Procrastination: how to beat it?
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free skin care · Mon May 18, 2009 12:47 pm

Does anyone know any mind tricks to beat procrastination? Embarassed

free skin care · Mon May 18, 2009 8:28 pm

Notice how many people viewed this, but put off replying?! Laughing

free skin care · Mon May 18, 2009 8:35 pm

oh well- that what i was doing with quit smoking time.
Not today , I am nervouse, tomorrow I'll be stressed, never a good time and just procrastinating .You know I just wake up one morning and I decided toay is the day:)
How to beatt it - for me it happened when the desire to quit was stronger than the desire to smoke ....lol

free skin care · Tue May 19, 2009 6:02 am

I am the worlds worst procrastinator the only way I can get motivated to do something is to leave it to the last minute. I have tried every trick in the book but nothing really helps as I still find away to put it off. I think it does help if you can work out why you procrastinate. One of the most common reasons for this and why I do it is perfectionism. I am a perfectionist and a bit of a control freak and I make everything so much harder for myself due to these traits that I am put off even starting, even if all goes well I never give myself credit and only focus on my mistakes so for me even a job well done has little reward. I am trying to accept that not everything can be perfect and to just get started and then worry about perfecting it later but habits of a life time are hard to change. I'll certainly be watching this thread with interest.

free skin care · Wed May 20, 2009 11:26 am

I don't know...but it's a good question. Can I get back to you on it?

free skin care · Thu May 21, 2009 5:47 am

you might have too many projects and your life has become unmanageable ?? I cut my projects in half (and many of these projects were self-imposed).

I volunteered in my kids school, GS Leader, sunday school teacher, worked etc my house was a mess etc. I finally realized why my house was always a mess. Because I hate housework !! I only want to spend a minimum amount of time cleaning and organizing the house. So instead of beating myself up over it I am in the process of getting rid of half my stuff (literally !!) Woo Hoo. !! I can't wait but it is a slow process with the kids (I can't just throw away their stuff). I am planning on spending more time doing what I want to do which is reading, walking, gardening etc. Rather then looking at a messy house all day. If the kids want it then they will have to take care of it (clean it up) otherwise it does not belong in this home. I guess I stopped procrastinating when I stopped trying to please everyone else.

I also do half the volunteering too !

free skin care · Thu May 21, 2009 6:21 am

I have too much stuff too mostly books but I just can't bare to part with them. I have got rid of books so many times only to buy them all back at a later date! Still less clutter would be so nice.

free skin care · Fri May 22, 2009 8:56 am

fawnie wrote:

I don't know...but it's a good question. Can I get back to you on it?

free skin care · Fri May 22, 2009 9:07 am

LuvToSmile wrote:

you might have too many projects and your life has become unmanageable ?? I cut my projects in half (and many of these projects were self-imposed).

I volunteered in my kids school, GS Leader, sunday school teacher, worked etc my house was a mess etc. I finally realized why my house was always a mess. Because I hate housework !! I only want to spend a minimum amount of time cleaning and organizing the house. So instead of beating myself up over it I am in the process of getting rid of half my stuff (literally !!) Woo Hoo. !! I can't wait but it is a slow process with the kids (I can't just throw away their stuff). I am planning on spending more time doing what I want to do which is reading, walking, gardening etc. Rather then looking at a messy house all day. If the kids want it then they will have to take care of it (clean it up) otherwise it does not belong in this home. I guess I stopped procrastinating when I stopped trying to please everyone else.

I also do half the volunteering too !

I used to have a similar problem...single mom working full-time and going to school at night, two dogs and a son, and waaaay too much stuff! One day, I called up my sister (perfectionist, super-organized, house looks like something from Better Homes and Gardens). "I need help!" I told her. She and her son drove three hours and stayed the weekend to come help me purge my house. The boys took five trips in a little pickup truck to dump stuff.

Then I hired a maid to come in twice a month. This lady was an independent contractor, and she would leave me little assignments to do before her next visit. Knowing that she was coming, I was forced to pick up before her arrival. This helped tremendously in keeping things under control!

But back to the original question...I am the ultimate procrastinator. One thing my therapist taught me was to understand that this will always be a challenge for me because of my personality type...so there is no magic "cure" for procrastination. Understanding and accepting that will help you to stop beating yourself up about it.

The next thing, then, is to find little tricks to help you cope with it. For me, daily lists do not work...but weekly lists do! Each Sat morning, I allow myself some lazy time, then make my list over morning coffee, and then prioritize the list for the week.

free skin care · Mon May 25, 2009 6:58 pm

I've read somewhere about a trick using a kitchen timer. If you have, say, a project to do, then you tell yourself that you are going to do it just for 15 minutes and set a timer for 15 minutes !

The argument is that, may be, after 15 minutes of doing your project you might want to continue!

By the way, the same trick applies to addictions, if you , say, intensly desire to finish the whole apply pie set a time for 15 minutes and tell yourself "I will not finisih the pie NOW, but in 15 minutes." Again, the hope is that you might not want to do it at all after 15 minutes Very Happy

Lists and planners never work for me! I feel like I'm a robot that has to carry out instructions, spontaneity is missing Wink

pandora77 wrote:

I am the worlds worst procrastinator the only way I can get motivated to do something is to leave it to the last minute. I have tried every trick in the book but nothing really helps as I still find away to put it off. I think it does help if you can work out why you procrastinate. One of the most common reasons for this and why I do it is perfectionism. I am a perfectionist and a bit of a control freak and I make everything so much harder for myself due to these traits that I am put off even starting, even if all goes well I never give myself credit and only focus on my mistakes so for me even a job well done has little reward. I am trying to accept that not everything can be perfect and to just get started and then worry about perfecting it later but habits of a life time are hard to change. I'll certainly be watching this thread with interest.

pandora77, I am just like you. I think I should focus on setting more modest and appropriate goals, not to seek dramatic changes and learn not to regard modest imporovements as failures! Rolling Eyes

Also, the fear of mistakes and this all-or-nothing approach makes me procrastinate like crazy... I'm like a Napoleon in my thinking, want to take over the whole world in just a few short years. Laughing

So, it is strongly advised to devide your project into small steps, and deal with just one step at a time ( starting with 15 minutes first)

free skin care · Tue May 26, 2009 11:09 am

RussianSunshine wrote:

Does anyone know any mind tricks to beat procrastination? Embarassed

Sure, I"ll let you know tomorrow... Laughing

AH, I see fawnie beat me to it... Smile

Seriously.... some of the better ways that work for me to complete tasks we'd rather not start on...

1. Realize going in that starting something is the most difficult task of all.... Once you get started, it's usually not as bad as the anticipation.

2. Prioritize.... If completing something that takes less time will free you up to focus on something that takes more time, then complete the one task before you start the larger. Of course, this depends upon how many people are waiting on you and the impact this change priority will have on you, your internal and external customers, and other tasks on your checklist.

3. Avoid distraction.... if opening up your email will give you an excuse to procrastinate, then don't do it! Instead, REWARD yourself with the prospect of reading emails, logging onto EDS forum and other activities until you've started or completed your task.

4. Establish good stopping points....this often works well for me.... Depending upon the task at hand, if I can begin something there may be a natural point where I can temporarily suspend my focus on that to turn to something else. Then I'll use these stopping points to check email, make phone calls, etc. etc.

5. A calendar --- I love Franklin Covey... good time management can really help with procrastination and reminders. I always write down appointments, things to do... especially the weekly/monthly commitments. Knowing I've recorded it, I can forget about it... which frees the mind for actual accomplishment. Smile

6. Knowing that most states of mind are only temporary gives me the strength to endure nearly anything... From the tedious and mundane to the challenging...

--- Athena

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