16 votes

How do you deal with procrastination?

Just how? I fail to stick to the right side of the line between productively using internet, and losing time procrastinating and impulsively browsing and/or commenting in places like Reddit, HN, Tildes. The best I can do is to leave home to study outside, but becasue I don't work ATM, that's too costly. I sometimes even consider stopping using a computer. But I'm also a very technical, power user, so IDK if I can comfortably confine myself to use a phone (where I don't have this issue).

What is your way of dealing with this?

24 comments

  1. [2]
    Adys
    Link
    I don't. (Hell I've been on a reply streak here for the past few hours). I've gotten to terms with the fact that procrastination is ok and is a part of life and general organization. It's a part...

    I don't. (Hell I've been on a reply streak here for the past few hours). I've gotten to terms with the fact that procrastination is ok and is a part of life and general organization. It's a part of your free time.

    IMO talking about "procrastination" kinda misses the forest for the trees. All by itself, "wasting time" isn't particularly harmful. I mean, if you spend an hour on the shitter browsing Facebook that's bad, but if you spend that same hour with your eyes closed and call it "Meditation" you're the zenmeister. I call BS.

    There's multiple things to unpack here:

    1. What do you define as procrastination? The best one I believe to be "the misprioritization of leisure time over pressing matters".
    2. What you wrote in your post sounds more akin to "compulsive social media consumption". A lot of people have that. (Currently guilty myself!)
    3. How do these things actually affect you? Do they impact your work, your family life, your mental health, etc.

    I think #1 is an organization problem. My life greatly improved organization-wise when I started using Google Calendar as the source of truth for all my timebound planning. I also use Dynalist, per a recommendation here on Tildes, as my scrapbook to keep track of various things. I've always been of the "get things done" mindset when I have a thing to do: If it's quick to do, do it now, get it over with. If not, set a deadline.

    #2 is tougher. I think it's a problem when it takes up too much time; it can definitely affect your mental well-being, etc. That said there's ways to make it at the very least not completely unproductive. Here's what social media I use and how:

    • Facebook is the lowest tier trash. I keep it off 99% of the time, with exceptions if there's an event organized on there or something. The people I care about, I communicate with outside of facebook; so I don't really give a crap about the stupid bickering that goes on there.
    • Twitter is what you make of it. I curate my follows and try not to have too much politics stuff show up there. The only "news"/"politics" style accounts I follow are The Associated Press, a neutral outlet, and Maggie Haberman because she's cool. There's also Nate Silver and G Elliott Morris who tweet about politics quite a bit but I'm a sucker for numbers. The rest is work-related, tech, etc. All in all, my Twitter feed is addictive because it tends to be interesting, not mindless.
    • Reddit has … changed. The redesign really has destroyed how I used to use it (curated mode, like Twitter). Now what I've done is I set up a huge mainstream-crap blacklist of subreddits in my /r/all filter, and I just browse /r/all headlines. Even with all the filters, Reddit is probably currently my most mindless activity and I'm using it less and less for that reason.
    • Tildes and HN I browse kind of mindlessly, but the content is of high quality and doesn't actually move that much, so I'm ok with it.

    What I focus on:

    1. Don't just consume, contribute. Commenting and posting your own stuff I believe is important for the sole reason of not being a "passive consumer". Being active in the medium means you put more effort into it, which in turn means you spend less "free time" doing so (as free time always tends towards the lowest effort stuff). Reddit's decline is 1:1 for me with my reduced commenting activity on the site.

    2. Curate curate curate. I read something a while back which I keep thinking about: Social media you consume becomes a part of yourself. You give it brainspace. The stuff you read becomes you. Make it clean. Don't abuse junk food, don't abuse junk media; same story. (Ironically, I'm better at the latter).

    3. If you find yourself really in "endless scroll" mode, just go do something else. Go to sleep, watch a movie, whatever. Doesn't have to be active, just has to be something else than "mindless browsing", which I believe to be what's toxic.

    21 votes
    1. unknown user
      Link Parent
      Thanks! I think I'm mostly guilty of #2, i.e. compulsive consumption, and I agree #1. I find that when I have a concrete, important deadline, I'm good at quitting my BS and getting on work. Say...

      Thanks! I think I'm mostly guilty of #2, i.e. compulsive consumption, and I agree #1. I find that when I have a concrete, important deadline, I'm good at quitting my BS and getting on work. Say final exams, for example. (And (recently) graduating did not help for that reason, actually.)

      My "normal" Reddit consumption is: /r/emacs, /r/istanbul, /r/languagelearning, /r/libri, and /r/portuguese and /r/lisbon these days because I've started learning Portuguese. These are not always problematic. And generally never "unproductive". Also, because my account there is not anon, I keep out of silly places like /r/aww or /r/showerthoughts, etc. It's a huge problem tho when I go browsing, and even worse, participating in more "fun" orienter subs like /r/showerthougts, /r/<my-country> etc. I do like having some fun in those subs w/ an alt anonymous account, and it's sometimes even "productive", but I can't manage my time there. Also, when I'm reading news from my RSS reader, I go on something akin to wikiwalking.

      I'm thinking to eliminate my alt reddit account for the last and definitive time, and stopping consuming news altogether. But I feel like that involves throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and that makes me feel kind of guilty.

      I've had a few app recommendations here so far, and I'll look into them, but I find I'm content with my Bullet-ish journal for everything, except my few small open source projects, for which I use Org mode (tho luckily none need much maintenance except responding to rather occasional patches people send). I find not depending on my computer or phone for task management helps (given I've long time left programming as a career plan, and switched to humanities instead). Still, maybe I find something that I can integrate into my journaling / agenda workflow that can augment and enhance it.

      WRT social media, I don't use it at all. I don't even like texting on WhatsApp (which friends and family dislikes, but I can't for the life of me bear having small talk with people that aren't present). I don't have FB, and I have a twitter which I started for following some events, but the way people and orgs post (they repost and repost the same stupid thing tirelessly), it's not really useful, so I don't ever check it really. HN, you can't have discussions on HN anymore. It's left the echo chamber stage and is becoming a circlejerk, a parody of itself. I'm not that interested in cutting edge tech anymore, and the hackernewsletter brings what's interesting to me, and that the discussion is always already dead when I see it really helps with the impulse to correct that one Stranger on Internet that is Wrong(TM).

      1 vote
  2. [3]
    super_james
    Link
    So I would recommend everyone do the Coursera course Learning how to Learn which covers a bunch of important information for anyone with a human brain. Including procrastination, memorization &...

    So I would recommend everyone do the Coursera course Learning how to Learn which covers a bunch of important information for anyone with a human brain. Including procrastination, memorization & learning difficult concepts. It's free with registration provided you don't want a certificate (what would you do with it?).

    The key points I took from it on procrastination:

    • The unpleasant feeling before starting on something is inevitable and universal. If you're not habitually doing something then it will feel bad before you start & you just have to accept this.
    • As such saying "I'll just wait till I feel motivated" is never going to work. You'll put the thing off until reality forces you to rush it.
    • Utilizing tricks just to get started like Pomedaro can make a meaningful difference to productivity even if it feels a bit silly.
    • Procrastination is fundamentally about avoidance of bad feelings via displacement activity, it's really bad if it becomes habitual.
    • Habits are made up of: A trigger, a habitual behaviour & a reward. (Say: Trigger is opening a new browser window, behaviour is typing in reddit.com & reward is seeing new joke/kitten/outrage).
    • Will power is a limited resource so if you're trying to force yourself to do something unpleasant over long periods this is less effective than using will power to disrupt your habitual procrastination.
    • This can be done via removing the stimulus that triggers is (delete your browser?? install a reddit blocking extension?), or by using will power at the point of the trigger to remind yourself why you need to stay on track.
    • It's important to break the link between trigger and reward if you want to overcome procrastination habits.

    Anyway those are my notes from memory, you'll have much better luck actually doing the course.

    11 votes
    1. [2]
      unknown user
      Link Parent
      Does the course go into the practical side of the things, or does it remain in the territory of theory? Because what you lists matches my idea of the problem (i.e. it's become a habit for me to...

      Does the course go into the practical side of the things, or does it remain in the territory of theory? Because what you lists matches my idea of the problem (i.e. it's become a habit for me to compulsively go to reddit.com, youtube.com (not really w/ tildes.net, but sometimes)), and I know that I need to break the habit, but it ends up not really working. With youtube it's not much of a problem, but with reddit it is. And to this day I find that the only thing that works is to not have an account there. But the subs I actually use are useful. TBH to myself and everybody, it's generally when I make up an anonymous alt there to mess about in more stupid subs (like /r/europe, /r/showerthougts, /r/<my-country>, etc). I can't really contain that, and end up deleting those accounts, which is some relief. I do like going there and messing about every now and then, but apparently I can't have the best of both worlds. The rest of my procrastination is actually triggered by my RSS feed. I follow the news there (I recently stopped using newsletters for that to clean up my inbox, with them I had the same problem), an opening some links in the browser, it leads me on to lots of stupid browsing that might take up many hours. I'm considering removing news altogether from my life, it's all fairly stupid and depressing anyways. But there's that "sometimes" where actually interesting stuff comes up (like some art/music festival or something about education), I think I'll have to find specific channels for them that are lower in volume (newspaper RSSes just bomb you with content).

      What I've found is that willpower is not really enough with these things with me. Whenever I limit myself, then whenever I relax that limiting a smallest bit, I'm back into uselessly spending my time. I think I should take the advice of the commenter that recommends that I go to libraries more often. I should bust my laziness and do that.

      Thanks for your elaborate response, BTW!

      3 votes
      1. super_james
        Link Parent
        The course's main focus is on learning rather than procrastination so it's mainly theoretical for procrastination. It expects you to work out what works for you on that front.

        The course's main focus is on learning rather than procrastination so it's mainly theoretical for procrastination. It expects you to work out what works for you on that front.

  3. [2]
    tesseractcat
    Link
    For certain things that I'll "do later", I set up tasker profiles to launch the appropriate app or send the appropriate notification at certain times of the day (or whenever I open my phone within...

    For certain things that I'll "do later", I set up tasker profiles to launch the appropriate app or send the appropriate notification at certain times of the day (or whenever I open my phone within such and such period of time). These function both as reminders and kind of like a guilt trip into doing the thing. I have a smart-ish watch that can display notifications that I got for pretty cheap, and it's helpful as I can have all my reminders on my wrist (the watch is the Mi Band 3, if you're interested).

    5 votes
    1. unknown user
      Link Parent
      Are you referring to this? I'll look into that, but man, as a perverse guy with >5000 LoC in my Emacs' init.el alone, I feel like that could be something like a "black pill" to me :) I'll look...

      Are you referring to this? I'll look into that, but man, as a perverse guy with >5000 LoC in my Emacs' init.el alone, I feel like that could be something like a "black pill" to me :)

      I'll look into the watch, I do like wearing a watch, but I actually don't really like having notifications. I'd rather go check things myself, when I want it. Maybe that's a mistaken approach? But I find I don't spend too much time because of that.

      Thanks a lot!

      1 vote
  4. kfwyre
    Link
    This is specific only to reddit and doesn't address the bigger question, but I figure it's worth mentioning anyway: there's an app called NoSurf that might help you. Rather than being a...

    This is specific only to reddit and doesn't address the bigger question, but I figure it's worth mentioning anyway: there's an app called NoSurf that might help you.

    Rather than being a fully-featured app with total access to the site, it is intentionally limiting. It will only show you the first page of r/all and your personal frontpage. When you click through to the comments, it will only show you the three top level ones. No more. You cannot go to specific subreddits or page through historical content. It is only ever a bare-bones, current snapshot.

    It sounds very restrictive, but, to be honest, that's what's great about it. It has done wonders for cutting down my reddit usage. It gives me just enough feed to satisfy my need to stay current but doesn't allow me to dive into meaningless content for hours.

    4 votes
  5. [2]
    Deimos
    Link
    You could try using an extension like LeechBlock. It lets you set up groups of sites with restrictions like "only allow me to spend 10 minutes on these sites every 2 hours". Of course you can...

    You could try using an extension like LeechBlock. It lets you set up groups of sites with restrictions like "only allow me to spend 10 minutes on these sites every 2 hours". Of course you can circumvent it by using a different browser or something similar, so it will still require some self-discipline, but it can be really useful for helping you realize how much time you're spending on the sites that are distracting you.

    3 votes
    1. unknown user
      Link Parent
      Will look into it, thanks! Generally, breaking that first impulse always helps. It's when I circumvent it that it breaks for me. One thing I realise is that, if I'm consuming funny (!) stuff like...

      Will look into it, thanks! Generally, breaking that first impulse always helps. It's when I circumvent it that it breaks for me.

      One thing I realise is that, if I'm consuming funny (!) stuff like comedy videos or subs like /r/showerthougts or /r/programminghumor, that's what drains all my time. I normally don't subscribe them, but sometimes idiotically create an alt thinking "yea, I'll juust spend an hour each week there, messing about". But I end up spending a week in a day there... Maybe I just shouldn't be logged in to that, or just go delete it again.

      2 votes
  6. [3]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. unknown user
      Link Parent
      Hey, I'll keep this marked unread so that I notify you if I end up finding something effective for me. Bear in mind that these can vary from person to person, unfortunately. Personally, for me the...

      Hey, I'll keep this marked unread so that I notify you if I end up finding something effective for me. Bear in mind that these can vary from person to person, unfortunately.

      Personally, for me the only thing that actually works is just putting away the computer. If I could confine myself to making my research on Firefox and doing notes and stuff in Emacs, I'd have no problems. But I just can't do that. Maybe try putting the computer away after work? Personally, I hate the experience of mobile, so it's never nearly as immersive as on the desktop.

      1 vote
    2. unknown user
      Link Parent
      Hi! You recall I promised returning to you about the procrastination thread? So finally I've gotten around to try out LeechBlock, and so far it's been useful in limiting the time I spend on...

      Hi! You recall I promised returning to you about the procrastination thread? So finally I've gotten around to try out LeechBlock, and so far it's been useful in limiting the time I spend on reddit, youtube and tildes. I think StayFocusd should be similar, but the configuration is key: if I allow me no time on these websites, that'll suck and I probably won't adhere b/c that's extreme. So, I've configured it to give me an hour Sun-Fri, between 8pm and midnight. I also allow myself to deal with notifications freely.

      I can't comment on how this will interact with your ADHD, tho. Hope you sort your procrastination issues out soon!

      1 vote
  7. [3]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [2]
      unknown user
      Link Parent
      Truly lol'd :D Thanks! I'm unable to decide whether to tag this as Exemplary or Joke... apparently I'll decide later.

      Truly lol'd :D Thanks!

      I'm unable to decide whether to tag this as Exemplary or Joke... apparently I'll decide later.

      2 votes
      1. cykhic
        Link Parent
        If it's an exemplary joke, you can tag it as both.

        If it's an exemplary joke, you can tag it as both.

        2 votes
  8. [6]
    tomf
    Link
    Have you tried something like StayFocused? Since you're technical, you can set this up with a cron job.. but the idea is the same. HN has noprocrast in the settings. Set that regardless. For me, I...

    Have you tried something like StayFocused? Since you're technical, you can set this up with a cron job.. but the idea is the same.

    HN has noprocrast in the settings. Set that regardless.

    For me, I break my tasks down into the smallest chunks possible. Since you have to study, hit up the library and work there -- treating it like an office. Tether your phone so you don't have to waste any time messing with public wifi, too.

    Get a Pomodoro timer for your system and stick to it. Don't use the breaks to go online, but use it to stretch, walk around, etc. Also don't stick to the standard timing if its not working for you. For me, I like 15 minutes every two or three hours --- but that's if I'm in a zone and need that time away to refocus.

    2 votes
    1. [5]
      unknown user
      Link Parent
      I'll take the advice about the library. The sad thing is, (1) the libraries are rather crowded, because nicer ones are small in number in Istanbul, and (2) I live in a peripheral town of the city,...

      I'll take the advice about the library. The sad thing is, (1) the libraries are rather crowded, because nicer ones are small in number in Istanbul, and (2) I live in a peripheral town of the city, and the libraries are rather far away (nearly an hour of commute). But there are less crowded ones and I'm really being lazy about (2). I'll try to break that, thanks!

      I'm kind of naturally inclined to that Pomodoro stuff when studying. My main problem with procrastination is getting started with studying. I actually have fun doing that too, but at times struggle to leave procrastiation and pass on to studying. It's kind of a bipolar issue, for a period I'm way better at avoiding distractions, but for another period I succumb into them. Do you think picking up Pomodoro would help with that "making the shift" part of the issue?

      2 votes
      1. [4]
        tomf
        Link Parent
        oh yeah, don't travel long distances just to work. You might like Solving the Procrastination Puzzle from Timothy Pychyl I can't speak to this talk, but it might also be worth skipping through to...

        oh yeah, don't travel long distances just to work.

        You might like Solving the Procrastination Puzzle from Timothy Pychyl

        Why do we sabotage our own best intentions? How can we eliminate procrastination from our lives for good? Based on current psychological research and supplemented with clear strategies for change, this concise guide will help readers finally break free from self-destructive ideas and habits, and move into freedom and accomplishment. With numerous practical tips for change, Solving the Procrastination Puzzle brings clarity and scientific studies—and a touch of humor!—to the quest for successfully achieving goals. This accessible guide is perfect for entrepreneurs, parents, students, and anyone who wants to get unstuck, stop delaying, and start living their most inspired life.

        I can't speak to this talk, but it might also be worth skipping through to get an idea of what he's about -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhFQA998WiA

        2 votes
        1. [3]
          unknown user
          Link Parent
          Thanks, I'll watch the video. It's a pity that there aren't any libraries I can use near me. There are some universities close by, but they're very strict in allowing in only academics, grad...

          Thanks, I'll watch the video.

          It's a pity that there aren't any libraries I can use near me. There are some universities close by, but they're very strict in allowing in only academics, grad students and their own undergrad students. There aren't any cafes in walking distance (even say 15 min) fit for the purpose too. So I'm a bit unlucky in that regard.

          1 vote
          1. [2]
            tomf
            Link Parent
            yeah, that makes it tough. Best of luck with your search! There's got to be somewhere unconventional you can use.

            yeah, that makes it tough. Best of luck with your search! There's got to be somewhere unconventional you can use.

            1. unknown user
              Link Parent
              Thanks!

              Thanks!

              1 vote
  9. [3]
    mrbig
    (edited )
    Link
    Break your tasks in the smaller pieces possible, and I mean really small, more like a book subtopic than a book chapter. Start right now whatever you have to do right now, and finish one item. Use...

    Break your tasks in the smaller pieces possible, and I mean really small, more like a book subtopic than a book chapter. Start right now whatever you have to do right now, and finish one item. Use something with nice visual feedback. I like checkboxes on Emacs Org Mode, but paper will do for most people. Org tracks how long I take for each task, and at the end of the day I generate a report with the overall time spent. Feels good.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      unknown user
      Link Parent
      Thanks! That's something I always do. I try to never stop in the middle of a chapter, I tend to have to restart it because I lose track. Yeah, that is the problem actually. When I have these...

      Thanks!

      Break your tasks in the smaller pieces possible, and I mean really small, more like a book subtopic than a book chapter.

      That's something I always do. I try to never stop in the middle of a chapter, I tend to have to restart it because I lose track.

      Start right now whatever you have to do right now, and finish one item.

      Yeah, that is the problem actually. When I have these "procrastination attacks" I lose track of the leisure time I spend before starting the task, or in pauses.

      I like checkboxes on Emacs Org Mode, but paper will do for most people. Org tracks how long I take for each task, and at the end of the day I generate a report with the overall time spent. Feels good.

      I used to use Org mode for all my agenda, but I've moved to a paper journal for most of it because only a portion of what I do (preparing for a master's in a discipline different from my bachelor's) happens on the computer these days. It's very helpful when I can contain the kind of procrastination I was talking about. But when I can't, it can't get me to start working, unfortunately.

      1 vote
      1. mrbig
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        The hard truth about this stuff is that, even with the help of specialized technology and workflows, at some point you'll have to apply some raw effort to push yourself forward. And that's more of...

        The hard truth about this stuff is that, even with the help of specialized technology and workflows, at some point you'll have to apply some raw effort to push yourself forward. And that's more of an existential issue than we care to admit. Few people really like to work or study (in the professional sense), but rather the mostly economical results of it. We love doing the stuff we like at our own pace in our own conditions. Working for someone else to get a paycheck so you can buy food? Not so much.

        2 votes
  10. patience_limited
    Link
    My workflow isn't quite the same as a full-time developer's, but I've found that setting aside Friday every week to do nothing (as much as possible) but clean up the tasks I've been punting is the...

    My workflow isn't quite the same as a full-time developer's, but I've found that setting aside Friday every week to do nothing (as much as possible) but clean up the tasks I've been punting is the best strategy for me. There's an enormous sense of relief in getting them completed, and I can recuperate with weekend time relatively free from anxiety.

    By creating a structured time and space for the "don't wanna's", I've taken "I'll do it later" outside of the procrastination doom loop, and made an opportunity to tell myself, "It's now 'later' and I'm getting this done."

    I'm constantly surprised at how much easier these tasks are in the doing, than I'd been dreading when I put them off in the first place.