4 ms·

How to get things done

51 points by DaniFong 19y ago

ArcticCelt 19y ago
I involuntary used that technique to stop playing WOW. Some time ago I decide to better organize my gaming schedule so I thought that first thing in the morning should be 2h of gaming. After two weeks I started procrastinating on my gaming duties until I was completely disgusted by and abandoned the game :) Interesting how when something becomes to much of an obligation it lose it's recreational value.
michael_dorfman 19y ago
I had a similar epiphany back in my youth, when I was working at a cafeteria. A co-worker and I had to sweep and mop the floor each day, so we decided we'd alternate which of us swept, and which mopped-- only we completely arbitrarily decided that the one mopping was lucky, and it was awful to be stuck with the sweeping. It didn't take too many days of pretending before it actually seemed to be the case....
Dylanfm 19y ago
I like to think of my Grandfather's advice: "The universe rewards action". So true! With so many blogs and so forth discussing GTD it's refreshing to read a great perspective written in a different era and in a different style.
dangoldin 19y ago
Very good article. I think everyone with a motivation problem should read this!
danohuiginn 19y ago
In other words: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/ http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/
- DaniFong 19y ago
  In fact, I found this link by hearing Marc Andreessen at startup school, looking at his blog, reading the 'The Pmarca Guide to Personal Productivity', looking at the section on structured procrastination, and discovering this article as the first known instance of an article focusing on the effect in print.
  - smalter 19y ago
    wow, i wonder what work you were supposed to be doing.
thingsilearned 19y ago
I pretty much use the same method. Today though its very important that you rid yourself from all the entertainment that's so easily available, (ie. TV, web distractions) He's doing his real work in those "breaks" you take while he's doing the most major task. Its important not to just check facebook :).
metatronscube 19y ago
by not doing other things
staunch 19y ago
> ...including one of a Viper Fish which I wish you could see. You would die laughing... Upon reading this I immediately searched on Google Images for "Viper Fish". The power of the interwebs is overwhelming.
misterbwong 19y ago
Funny. This is how I start a lot of my apps. Example: I've just been tasked to manage a project at work. While thinking it through, I realize our intranet project tracking software (not MS project) sucks big time. So now I'm working on the new app :)

51 points by DaniFong 19y ago

I involuntary used that technique to stop playing WOW. Some time ago I decide to better organize my gaming schedule so I thought that first thing in the morning should be 2h of gaming. After two weeks I started procrastinating on my gaming duties until I was completely disgusted by and abandoned the game :) Interesting how when something becomes to much of an obligation it lose it's recreational value.

michael_dorfman 19y ago

I had a similar epiphany back in my youth, when I was working at a cafeteria. A co-worker and I had to sweep and mop the floor each day, so we decided we'd alternate which of us swept, and which mopped-- only we completely arbitrarily decided that the one mopping was lucky, and it was awful to be stuck with the sweeping. It didn't take too many days of pretending before it actually seemed to be the case....

Dylanfm 19y ago

I like to think of my Grandfather's advice: "The universe rewards action". So true! With so many blogs and so forth discussing GTD it's refreshing to read a great perspective written in a different era and in a different style.

dangoldin 19y ago

Very good article. I think everyone with a motivation problem should read this!

danohuiginn 19y ago

In other words: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/ http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/

DaniFong 19y ago
In fact, I found this link by hearing Marc Andreessen at startup school, looking at his blog, reading the 'The Pmarca Guide to Personal Productivity', looking at the section on structured procrastination, and discovering this article as the first known instance of an article focusing on the effect in print.
- smalter 19y ago
  wow, i wonder what work you were supposed to be doing.

thingsilearned 19y ago

I pretty much use the same method. Today though its very important that you rid yourself from all the entertainment that's so easily available, (ie. TV, web distractions) He's doing his real work in those "breaks" you take while he's doing the most major task. Its important not to just check facebook :).

metatronscube 19y ago

by not doing other things

staunch 19y ago

> ...including one of a Viper Fish which I wish you could see. You would die laughing... Upon reading this I immediately searched on Google Images for "Viper Fish". The power of the interwebs is overwhelming.

misterbwong 19y ago

Funny. This is how I start a lot of my apps. Example: I've just been tasked to manage a project at work. While thinking it through, I realize our intranet project tracking software (not MS project) sucks big time. So now I'm working on the new app :)