to :P The best thing I have learned to do is to break things down into little steps. It so much easier to feel like I can do one small thing well than to have this big daunting task.

 

So, as an example, if I'm trying to write a novel, "writing a novel" sounds huge and terrifying and awful. But writing 500 words isn't so bad. And if I write 500 words every day, in a few months, I have a first draft done!

 

Also, I make lists of what has to be done and will sometimes map out my day to make sure I'm being effective. By that, I mean literally saying "I'll wake up at 8am, work out until 9am, shower until 9:30, work on my novel until 11am........."

 

Hope that helps! Good luck!

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TheLittleRabbit

I was never very good at breaking the procrastination habit.  But they say it takes about 3 weeks to quit a bad habit.  Maybe you could gamify it somehow, set up "alternative deadlines" like Ricchan, and maybe even a "challenge" deadline, where if you finish something way ahead of time you give yourself points towards getting to do something you want or eating a special food.  When I was writing a novel, I found just having a physical chart where every day I wrote down how many words I wrote that day really helped me stay focused and on good days I would compete with myself for "most words in one day".  Maybe something like a bullet journal would have a similar affect by having you be more accountable?

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13 minutes ago, TheLittleRabbit said:

But they say it takes about 3 weeks to quit a bad habit

  I heard..or at least the sources I've been using say 90 days... I keep on trying to break mine, but then a bad week or month comes along and throws me off royally. I still feel like I haven't gotten back my creative-ness when it comes to writing, when I've told myself I'd write more often. 

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I have a paralysing fear of failure that gives me a lot of stress with uni work etc and I'm trying to break the cycle

 

Start small, finish big.

 

If you put too much on your plate, you'll over think, and through it--will not even come close to completing a task.

 

Essentially write down your goals. Keeping them in your mind, keeps them in a dream format. Writing them down, and jotting down a plan, puts them into action.

 

I can only speak for myself, but I have a daily journal I carry around with me. I write down the tasks and things I want to have done, before the end of my day. I also time stamp things, to give myself time to finish, but also to ensure I don't waste time, either. Planning my day out, ensures I spring into action vs wishful thinking. Fail to plan, plan to fail, kind of deal.

 

I.E Show up at 6AM, to complete quotes. 7AM, start jotting down work for staff. 9:45 contact ____ for meeting. 11AM - Meeting.

 

Take it a day at a time, and don't plan too far ahead.

 

Goals should always be realistic.

 

I also always challenge myself to completing a task prior to starting another.

 

I'm an artist, and was notorious for unfinished art.

 

I started giving myself time frames to finish pieces. I wouldn't start another, until I was finished the previous one. It eventually became a habit.

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Anthracite_Impreza
28 minutes ago, georgiasayshello said:

lol... so you mean having no goals actually motivates you to work? because anything is a success? or helps to excuse your lack of trying haha

The latter.

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georgiasayshello
37 minutes ago, Puck said:

I get nice and worried about getting stuff done to :P The best thing I have learned to do is to break things down into little steps. It so much easier to feel like I can do one small thing well than to have this big daunting task.

 

So, as an example, if I'm trying to write a novel, "writing a novel" sounds huge and terrifying and awful. But writing 500 words isn't so bad. And if I write 500 words every day, in a few months, I have a first draft done!

 

Also, I make lists of what has to be done and will sometimes map out my day to make sure I'm being effective. By that, I mean literally saying "I'll wake up at 8am, work out until 9am, shower until 9:30, work on my novel until 11am........."

 

Hope that helps! Good luck!

yeah that is a good idea

i've heard the breaking down into small tasks tip before and i think it would help me - if i could just stop procrastinating doing even that small amount haha 

but i guess with these things you just have to force yourself , then it's not so scary

 

also wow have you written many novels? what are they about? i'm intrigued!! :) 

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georgiasayshello
40 minutes ago, TheLittleRabbit said:

I was never very good at breaking the procrastination habit.  But they say it takes about 3 weeks to quit a bad habit.  Maybe you could gamify it somehow, set up "alternative deadlines" like Ricchan, and maybe even a "challenge" deadline, where if you finish something way ahead of time you give yourself points towards getting to do something you want or eating a special food.  When I was writing a novel, I found just having a physical chart where every day I wrote down how many words I wrote that day really helped me stay focused and on good days I would compete with myself for "most words in one day".  Maybe something like a bullet journal would have a similar affect by having you be more accountable?

that's a good idea, thanks!

when you say "i was never very good at breaking the procrastination habit" - does that mean you've broken the habit? or do you still struggle with it?

also wow another novel writer, that's a huge dream of mine, but as you could guess the procrastination doesn't help things along there :blush:

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2 minutes ago, georgiasayshello said:

yeah that is a good idea

i've heard the breaking down into small tasks tip before and i think it would help me - if i could just stop procrastinating doing even that small amount haha 

but i guess with these things you just have to force yourself , then it's not so scary

It's hard for sure :P But once ya break it down, it takes a lot of weight off and makes it feel so doable!

 

5 minutes ago, georgiasayshello said:

also wow have you written many novels? what are they about? i'm intrigued!! :) 

I haven't published any yet, but I'm 25% through my first one that I hope to get published in the future! It's a fantasy tale about pirates, it's been a blast to research and write! 

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In undergrad and graduate school I was able to get everything done and not procrastinate through extreme scheduling. I would look at all of the work I had for a week and schedule out how many pages of each reading I would do each day (I studied history and historical administration, so I really didn't have much other than reading and papers). For papers, I would usually write them in one day and schedule around the chosen day. The few times I wrote them over a period of time I scheduled a page number to write for each day. It helped because I knew exactly how much I had to do every day, so I wouldn't try to put it off.

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I know this cycle very, very well, and I wish I had a secret weapon against it. I did OK with everyday studying and smaller assignments this year for graduate school, but larger, more weighty stuff still gets me. The one thing I know for sure is that if I start over-thinking and fixating on the big picture, I'm toast. I really need to just take it day by day. Like I'll just sit down and say, I'm just going to open the textbook and read for 20 minutes. A lot of times at that point I really need to check my thoughts carefully because my mind will start to wander at all the material I have to get through and I'll get overwhelmed and start to shut down. I really need to carefully train my thoughts by just telling myself over and over: "it's going to be 20 minutes that I otherwise wouldn't have done. Something is better than nothing." Otherwise I start to feel guilty and obsess over all the stuff I haven't done rather than concentrate on what I've accomplished. If I'm able to get over that hump, usually 20 minutes turns into at least an hour or two, and I've gotten a couple hours of work done that I otherwise would have had to do some other time. So yeah. Tiny steps, one day at a time. I wish I had something better for ya. If you figure it out, let me know :unsure:

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happilyirrelevant
1 minute ago, Puck said:

 

I haven't published any yet, but I'm 25% through my first one that I hope to get published in the future! It's a fantasy tale about pirates, it's been a blast to research and write! 

Okay, I am definitely going to try and read that if it gets published, Puck! I love fantasy and pirates, so that sounds really interesting. :) 

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georgiasayshello
26 minutes ago, Perspektiv said:

 

 

 

Start small, finish big.

 

If you put too much on your plate, you'll over think, and through it--will not even come close to completing a task.

 

Essentially write down your goals. Keeping them in your mind, keeps them in a dream format. Writing them down, and jotting down a plan, puts them into action.

 

I can only speak for myself, but I have a daily journal I carry around with me. I write down the tasks and things I want to have done, before the end of my day. I also time stamp things, to give myself time to finish, but also to ensure I don't waste time, either. Planning my day out, ensures I spring into action vs wishful thinking. Fail to plan, plan to fail, kind of deal.

 

I.E Show up at 6AM, to complete quotes. 7AM, start jotting down work for staff. 9:45 contact ____ for meeting. 11AM - Meeting.

 

Take it a day at a time, and don't plan too far ahead.

 

Goals should always be realistic.

 

I also always challenge myself to completing a task prior to starting another.

 

I'm an artist, and was notorious for unfinished art.

 

I started giving myself time frames to finish pieces. I wouldn't start another, until I was finished the previous one. It eventually became a habit.

thanks for your advice :)

yeah i think i could do alright if i could stay on top of things somehow 

but then i get behind and things start piling up and suddenly i have deadlines staring me in the face, and that's when i just lose control and get overwhelmed and the procrastination reaches an ultimate low (or should i say high?)

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4 minutes ago, happilyirrelevant said:

Okay, I am definitely going to try and read that if it gets published, Puck! I love fantasy and pirates, so that sounds really interesting. :) 

Aw, thanks :D I hope it's a good one that people like, that's why I'm writing it :P

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georgiasayshello
4 minutes ago, Puck said:

I haven't published any yet, but I'm 25% through my first one that I hope to get published in the future! It's a fantasy tale about pirates, it's been a blast to research and write! 

awesome i'd love to read it! good luck!

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4 minutes ago, SaturnOOO said:

I know this cycle very, very well, and I wish I had a secret weapon against it. I did OK with everyday studying and smaller assignments this year for graduate school, but larger, more weighty stuff still gets me. The one thing I know for sure is that if I start over-thinking and fixating on the big picture, I'm toast. I really need to just take it day by day. Like I'll just sit down and say, I'm just going to open the textbook and read for 20 minutes. A lot of times at that point I really need to check my thoughts carefully because my mind will start to wander at all the material I have to get though and I'll get overwhelmed and start to shut down. I really need to carefully train my thoughts by just telling myself over and over: "it's going to be 20 minutes that I otherwise wouldn't have done. Something is better than nothing." Otherwise I start to feel guilty and obsess over all the stuff I haven't done rather than concentrate on what I've accomplished. If I'm able to get over that hump, usually 20 minutes turns into at least an hour or two, and I've gotten a couple hours of work done that I otherwise would have had to do some other time. So yeah. Tiny steps, one day at a time. I wish I had something better for ya. If you figure it out, let me know :unsure:

That very problem is why I would schedule by number of pages rather than amount of time. My mind wanders often, but if I had a set goal I knew how many pages I had left and since the amount of time it takes is based on finishing it helped me to focus so I had more time to do other things

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georgiasayshello
4 minutes ago, SaturnOOO said:

I know this cycle very, very well, and I wish I had a secret weapon against it. I did OK with everyday studying and smaller assignments this year for graduate school, but larger, more weighty stuff still gets me. The one thing I know for sure is that if I start over-thinking and fixating on the big picture, I'm toast. I really need to just take it day by day. Like I'll just sit down and say, I'm just going to open the textbook and read for 20 minutes. A lot of times at that point I really need to check my thoughts carefully because my mind will start to wander at all the material I have to get though and I'll get overwhelmed and start to shut down. I really need to carefully train my thoughts by just telling myself over and over: "it's going to be 20 minutes that I otherwise wouldn't have done. Something is better than nothing." Otherwise I start to feel guilty and obsess over all the stuff I haven't done rather than concentrate on what I've accomplished. If I'm able to get over that hump, usually 20 minutes turns into at least an hour or two, and I've gotten a couple hours of work done that I otherwise would have had to do some other time. So yeah. Tiny steps, one day at a time. I wish I had something better for ya. If you figure it out, let me know :unsure:

god that sounds familiar :( well...it's nice to know i'm not the only one 
I totally agree, it's the bigger tasks that require sustained effort over time where i really fall apart
sadly, i feel i'm getting the picture that there's no easy way out and you really just have to struggle your way through or watch the habit screw up your life :( 

but thanks dude haha

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TheLittleRabbit
7 minutes ago, georgiasayshello said:

that's a good idea, thanks!

when you say "i was never very good at breaking the procrastination habit" - does that mean you've broken the habit? or do you still struggle with it?

also wow another novel writer, that's a huge dream of mine, but as you could guess the procrastination doesn't help things along there :blush:

Mmm I guess I'd have to say I occasionally have days where I still procrastinate more than I should, but at least it isn't every single day anymore, and I get things finished before bedtime instead of at 4am now.

 

My novel is a mess.  Writing it definitely taught me a lot about myself and how my brain works and what things my subconscious is still bothered about... But no one would pay me for it, and that's okay.  Most authors don't get their first, or even their second novel published. I think once you accept you have to write a few crappy novels to build up the skills to write a good one it makes completing one easier.

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georgiasayshello
1 minute ago, TheLittleRabbit said:

Mmm I guess I'd have to say I occasionally have days where I still procrastinate more than I should, but at least it isn't every single day anymore, and I get things finished before bedtime instead of at 4am now.

i think that's a huge achievement though - i view my form of procrastination as somewhat of an addiction, so there's never going to be an easy road to "quitting", as it were

 

1 minute ago, TheLittleRabbit said:

My novel is a mess.  Writing it definitely taught me a lot about myself and how my brain works and what things my subconscious is still bothered about... But no one would pay me for it, and that's okay.  Most authors don't get their first, or even their second novel published. I think once you accept you have to write a few crappy novels to build up the skills to write a good one it makes completing one easier.

yeah again though, what an achievement just to complete a novel! so awesome :) 

 

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5 minutes ago, CFilipek said:

That very problem is why I would schedule by number of pages rather than amount of time. My mind wanders often, but if I had a set goal I knew how many pages I had left and since the amount of time it takes is based on finishing it helped me to focus so I had more time to do other things

I wish I could do this. I usually find setting specific page-goals for myself ends up backfiring because if I don't finish to my goal, I end up beating myself up about it all the more.

 

2 minutes ago, georgiasayshello said:

god that sounds familiar :( well...it's nice to know i'm not the only one 
I totally agree, it's the bigger tasks that require sustained effort over time where i really fall apart
sadly, i feel i'm getting the picture that there's no easy way out and you really just have to struggle your way through or watch the habit screw up your life :( 

but thanks dude haha

That and... seek support when you need. Call on your resources. Like you're doing here now... or the study centre or student support centre or writing centre or whatever your uni has set up for academic support. For me I'll be perfectly honest, I ended up needing to seek help from my health care provider for some of the underlying mental/emotional stuff that was driving my procrastination, and I'm glad I did. I'm not saying that's what you need to do, just that sometimes it feels like you're suffering alone, and there actually are people and resources who are willing to help you.

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4 minutes ago, SaturnOOO said:

I wish I could do this. I usually find setting specific page-goals for myself ends up backfiring because if I don't finish to my goal, I end up beating myself up about it all the more.

That makes sense, I never really thought about that possibility. I was able to do it because I spread each reading out over the entire week (or each classes readings) which made it generally a pretty small amount per reading per day that I was easily able to stick to (until I got to grad school, where I had 600-900 pages a week plus several large research papers and various shorter papers and had no choice but to stick to my goals or fall behind so badly that I would never catch up)

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3 minutes ago, CFilipek said:

until I got to grad school, where I had 600-900 pages a week plus several large research papers and various shorter papers and had no choice but to stick to my goals or fall behind so badly that I would never catch up)

Yep, this has been where accepting the fact that I am never going to get through it all and filtering out the need to know material has been been an absolute necessity :P 

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georgiasayshello
3 minutes ago, SaturnOOO said:

That and... seek support when you need. Call on your resources. Like you're doing here now... or the study centre or student support centre or writing centre or whatever your uni has set up for academic support. For me I'll be perfectly honest, I ended up needing to seek help from my health care provider for some of the underlying mental/emotional stuff that was driving my procrastination, and I'm glad I did. I'm not saying that's what you need to do, just that sometimes it feels like you're suffering alone, and there actually are people and resources who are willing to help you.

thanks for this. i know these are resources i should use - i guess i just feel ashamed, because I feel like most people just don't get how it's possible to procrastinate this much. My family knows I've had a problem with this in the past, but i think they just expect that i've gotten over it by now, so i tend to just hide it.

I know mine is definitely caused by underlying emotional issues too

but yeah

especially getting therapy or something necessitates telling my family i'm still struggling with this  

and i like to believe i can beat it on my own

but i don't know if i can :( 

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6 minutes ago, georgiasayshello said:

but then i get behind and things start piling up and suddenly i have deadlines staring me in the face, and that's when i just lose control and get overwhelmed and

There is the old "Flipper" concept by Messie selfhelp queen Sandra Felton: She got hold of a photo display thingy to flip through 36 postcards and wrote cards with individual chores for each day of 4 weeks. AFAIK she even decided what to cook eat each day and noted it there.

The key of the Flipper is "Flip & forget!" i.e. if she planned to scrub her bathroom floor each 2nd Thursday, she won't care about not having scrubbed it for the last 3 month till it is a 2nd Thursday again. <-Aim of that technique: Getting your head kind of free (& not battling / evading writers' block mop in hand).

 

Other issue: Sod perfectionism! Do things that can be kind of well enough done, when they are scheduled to be done. Don't wait for perfect days.

 

FTR: I am a great procrastinator. I get close to nothing done on my own & depend heavily on slave drivers / external pressure. - I have a boss, so I should get along with my life somehow. I'm careful to put close to nothing on my personal plate.

 

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Just now, SaturnOOO said:

Yep, this has been where accepting the fact that I am never going to get through it all and filtering out the need to know material has been been an absolute necessity :P 

I really wish I had been able to do that, it would have saved me a lot of time and frustration. But I've never been able to skim and feel as though I'm doing something wrong if I don't read everything. The annoying part is that my professor was shocked I'd done every single reading for the entire program. If you don't expect us to read everything then don't assign so much. :/ 

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georgiasayshello
3 minutes ago, Busrider said:

There is the old "Flipper" concept by Messie selfhelp queen Sandra Felton: She got hold of a photo display thingy to flip through 36 postcards and wrote cards with individual chores for each day of 4 weeks. AFAIK she even decided what to cook eat each day and noted it there.

The key of the Flipper is "Flip & forget!" i.e. if she planned to scrub her bathroom floor each 2nd Thursday, she won't care about not having scrubbed it for the last 3 month till it is a 2nd Thursday again. <-Aim of that technique: Getting your head kind of free (& not battling / evading writers' block mop in hand).

I like this idea, I think it could help me

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