Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with procrastinate

I need to live under the threat of disappointment

Dec One — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:25:37 -0800

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I have an idea for a solution, but it requires other people. Does this sort of thing exist? I was listening to the Get-It-Done-Guy podcast and it mentioned the idea of action days in a recent episode. Action days are occasional days when you have a lot to do and need someone else to be accountable to, so you stay motivated:

You and a few friends get a conference line. They’re free, they’re everywhere, and they’re wicked useful. You arrange to check in at a certain time each hour. For example, at 13 minutes after the hour.

Every time you check in, you briefly report what you’ve done in the last hour. Then you promise the group what you’ll do in the next hour. Once everyone has reported, you get off the phone and go for it!

Here’s a sample:

Stever: In the last hour, I’ve written 2/3 of a podcast. In the next hour, I will finish the podcast, make some soup for lunch, and write my daily blog post.

Al: I’ve written the executive summary of my report. In the next hour, I’m going to rehearse it for half an hour. If it’s all good, I’ll print the handouts and send them for duplication.

Pat: I sexed my pet frog. It turns out he’s male. In the next hour, I’m going to puree a pineapple, change the oil in my car, and write a love sonnet to my new beau.

This is just what I need! Except I don't need it occasionally. I need it every day. I never get anything done without the immediate threat of someone being disappointed or upset. It's actually kind of a big problem. I don't think I need it to be a group thing on a conference call; I just need one person to check in with. My partner would make sure I am keeping up with my tasks, and I would do the same for him/her. Does this sort of thing exist? Where do I sign up?

Why am I so useless?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:14:04 -0800

I am a useless procrastinator, I see it happening, and I can see the outcome but I can't help it, I feel out of control almost. It's something I tend to deal with okay at work (a more direct task-based environment I guess) but at home it's terrible. My wife and I have had the same argument many times, about me not doing enough around the house. She doesn't ask a lot, and I have no objection to what she asks, but when it comes to doing it I just put it off and then either don't do it at all, or do a half-assed job. About the only thing I can do regularly is the dishes, but even that isn't great most of the time apparently.

From my wife's perspective I am simply choosing not to do it. She thinks it demonstrates that she and our son aren't important to me, but nothing could be further from the truth really, but at the same time I can't blame her for that feeling.

I don't know how to deal with it. These should be fairly simple chores - I am certainly capable of it - but when the time comes I just don't do them. I put them off in favor of other things. I seem to justify them to myself, or say 'in five minutes' but at the same time it doesn't even seem like a conscious decision I am making, and then it's all too late. I can almost hear my inner monologue saying "man, you really really have to do this now" but that seems to make no difference.

I don't even know where to begin in dealing with this, and more importantly in making my wife see that I really do want to change this behavior.

I've tried things that seem logical in the past - making myself little schedules, or reminders, but that seems to come to nothing, they just get put off like everything else. Thinking about it logically it almost seems pathological to me, I feel completely out of control in this.

I'm considering seeing a psychologist about it or something, but will that help me change my behavior?

The obvious answer is "just do the stuff" and it's the one I scream at myself but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I don't think I am lazy, but it's hard to see it any other way.

This is seriously jeopardizing my marriage now and I really really need to make some progress.

Will a smartphone make me more or less organized?

fermion — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:01:55 -0800

Procrastinators: Is your PDA/smartphone a net negative or a net positive from a productivity standpoint? I'm trying to decide whether to get a Palm Centro or a standard flip phone. Both will fulfill my basic needs (standard cell phone stuff, plus being able to access the Internet to check LA traffic maps.)

I think the Centro could help me stay more organized--I have trouble remembering to carry my Hipster PDA or other organizer devices, but a cell phone will always be around. I could make lists and appointments on the spot, set timers, take down notes, and generally help combat my distractable and absent-minded nature.

On the other hand, I know that a vast variety of software is available for the Palm OS. Between fiddling with the settings and surfing the Web with the built-in browser, I'm concerned any time I save through being organized will just get frittered away again. The flip phone, with just enough Web capability to save me in a pinch and a presumably less-flexible OS, shouldn't present such a problem.

So, those of you who have a PDA/smartphone: has it led you down the green paths of higher productivity, or into the Pointless Forest of shiny distractions?

How can I change my time-wasting ways and transform myself into a super-efficient super human?

croutonsupafreak — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 16:49:04 -0800

How can I break out of my 27-year-long habit of procrastination? I'm looking for tips to help me mentally as well as specific tools or methods that will help me manage my time better -- especially at work. I have always been a procrastinator.

In middle/high school, I was doing my homework for morning classes during the bus ride in and my homework for afternoon classes during the lunch hour. In college, I'd write A papers but get C's when the lateness deduction was taken off. From teachers, I got a lot of "Crouton, you're so bright. Why don't you live up to your potential?"

Today I got my annual evaluation, and I did very well on every mark except time management. My boss thinks I take on too many responsibilities, but I know that's not it. I really just waste a lot of time surfing the web and then rush frantically when deadlines approach.

More than anything else in my life, I feel like procrastination is holding me back from really excelling on the job.

I have a creative job with long-term and short term deadlines and pretty much absolute autonomy when it comes to managing my time.

I always do a great job with the short-term projects. I dive in, do the work, and within a day I have put together a high-quality final product.

I find it nearly impossible to handle multi-week or multi-month projects well at all, though. Sometimes I can plot out all the steps I need to take to define the project. I may even begin the process with gusto. But then a vast cloud of lethargy descends, and all I can make myself do is work on more short-term stuff or waste time. Finally, when there are only a few days until the deadline, I get a great burst of energy and start pulling things together. The result: I have to put off short-term projects to get the bigger projects done, the final product is shallower and shoddier than I'd like, occasionally I have to ask for more time, and frequently I stress my boss out.

While I'm procrastinating, I never feel like I'm wasting time. Being well informed is an important part of my job, so I can tell myself I'm justified when suddenly I want to read every Washington Post and New York Times story posted online today. And then maybe see how the BBC and Le Monde present their views of world news differently. But the truth is, I am using my time poorly.

I've always been a big believer in office supplies as my salvation, but no fancy filing system or pretty new organizer has ever broken me of my habits.

I've heard a bit about "Getting Things Done," but I have two concerns about this system: 1) It seems cultlike, 2) everyone who falls in love with GTD seems to have already been better time managers before they start the new project than I have ever been.

Are there mental games I can play to snap out of my life-long procrastination trap? Skills I can develop to better manage my time? Testimonials from ask-me-ers about their own successes? I need to do something

What are some good tips on how to stay focused on your work and not get distracted by the internet?

Space Coyote — Fri, 02 Jan 2004 10:32:03 -0800

Aside from putting every site I tend to spend too much time on (including this one, shortly) into my hosts file pointing to 127.0.0.1, what are some other good tips on how to stay focused on your work and not get distracted?