4 ms·
Stop diseasing procrastination. It's not a problem, it's a behavior. It's not just a behavior, it's a tactic. It may be the right tactic for your situation. If
by satisfice 4y ago
Stop diseasing procrastination. It's not a problem, it's a behavior. It's not just a behavior, it's a tactic. It may be the right tactic for your situation.
If procrastination means that I have a deadline and instead of focusing on it with my mind and actions, I focus on something else, then I have procrastinated my way to a good living.
I learned when I was a kid that a good way to get myself to read a book is to wait until my Mom told me to clean my room. Then I would get an overwhelming urge to read. I have since given this a name: springboard procrastination.
I procrastinate on nearly everything, except, wierdly, chores my wife gives me. I tend to do those right away. I think because doing those chores helps me procrastinate better on my technical work.
My overriding professional strategy is not to do more than other people, but to make unique contributions. These take time to unfold in my mind, because all the obvious things have already been done.
- alexalx666 4y agoChores are the best bc you can meditate on ideas whilst closing a tangible todo item
- Bayart 4y agoI still can't stick to doing any exercise at home. But boy am I good with a pressing iron and a mop these days. The direct feedback you get from chores really does help.
- ekianjo 4y ago> It's not a problem, it's a behavior. It's a problem in the way it's understood by most people: not achieving anything of importance at all day after day, month after month. Nobody is saying that you should not have any distraction in your life.
- feet 4y agoI would argue that when it gets to being months, it's no longer procrastination. Maybe you actually just don't care about doing the thing? Maybe you're depressed?
- gmac 4y agoI have since given this a name: springboard procrastination. This is a nice name for it, but it also seems very close to what has elsewhere been called structured procrastination: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/ http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/
- omegalulw 4y agoNever have I felt so personally attacked! Have you ever found a solution?
- jareklupinski 4y ago> In the second episode of Mad Men, Roger Sterling walks into Don Draper's office and says, “I can never get used to the fact that most of the time it looks like you're doing nothing.” glad I finally binged the show during one of my 'springboard' periods :)