The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 5 (of 5) - HELP! Overcoming procrastination

HELP! Overcoming procrastination

I'm terrible at time management and I want to stop
procrastinating ...

It's affecting badly my personal software projects and personnal life ...

Have you been there ?

Is there a cure ?

I came across this product :

http://www.nightingale.com/tproducts_productdetail.asp?productidn=10940

Is it worth the $69 price tag ?!?

Thanks for your help folks!

Beyonce
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Well you really overcame that "gotta go spam" procrastination, so I guess it did work.

Bitch.

.
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Dear Mr DOT

I aint a spammer.

A serious software developer

Beyonce

Beyonce
Sunday, June 20, 2004

smells spammy to me.

muppet from forums.madebymonkeys.net
Sunday, June 20, 2004

I'll give you my answer tomorrow.

sgf
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Go and buy Rick Chapman latest book ;-)

Beyonce
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Quit doing what the producers tell you to do. Get some REAL songs, not that r'n'b gobledidaink. Dress up in your videos.

If you tried not to sell yourself to everyone for a dollar, maybe you'd find time to do some serious software development and strike it big.

A Pterodactylus Ate My Baby
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Maybe Anthony Robbins could help you out

try some of his seminars, books, tapes ....

___________________________________

No Destiny
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Spammy Wammy!

RP
Sunday, June 20, 2004

This aint a fuckin spam, you fucking idiots

Beyonce
Sunday, June 20, 2004

I got an attitude problem too

any book recommendation ?

Beyonce
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Ok, Ok, let's assume it's not a spam. In that case, I would recommend against some "solution" that solves it all. It basically comes down to getting up and doing it. Not all at once, but in small steps.

For example, I normally cook dinner in our house and both my wife and I clean. Before, we would always leave the dishes and say that we would get back to them later. But later usually meant the next day.

So, we made a pack to start doing the dishes as soon as we were done before we did anything else. And it felt good.

So pick something small. Win battles before trying to win the war. And, perhaps most importantly, try to get an accountability partner, someone who is in the same boat as you so you can each check up on the other.

The above is basically what you would pick up from one of those seminars. Rather then spend the time going out and buying it, try the steps.

And, finally, procrastination is not always a bad thing. There are times when I am doing development or architecture work that I just don't want to do something right then. So I let my mind wander a bit, play with Silly Putty, read JoS, walk outside. Sometimes it pays to take a break. Just don't let it take over everything.

CF
Sunday, June 20, 2004

pack->pact

CF
Sunday, June 20, 2004

You don't need to spend money to overcome procrastination.

I find that I fall into procrastination when I'm not absolutely sure how to proceed or where to start. To overcome this, break down your task into small steps making the first steps as clear as practicable. Then do the first one, this will get the ball rolling.

say no to spam
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Those audio tapes also increased my penis length by 3 inches, through self-hypnosis!

Shilly Billy
Sunday, June 20, 2004

Overcomming procrastination is simple. Just decide to procrastinate. Then you will automatically procrastinate procrastinating and end up being productive.

Matthew Lock
Sunday, June 20, 2004

I was going to write a reply here, but never got around to it.

Staunch Procrastinator
Sunday, June 20, 2004

http://www.davidco.com/coaches_corner/Meg_Gott/article42.html

http://davidco.com/faq.php?detail=34&category=5&SID=4ed7ce9086e8d4ad9bf03fe5fb36ec3e#question34

(get the book from the library. that's what i did, though i then bought it to have around. should probably go through it again & do what it says.)

now back to the project i'm supposed to be working on...

mb
Monday, June 21, 2004

Duh.

Alex
Monday, June 21, 2004

Here's some help from the archives:

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22getting+things+done%22+%22david+allen%22+site%3Adiscuss.fogcreek.com

And if you'll allow me to spam, a recent article from my website:

http://www.marktaw.com/blog/GettingThingsDone.html

Looks like I need to refine my Google ads. lol.

www.MarkTAW.com
Monday, June 21, 2004

Try religion (I'm serious). There are lots and lots of these so called personal problems that can be reduced if you study and apply religion in your personal life.

Toby
Monday, June 21, 2004

Procrastination always sounds dirty to me.

Monday, June 21, 2004

After hours of procrastination I finally decided to post the following link to a really insightful article:

http://www.dexterity.com/articles/overcoming-procrastination.htm

Try the other ones too.

http://www.dexterity.com/articles/

Procrastinator
Monday, June 21, 2004

Or, you could buy a motivational poster to help:

http://www.despair.com/proc24x30pri.html

Patrik
Monday, June 21, 2004

It has got to come from within.

the problem with these programmes, is that some people then procrastinate by studying {insert programme here}.

So instead of not getting things done, you listen to motivational tapes and still not get anything done.

I remember seeing a mother and daughter in a supermarket one day. They were both clearly very fat. Somewhere along the way, I think someone suggested low fat yoghurt. The only problem is that between them, they had enough Muller Light to feed a small nation. That won't help them shed the pounds.

In the same way, all the selfhelp videos won't help you overcome procrastinating, unless you are committed.

Small goals, and planning your day around specific tasks will help.

Tapiwa
Monday, June 21, 2004

Never put off until tomorrow, that which you can avoid doing entirely.

...
Monday, June 21, 2004

I have some suggestions - I will send them tomorrow

Ken Ray
Monday, June 21, 2004

Try atheism (I'm serious too).

I was a terrible procrastinator until I read some material refuting the notion of an afterlife (see "Do We Survive Death?" in Bertrand Russell's "Why I Am Not a Christian, and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects."

That was an "epiphany" ;) for me of sorts. Once I realized that this is the only shot we have, I found it easy to focus on the things I want to accomplish while I have time.

We're all meat. We're all going to die. It's absurd to waste your life wishing you were doing something else.

meat
Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Do ... work. It's not hard.

The other thing that puzzles me is people who are impressed by my running. "How is it you run 5 miles a day?", they ask. Well, you kinda put one foot in front of the other...

On that note, I find that distance running is great for my productivity.

anon
Saturday, June 26, 2004