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If anyone wants to learn more about this topic, I wrote an extensive overview of specific reasons why people procrastinate: https://solvingprocrastination.com/w

by EndXA 7y ago

If anyone wants to learn more about this topic, I wrote an extensive overview of specific reasons why people procrastinate: https://solvingprocrastination.com/why-people-procrastinate/ https://solvingprocrastination.com/why-people-procrastinate/ It covers all of the most common reasons for procrastination, such as abstract goals, a disconnect from the future self, anxiety, task aversion, perfectionism, and fear of failure. In addition, there's a comprehensive follow-up article, which explains how you can use this information in order to overcome your procrastination: https://solvingprocrastination.com/how-to-stop-procrastinating/ https://solvingprocrastination.com/how-to-stop-procrastinati... It describes a system you can use for overcoming procrastination, as well as various specific techniques you can implement, such as breaking large tasks into actionable pieces, scheduling tasks based on your productivity cycles, marking streaks of successes, and visualizing your future-self.

AstralStorm 7y ago
Ultimate issue it does not tackle is lack of real reward. Usually when we do something that is not strictly required of us it's for a reward. (Including mutants who like solving problems just for the sake of solving problems.) Abstract rewards are obviously not rewards. They're hypotheticals. Most of the time we do not get rewarded for work, much less proportionally to effort. This of course over time ruins self-control on tasks. (It's good that caring for kids is hard wired in most.)
- non-entity 7y ago
  In my case, there is a tangible reward for many things, but if it's long term (i.e. and reward will only be realized years or even just months out) I probably wont ever do it. Ots a huge problem for me atm.
  - EndXA 7y ago
    I strongly recommend taking a look at first three sections in the article I linked above: 'Abstract goals', 'Rewards that are far in the future', 'A disconnect from our future self'. They will give you a lot of insights into why this is an issue for you, which can later help you find a solution. Also, here are two techniques I discuss that you might find helpful: - Try to find ways to reward yourself for making progress on your way to your end goal. For example, you can create interim goals that are closer in time and reward yourself for making progress. - Try to visualize your future self achieving the long-term rewards that you're interested in.
    - AstralStorm 7y ago
      The problem is in statement: "reward yourself" How does that work? Any kind of this short term reward can turn into "short term reward sensitivity", "impulsiveness" and other problems also associated with procrastination in the same article. Plus you're literally trying to deceive yourself which never works long term. Visualization can help, but it also loses potency quickly.
- TheAdamAndChe 7y ago
  You can reward yourself for completing a seemingly arbitrary task. Every morning after completing my Anki flashcards, I force myself to lean back, smile, and feel proud for completing an exercise in discipline, even though I don't _really_ care about the cards. This alone is enough to maintain the habit.
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    This is enough because you have self-directed control remaining - you're pushing from lack of reward towards short term unrelated reward, but this deception long term causes struggle with self-efficacy, especially when the small short term reward loses its potency.
- EndXA 7y ago
  I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure I agree. Both articles discuss the concept of rewards extensively, though sometimes using different terms, which is what might have led to your conclusion. For example, in the 'why people procrastinate' article, this falls under reasons such as 'lack of motivation' and 'rewards that are far in the future'. In the 'how to stop procrastinating' article, this falls under various tips for increasing how rewarding tasks feel, such as 'gamify your behavior', 'create streaks', and 'visualize your future self'. Also, two important distinctions to keep in mind with regard to this: - Goals and rewards are not necessarily identical. For example, you might have the goal of exercising three times a week, and get a reward of being complimented on your physical change by others. - There is a difference between goals/rewards that are abstract and goals and rewards that feel abstract. For example, even a concrete reward can feel abstract if it's far in the future.
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    The main problem I had with the article is lack of actual solution for this perception. It only provides a general rule which does not work because you cannot change a reward for a task, and self deception taxes the other systems responsible for procrastination.
- Gravityloss 7y ago
  There's a saying. A cat get satisfaction from stalking, chasing, catching, softening, killing and eating the prey. The system wouldn't work if it only got satisfaction from eating. People can get satisfaction from things like receiving admiration (depends hugely who gives it) and thus be motivated by it.
  - brlewis 7y ago
    I hope the cat analogy is helpful to someone. I can't help pointing out an inaccuracy though: > The system wouldn't work if it only got satisfaction from eating. Many predators only hunt when they're hungry, and it works fine for them. Housecats are an exception. Humans have bred them to be "good mousers", meaning they don't stop killing when they're no longer hungry.
    - Gravityloss 7y ago
      That's a good point. Wild animals tend to be a lot more determined and energy conserving. A dog runs around wildly while a wolf goes in a straight line. Many domesticated animals do tend to behave like juvenile wild counterparts. Wolf cubs play - even if that doesn't solve any immediate problem for them (it develops them). But for example many wild animals collect food and stash it for later use. Tits, squirrels. Again, I assume they don't really plan months ahead, but just fill an urge to stash stuff.
mattmanser 7y ago
I think this seems to fall into the exact trap he is talking about. You say it's about emotions, but then you launch into a bunch of time management techniques. You talk about emotions but seem to have missed the crux of the problem, and then all the techniques you start with are all time management techniques (which he's already said don't work). You do have some emotional advice, but it never head-on confronts the problem. That it will be uncomfortable to start, but that's ok. It passes. Nowhere in your guide is this advice of how to just get started: The next time you’re tempted to procrastinate, “make your focus as simple as ‘What’s the next action – a simple next step – I would take on this task if I were to get started on it now?’”. Doing this, he says, takes your mind off your feelings and onto easily achievable action. That's about managing emotions. Your first advice is to start making huge lists of goals, steps, etc., which can be another form of procrastination. That might be useful once you've stopped procrastinating, not now when you're procrastinating. His advice wasn't to get a list of your goals done. It was to simply to pick the smallest task you can think of now. Realise it's going to be uncomfortable, but that's life and it'll (usually) pass in minutes. That's about getting started. Nowhere do you explain, as the article does, that it's about being able to tolerate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. As a persistent procrastinator that's just got 4 hours of solid work done with the simple little trick described in the article. It worked. Yours doesn't, I've done those lists many times before. Realising that yes, it's uncomfortable, but just do the first small task you can think of, your advice is too BIG. Too MUCH. Start simple, and then build those other things.

by EndXA 7y ago

AstralStorm 7y ago

Ultimate issue it does not tackle is lack of real reward. Usually when we do something that is not strictly required of us it's for a reward. (Including mutants who like solving problems just for the sake of solving problems.) Abstract rewards are obviously not rewards. They're hypotheticals. Most of the time we do not get rewarded for work, much less proportionally to effort. This of course over time ruins self-control on tasks. (It's good that caring for kids is hard wired in most.)

non-entity 7y ago
In my case, there is a tangible reward for many things, but if it's long term (i.e. and reward will only be realized years or even just months out) I probably wont ever do it. Ots a huge problem for me atm.
- EndXA 7y ago
  I strongly recommend taking a look at first three sections in the article I linked above: 'Abstract goals', 'Rewards that are far in the future', 'A disconnect from our future self'. They will give you a lot of insights into why this is an issue for you, which can later help you find a solution. Also, here are two techniques I discuss that you might find helpful: - Try to find ways to reward yourself for making progress on your way to your end goal. For example, you can create interim goals that are closer in time and reward yourself for making progress. - Try to visualize your future self achieving the long-term rewards that you're interested in.
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    The problem is in statement: "reward yourself" How does that work? Any kind of this short term reward can turn into "short term reward sensitivity", "impulsiveness" and other problems also associated with procrastination in the same article. Plus you're literally trying to deceive yourself which never works long term. Visualization can help, but it also loses potency quickly.
TheAdamAndChe 7y ago
You can reward yourself for completing a seemingly arbitrary task. Every morning after completing my Anki flashcards, I force myself to lean back, smile, and feel proud for completing an exercise in discipline, even though I don't _really_ care about the cards. This alone is enough to maintain the habit.
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  This is enough because you have self-directed control remaining - you're pushing from lack of reward towards short term unrelated reward, but this deception long term causes struggle with self-efficacy, especially when the small short term reward loses its potency.
EndXA 7y ago
I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure I agree. Both articles discuss the concept of rewards extensively, though sometimes using different terms, which is what might have led to your conclusion. For example, in the 'why people procrastinate' article, this falls under reasons such as 'lack of motivation' and 'rewards that are far in the future'. In the 'how to stop procrastinating' article, this falls under various tips for increasing how rewarding tasks feel, such as 'gamify your behavior', 'create streaks', and 'visualize your future self'. Also, two important distinctions to keep in mind with regard to this: - Goals and rewards are not necessarily identical. For example, you might have the goal of exercising three times a week, and get a reward of being complimented on your physical change by others. - There is a difference between goals/rewards that are abstract and goals and rewards that feel abstract. For example, even a concrete reward can feel abstract if it's far in the future.
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  The main problem I had with the article is lack of actual solution for this perception. It only provides a general rule which does not work because you cannot change a reward for a task, and self deception taxes the other systems responsible for procrastination.
Gravityloss 7y ago
There's a saying. A cat get satisfaction from stalking, chasing, catching, softening, killing and eating the prey. The system wouldn't work if it only got satisfaction from eating. People can get satisfaction from things like receiving admiration (depends hugely who gives it) and thus be motivated by it.
- brlewis 7y ago
  I hope the cat analogy is helpful to someone. I can't help pointing out an inaccuracy though: > The system wouldn't work if it only got satisfaction from eating. Many predators only hunt when they're hungry, and it works fine for them. Housecats are an exception. Humans have bred them to be "good mousers", meaning they don't stop killing when they're no longer hungry.
  - Gravityloss 7y ago
    That's a good point. Wild animals tend to be a lot more determined and energy conserving. A dog runs around wildly while a wolf goes in a straight line. Many domesticated animals do tend to behave like juvenile wild counterparts. Wolf cubs play - even if that doesn't solve any immediate problem for them (it develops them). But for example many wild animals collect food and stash it for later use. Tits, squirrels. Again, I assume they don't really plan months ahead, but just fill an urge to stash stuff.

mattmanser 7y ago

I think this seems to fall into the exact trap he is talking about. You say it's about emotions, but then you launch into a bunch of time management techniques. You talk about emotions but seem to have missed the crux of the problem, and then all the techniques you start with are all time management techniques (which he's already said don't work). You do have some emotional advice, but it never head-on confronts the problem. That it will be uncomfortable to start, but that's ok. It passes. Nowhere in your guide is this advice of how to just get started: The next time you’re tempted to procrastinate, “make your focus as simple as ‘What’s the next action – a simple next step – I would take on this task if I were to get started on it now?’”. Doing this, he says, takes your mind off your feelings and onto easily achievable action. That's about managing emotions. Your first advice is to start making huge lists of goals, steps, etc., which can be another form of procrastination. That might be useful once you've stopped procrastinating, not now when you're procrastinating. His advice wasn't to get a list of your goals done. It was to simply to pick the smallest task you can think of now. Realise it's going to be uncomfortable, but that's life and it'll (usually) pass in minutes. That's about getting started. Nowhere do you explain, as the article does, that it's about being able to tolerate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. As a persistent procrastinator that's just got 4 hours of solid work done with the simple little trick described in the article. It worked. Yours doesn't, I've done those lists many times before. Realising that yes, it's uncomfortable, but just do the first small task you can think of, your advice is too BIG. Too MUCH. Start simple, and then build those other things.