6 ms·

How To: Stop procrastination (Dan Ariely)

12 points by sbt 18y ago

jlees 18y ago
How to stop procrastination, step 1: Watch a video on how to stop procrastination. Oh, wait...
- windsurfer 18y ago
  It doesn't play for me. I guess I'll have to get work done now...
  - tome 18y ago
    I think you'd enjoy my favourite productivity blog: http://www.doitfuckingnow.com/ http://www.doitfuckingnow.com/
    - philwelch 18y ago
      I was hoping for something with the same design sense as: http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/ http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/ Your link is a lot more cluttered in comparison ;)
      - windsurfer 18y ago
        Haha, it has an RSS feed. I love that.
thexa4 18y ago
We'll look at it shortly...
drcode 18y ago
Since the website is down, here's a research paper from him that I assume gives you the info from the video (probably more substantive as well) http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=5&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.predictablyirrational.com%2Fpdfs%2Fdeadlines.pdf&ei=aYDkScOWMpTrlQeV7fTfDg&usg=AFQjCNGmkOEDJ0JBsBk7QbKNGZvR9Gn5Aw&sig2=A-fdbyAWslsKj1B1YMBInQ http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&#38...
lysium 18y ago
Actually, does not tell how to stop procrastination, just how they might help people stop their procrastination in the lecture (offer early deadlines). How am I supposed to translate this to my real life (where's no professor who'll punish me if I don't keep my early deadline?). Besides, made me procrastinate my work further by watching the video...
- philwelch 18y ago
  There's a strategy called "structured procrastination" where you overload yourself with work to the point where you can only put one thing off to do something different. One way to enforce early deadlines (well, short deadlines) is to take on another project, get that done, and then for your other project, the deadline is now a couple weeks shorter :)
  - mtinkerhess 18y ago
    Here's John Perry's essay on structured procrastination: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/ http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/
ZeroGravitas 18y ago
It's a bit of a misleading title, it's not all about procrastination and it's not much of a howto either. It's about how you can do many things better than standard economics would indicated if you take into account the irrationality of human beings. For example, everyone leaves reports to the last minute. Commiting to earlier deadlines makes no sense to a 'rational' human being, but can help actual human beings. Here's a link to his research paper on this topic: http://www.predictablyirrational.com/pdfs/deadlines.pdf http://www.predictablyirrational.com/pdfs/deadlines.pdf And his book site: http://www.predictablyirrational.com/ http://www.predictablyirrational.com/
catz 18y ago
haha.. this is brilliant. The website says: We're sorry, but something went wrong. We've been notified about this issue and we'll take a look at it shortly. So now I am going back to work.

12 points by sbt 18y ago

jlees 18y ago

How to stop procrastination, step 1: Watch a video on how to stop procrastination. Oh, wait...

windsurfer 18y ago
It doesn't play for me. I guess I'll have to get work done now...
- tome 18y ago
  I think you'd enjoy my favourite productivity blog: http://www.doitfuckingnow.com/ http://www.doitfuckingnow.com/
  - philwelch 18y ago
    I was hoping for something with the same design sense as: http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/ http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/ Your link is a lot more cluttered in comparison ;)
    - windsurfer 18y ago
      Haha, it has an RSS feed. I love that.

thexa4 18y ago

We'll look at it shortly...

drcode 18y ago

Since the website is down, here's a research paper from him that I assume gives you the info from the video (probably more substantive as well) http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=5&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.predictablyirrational.com%2Fpdfs%2Fdeadlines.pdf&ei=aYDkScOWMpTrlQeV7fTfDg&usg=AFQjCNGmkOEDJ0JBsBk7QbKNGZvR9Gn5Aw&sig2=A-fdbyAWslsKj1B1YMBInQ http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&#38...

lysium 18y ago

Actually, does not tell how to stop procrastination, just how they might help people stop their procrastination in the lecture (offer early deadlines). How am I supposed to translate this to my real life (where's no professor who'll punish me if I don't keep my early deadline?). Besides, made me procrastinate my work further by watching the video...

philwelch 18y ago
There's a strategy called "structured procrastination" where you overload yourself with work to the point where you can only put one thing off to do something different. One way to enforce early deadlines (well, short deadlines) is to take on another project, get that done, and then for your other project, the deadline is now a couple weeks shorter :)
- mtinkerhess 18y ago
  Here's John Perry's essay on structured procrastination: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/ http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/

ZeroGravitas 18y ago

It's a bit of a misleading title, it's not all about procrastination and it's not much of a howto either. It's about how you can do many things better than standard economics would indicated if you take into account the irrationality of human beings. For example, everyone leaves reports to the last minute. Commiting to earlier deadlines makes no sense to a 'rational' human being, but can help actual human beings. Here's a link to his research paper on this topic: http://www.predictablyirrational.com/pdfs/deadlines.pdf http://www.predictablyirrational.com/pdfs/deadlines.pdf And his book site: http://www.predictablyirrational.com/ http://www.predictablyirrational.com/

catz 18y ago

haha.. this is brilliant. The website says: We're sorry, but something went wrong. We've been notified about this issue and we'll take a look at it shortly. So now I am going back to work.