Ask HN: I'm a chronic procrastinator – how do I break it?
Now that I'm in the real world it's starting to really gnaw at me. I make $130k as a 21 year old and I probably put in 3 hours of real work a day. I'm a good enough programmer that I can bullshit my way through most stuff and at this point I think people are starting to realize that I'm a bit slower than I could be. I still push out a lot of code, but I secretly spend 7-8 hours a day doing bullshit at work (reading online, games, etc). I know that I've been given a gift and that I'm a fucking idiot for wasting it, but I've just become a chronic procrastinator and it sucks.
I could be changing the world but instead I'm putting in the bare minimum and no matter what trick or method I try I can't seem to beat it. I've never had a strong willpower to begin with and now it seems to be getting worse (looking back I wish I played more sports).
Any advice on how you taught yourself to focus on tasks, build willpower, and get shit done would be helpful. Although, I wonder if I really fucked my brain/habits up so much that I'll never reach my full capacity. I've been like this for the past 6-7 years and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. My dad is also very similar in that he's smart enough to bullshit through life but he only works at 10-20% of his full capacity and he never completes anything.
Help!?
307 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 256 ms ] threadI have one piece of advice - one technique that I got from a cognitive behavioral therapist that helped me. It's pretty simple:
Pick a task you don't feel like doing. Set a timer. 10 or 15 minutes. Work on the task. Do not worry about the end result, or getting to a "good stopping point" or anything. When the timer stops, stop working on the task. Play another game or watch another YouTube video or something. When you feel like it, set the timer again and repeat.
The trick is that if you aren't worried about finishing the task you want to do, you can do the work without that feeling of discomfort and dread that makes you want to stop and distract yourself with something else.
The first time I did this technique, it was actually with dirty dishes and not work. I used to let them pile up because I just couldn't deal with it. I set a timer for 5 minutes and washed the dishes. It was a carefree experience. I walked away at the end, but then something funny happened - I soon wanted to go back for another 5 minutes. Pretty soon I finished the whole load of dishes and it wasn't unpleasant at all.
A tea timer by your desk is a great way to approach this at work, personally I find 15 - 20 minutes of work 5 minutes of procrastinating is good balance.
It was also my technique for studying for exams through university: 45 minutes of focussed study, followed by a 15 minute break for tea, lunch or fun things. After six of those, I could stop knowing that I had a day well spent. (And as a bonus, I mastered 3-ball juggling after my Algebra-I exam ;-)
For proof, read the official description on Pomodoro, e.g. on http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/download/pdf/ThePomodoroTec.... You'll see (page 6-7) that after a first 'Pomodoro' (unit of time) work on the same task can continue into a second or third pomodoro.
The points being, (a) at any given moment we have a limited amount of self-control, and (b) that limited amount of self-control extends beyond any single given task or situation.
We can increase our overall self-control (e.g., focusing for five minutes can be increased to focusing for five hours), but not significantly in a short period of time (e.g., it might take years to increase a persons ability to focus from a five minute period to a five hour period.
Oh my god, that sounds like putting the finger RIGHT on the sore spot... I always have a fear of finishing something and it's a bit of a problem for me. Thanks for sharing this!
I can't ever finish anything because then what??
I'm not sure saying that is the right way to motivate people :P
There are lots of techniques out there that can help, and medication can sometimes be effective. Do some research online and talk to your doctor. There are also people who specialize in helping / coaching people with ADD and similar memory / attention deficits.
I've tried adderall but it almost became a game to see if I could beat it. I would procrastinate even more than normal. Sometimes just stating at a wall for hours at a time
I was diagnosed with ADHD a few weeks ago. So far I've trialled ritalin and dexedrine.
Ritalin works very well if I have a clear task.
Dexedrine made me tired, confused and aggressive.
The point is: different drugs work differently for different people. Trial different ones. There are even drugs that have non-stimulant modes of action now.
It is very common for people with high IQ to go through their entire academic lives undiagnosed, and only as adults, when sheer intelligence isn't enough to pull them through, they realize they need help.
2. INTENTION. with the stuff that's left over, take a time out and truly commit to it. Do meditation, quiet your brain, and make an honest decision about what you're committing to.
3. IMPLEMENTATION. now plan HOW you will get these committments done. Visualize yourself actually doing the steps to complete it.
Putting all these together, check out this podcast where Pat Flynn shares his technique of "small batches to completion":
http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/most-powerful-productivity...
Also: Adderall / Modafinal / Cyclobenzaprine / Exercise can help quiet the mind and bring focus :)
Meditation is a good idea. I tried getting into it, ended up reading up on some weird sex meditation shit and went down the rabbit hole on that one. I really think clearing my brain several times in the day would help me.
It's funny I've seen this list a hundred times but listed out here for some reason it seems to make more sense.
Addy - hate how it kills my creativity and I try to beat it and convince myself it doesn't work Modafinol - my favorite drug but I tend to stay up for a long time and just procrastinate more. Would definitely be super helpful if I can beat procrastination first CycloBenz - haven't tried, will order
I have found paracetam to be super helpful but it only works for a week or two before khans to cycle off it. I was on it about 2.5 weeks ago and did in 4 days what I normally have been doing in a month.
I should start to exercise more...
Try one of the many other racetams. Also noopept, closely related, helps a lot of people.
For me, ALCAR and Stabilized R-ALA (R Alpha Lipic Acid) help a ton with focus.
If you drink caffeine take l-theanine along with it, it dramatically boosts the effectiveness of caffeine and gives me a good 4+ hours of straight focus.
Then do them little bits at a time, and reward yourself for doing them.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique
Lots of people procrastinate. I do too. Don't feel so bad about it. :-)
Or, find a new hobby (like playing guitar) and then procrastinate on that. Spend time reading up on music, music theory, equipment... instead of reading reddit. Maybe you'll learn something new with your time wasting?
[1]: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankej...
What changed it? Probably some of it was age. Your outlook on life and what's important changes as you get older. I spent a fair bit of time talking to people 10, 20, 30, and 40 years older than me, and while I usually didn't agree with them, I did remember their words. After 10 years I was rather shocked at how my outlook had changed. Now it's coming up to 20 and I've definitely changed yet again. How do you achieve the wisdom of age without actually having to spend years aging? Beats me! But I sure learned to appreciate it regardless.
Another thing that happened is I started taking on harder and harder things. It didn't matter what, so long as it was difficult enough that it would take me years to master. Boxing, welding, classical guitar, open source projects, running a business. I just kept adding things on until I didn't have enough time to even breathe. Then I somehow managed to find the time to get all these things done. And then I piled on more, until I finally reached the point where I literally did not have enough hours in the day to get everything done. Then I dropped some stuff until I felt comfortable again.
Now I no longer have time for video games or TV (except for the odd time when I'm taking a sanity break, which is maybe once a week for a couple of hours). I have shit to do and a daily routine that gets it done. I had to organize my life because I had too much stuff to do! Now I deliberately carve out time to be with friends or do something crazy. Otherwise I'm busy at work, practicing one of my hobbies, or I'm at home on a Sunday, deliberately doing nothing all day because I've scheduled a "do nothing" day.
So my advice to tackle procrastination would be: Fill your life with so much stuff that you can't afford to procrastinate (It's even better to get into a few things you can't get out of easily). You'll figure out how to organize yourself. Then you back off a bit to get some balance back into your life.
Whenever I put a shit ton on my plate, I do 0 of it. I know I should be able to get it all done but the thought of "work" prevents me. I consume a shit ton of information when I'm not working and as a result I'm actually really good at given other people ideas. I gave my cousin an idea and drew up a business plan that now nets him a very lucrative income on the side. I helped grow a brand from 1k to 100k followers just by giving them social media advice and some hacks I learned from observing Ryan Holiday and Tim Ferriss.
I'm great at giving others a push start and I've been told I'm a good motivator. I just have low self confidence in some areas and suck at finishing anything
If you were free to do anything in the world, what would that be?
- Don't be in such a goddam rush.
- You'll look back at the risks you took when you were younger and wonder what the hell possessed you to take them. On the other hand, they make for great stories that you'll treasure forever.
- Losing everything isn't so bad. You move on.
- You'll always think you have the world figured out, but you won't.
- What you think is important today will probably seem trivial in 10 years.
- The older you get, the more you tend to treasure relationships over status. This becomes doubly true when you're a father, and quadrupally true when you're a grandfather.
- Your circle of friends will shrink. Keep close friends close.
- Your family, no matter how fucked up, is still your family.
- A life without adversity makes you weak.
- Don't start a fight, but don't shy away from one either.
- You're not forever young.
- Stay in shape. The older you get, the harder it is to maintain your body (and the harder it is to START getting into shape!). It sucks needing assistance just to move around.
- People don't want to hear your complaints, but when you're old enough, they'll have no choice but to listen to your crap.
do you really think your subconscious is capable of changing when this is the scenario it is presented with?
you say you're "pretty smart", i would say "you're just smart enough to get away with it."
start a company. force yourself into uncomfortable situations.
if he thinks he's so smart, he should try it. i dare him.
seriously? it's that simple? everything will come together, the hopelessly entangled knots will suddenly loosen and free themselves? start a company?? what?!
Of course, the bad part is that the working system forces everyone into the same bucket. You're probably only going to find happiness by getting outside of that system and building your own business where you can set your own work schedule.
I tend to get motivated by those crappy History/Discovery shows (especially the horrible Gold Rush Alaska). Binge watching that show helped me to get through a project that got too big and too boring.
You're 21. Want to play more sports? Play them. You haven't even reached your physical peak. What, did you want to be a quarterback in the Super Bowl and it's not worth playing sports unless you are? Welcome back to 99.99999% disappointment.
You think that your procrastination and intelligence are unrelated. You think you're horrible on the inside, but you "get away with it" because you're smart. This is nonsense. You are bored. Maybe you didn't do the shit that was assigned to you in high school, but the SATs are not a genetics test. You learned it somewhere.
Don't feel guilty about the money you make. Don't think that you're a hamster on a wheel and you're worth nothing unless you're going at 100% speed. If your job doesn't give you enough work to interest you, be proactive and find some inefficiencies that need fixing. Fix them. Don't wait for someone to tell you to do it. After you fix it, tell everyone. If there isn't anything to fix, get a new job. And... to go against the grain of HN, consider a large company, one that has endless problems and technical debt. If you aren't happy in your own skin, working on a startup to change the world is probably not the best thing.
Also, seriously consider going to a therapist to discuss your issues. I hear that you can afford it. You're basically asking the internet to be your therapist. And the internet is not qualified (on average).
http://web.archive.org/web/20091019051014/http://pmarca-arch...
I typically write down one simple goal each day for whatever project I'm working on. Something that is easy to knock out, but meaningful. Day after day of tearing up index cards of simple goals, and sooner than later you've accomplished a lot while not worrying so much about drowning in the grand scheme of things (I typically get overwhelmed / overloaded by having too many things that need to get done).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P785j15Tzk
Now, I can fill a pixel in one of my remaining boxes :-)
There's no such thing as your "full capacity". What you're doing right now, that is your full capacity. Either accept that you're at your limit or actually do something to prove you're not.
There is dominance and nothing else.
Like the OP, I consider myself a chronic under-performer.
And you're right. This kind of hits home. What did I fill those boxes with? What do I want to fill the remaining ones with?
If you find your work boring, have you considered looking for a job that's more in line with your interests?