6 Scientific Tactics to Stop Procrastinating Procrastination is something that everyone deals with. Given the fact that this is blog is for the self-employed and online freelancers, it’s a bit surprising to me that some of our most popular posts have been on being more productive and staying disciplined. I have to assume that most of us who work from our computers have some of the worst cases of procrastination of all! It’s hard to place too much blame on ourselves though, as the internet offers an unlimited amount of alternatives to doing our work. Since that’s the case, what are some proven ways to combat procrastination? Let’s take a look! 1.) What’s the deal with ‘cramming’? The crazy thing is, although cramming is far from optimal in terms of the quality of work that is produced, it is quite useful in getting a fire lit under our asses, isn’t it? According to a study on procrastination, this last minute hoorah is inspired by the fact that there is no way out. Big whoop, how is that going to stop me from procrastinating? 2.) 3.)
Desire path A typical desire line A desire path (also known as a desire line, social trail, goat track or bootleg trail) can be a path created as a consequence of foot or bicycle traffic. The path usually represents the shortest or most easily navigated route between an origin and destination. The width of the path and its erosion are indicators of the amount of use the path receives. Desire paths emerge as shortcuts where constructed ways take a circuitous route, or have gaps, or are lacking entirely. In parks and nature areas[edit] A desire path (right) merges with a footpath (center) in Helsinki, Finland In Finland, planners are known to visit their parks immediately after the first snowfall, when the existing paths are not visible.[1] People naturally choose desire lines, which are then clearly indicated by their footprints and can be used to guide the routing of new purpose built paths. Land managers have devised a variety of techniques to block the creation of desire paths. See also[edit]
naevan Over Analyzing Analysis paralysis or paralysis by analysis is an anti-pattern, the state of over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. A decision can be treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options, so that a choice is never made, rather than try something and change if a major problem arises. A person might be seeking the optimal or "perfect" solution upfront, and fear making any decision which could lead to erroneous results, when on the way to a better solution. The phrase describes a situation where the opportunity cost of decision analysis exceeds the benefits that could be gained by enacting some decision, or an informal or non-deterministic situation where the sheer quantity of analysis overwhelms the decision-making process itself, thus preventing a decision. History[edit] Software development[edit] Analysis paralysis is an example of an anti-pattern. Workplace[edit] Sports[edit] Board games[edit]
How I Learned to Stop Procrastinating, & Love Letting Go ‘People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.’ ~Thich Nhat Hanh By Leo Babauta The end of procrastination is the art of letting go. I’ve been a lifelong procrastinator, at least until recent years. Until I didn’t. But I couldn’t quit. That’s because I wasn’t getting to the root problem. I hadn’t figured out the skill that would save me from the procrastination. Until I learned about letting go. Letting go first came to me when I was quitting smoking. Then I learned I needed to let go of other false needs that were causing me problems: sugar, junk food, meat, shopping, beer, possessions. Then I learned that distractions and the false need to check my email and news and other things online … were causing me problems. So I learned to let go of those too. Here’s the process I used to let go of the distractions and false needs that cause procrastination: And then I smile, and breathe, and let go.
How to Do What You Love January 2006 To do something well you have to like it. That idea is not exactly novel. We've got it down to four words: "Do what you love." But it's not enough just to tell people that. Doing what you love is complicated. The very idea is foreign to what most of us learn as kids. And it did not seem to be an accident. The world then was divided into two groups, grownups and kids. Teachers in particular all seemed to believe implicitly that work was not fun. I'm not saying we should let little kids do whatever they want. Once, when I was about 9 or 10, my father told me I could be whatever I wanted when I grew up, so long as I enjoyed it. Jobs By high school, the prospect of an actual job was on the horizon. The main reason they all acted as if they enjoyed their work was presumably the upper-middle class convention that you're supposed to. Why is it conventional to pretend to like what you do? What a recipe for alienation. The most dangerous liars can be the kids' own parents. Bounds Notes
barzan Giving up too easily When we adopt something new into our lives, like a hobby or a new skill, everything seems fresh and fascinating. We enthuse over it. We believe that it is something that we want to keep doing, and something we want to master. We get overly excited to pursue it at the beginning, but as the positive emotions start to cool down, we stumble on a rockier path with mixed emotions that block our passage—often leading to a dead end. You: I’m so frustrated because my studies aren’t showing any results.Your emotions: Frustration is bad for you, so you should stop doing what’s causing it. In an easier world, the emotions would respond quite differently: Your emotions: Be not discouraged by these petty shortcomings. Think about it for a minute. Let’s assume that you are learning how to earn enough money from online marketing to quit your day job. Theory. Right? Perseverance. If you are able to persevere and continue your efforts, you will almost certainly arrive at the desired result.
Self-Imposed Deadlines Don't Stop Procrastination. Here's What Might. Mark Twain advised people never to put off until tomorrow what they can put off until the day after, and a lot of us listen. Estimates suggest that 15% to 20% of all people are chronic procrastinators, and that share goes up for situational delay: As one example, four in five people put off retirement savings despite knowing better. Then there are the innumerable office procrastinators, many identifiable by the mere fact that they're reading this article. The devious thing about procrastination is that while we tend to shrug or laugh it off as part of the work process, evidence suggests it's far from harmless. At the root of the problem is our failure to differentiate between simply delaying a task, perhaps a healthy sign of organizational skills, and truly procrastinating on it, a self-defeating habit people know will hurt them later--a little like smoking. That puts strategies to counter procrastination at a premium. Why the difference? [Image: Dead lines via Shutterstock]
The Acute Heptagram of Impact Not as catchy a title as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, but I hope you'll walk through this with me: I can outline a strategy for you, but if you don't have the tactics in place or you're not skilled enough to execute, it won't matter if the strategy is a good one. Your project's success is going to be influenced in large measure by the reputation of the people who join in and the organization that brings it forward. That's nothing you can completely change in a day, but it's something that will change (like it or not) every day. None of this matters if you and your team don't persist, and your persistence will largely be driven by the desire you have to succeed, which of course is relentlessly undermined by the fear we all wrestle with every day. These seven elements: Strategy, Tactics, Execution, Reputation, Persistence, Desire and Fear, make up the seven points of the acute heptagram of impact. Feel free to share the AHI, but please don't have it tattooed on your hip or anything.