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Procrastination-Mostly just a rant, but feel free to comment
13 years ago
I've been having a huge problem with procrastination these days. Well, I've had it my whole life, but since I've been treated for ADD and while my attention has greatly improved, the procrastination hasn't. I'm realizing more and more that I've developed some really bad habits to cope with my lack of attention span. I'm finding it way easier to concentrate on tasks once I start doing them, and I am more motivated with a lot of things, but I still put things off that really need to be done.
The biggest area of this is my creative projects, which is why this is relevant to FA. I'm coming across a problem though. I am a prolific idea machine. And I love each and every one of my ideas, but I don't have the time or the energy to do all of them. When I'm working on one idea, I start to think about other ideas that I could be doing, and I feel bad that I'm not working on them. Sometimes this will cause me to abandon the current project I'm working on, to focus on something else, but then I wind up neglecting the first project, and the cycle starts all over again.
But that's only a simplified version of it. I move from project to project, to project, convincing myself, "Oh, I'll get back to that one in a little bit." Then I move on to something else, and something else, until it's been a month or several months before I realize that I've neglected the original project. I try to force myself back to the original project, but by this time, my interest has become so focused on the other projects, and I'm so consumed with feeling bad about neglecting it for so long, that I have a hard time getting passionate about it again. This is usually the point where I tuck it away in some folder on my hard drive, or for physical works, in my art satchel, and say, "well I'll get back to it when I'm not so busy." Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but it will often take years before I fully complete a project.
Another problem is boredom. Sometimes I get burnt out on a project, and I want to take a break. During that break, I will either become obsessed with a new project idea that I "MUST" start immediately, or I loose a little bit of interest in what I was working on, or sometimes, I just forget about it, until it's too late, then the cycle starts all over again.
I tend to complicate matters by promising people that I will be doing things for them, and then I never finish what I was working on. They're often understanding, but that does nothing to change how bad I feel about it. I broke a promise, and to me that's the same as converting a truthful statement made in the past, into a lie. This is the real reason why I have yet to charge anybody for my work. Despite the possibility that monetary incentives might make me stick my projects better, I know myself. This is a complex problem with me that's going to take more than financial reward to solve. In fact, since commissions are often paid up-front, it will just ad to the problem, with people pissed off at me because I have their money and they have nothing to show for it. I could only charge them after I'm done, but that just becomes a promise, and it's no different in my mind than the ones I've already made and broken.
Just writing about it has given me a couple of ideas on what I can do, but I would love to hear what other people think. Perhaps you've had similar problems and you have a technique that's worked well for you. Perhaps you've never had these problems, but you use a system that you think might work well for me. Or maybe you've thought of something that you think might work, I'm willing to try it as long as it doesn't involving becoming a mass murderer, or giving up Coke-a-Cola (I love Coke, more than I love Cock!) Whatever it is, let me know! I'd love to hear from you guys about this!
The biggest area of this is my creative projects, which is why this is relevant to FA. I'm coming across a problem though. I am a prolific idea machine. And I love each and every one of my ideas, but I don't have the time or the energy to do all of them. When I'm working on one idea, I start to think about other ideas that I could be doing, and I feel bad that I'm not working on them. Sometimes this will cause me to abandon the current project I'm working on, to focus on something else, but then I wind up neglecting the first project, and the cycle starts all over again.
But that's only a simplified version of it. I move from project to project, to project, convincing myself, "Oh, I'll get back to that one in a little bit." Then I move on to something else, and something else, until it's been a month or several months before I realize that I've neglected the original project. I try to force myself back to the original project, but by this time, my interest has become so focused on the other projects, and I'm so consumed with feeling bad about neglecting it for so long, that I have a hard time getting passionate about it again. This is usually the point where I tuck it away in some folder on my hard drive, or for physical works, in my art satchel, and say, "well I'll get back to it when I'm not so busy." Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but it will often take years before I fully complete a project.
Another problem is boredom. Sometimes I get burnt out on a project, and I want to take a break. During that break, I will either become obsessed with a new project idea that I "MUST" start immediately, or I loose a little bit of interest in what I was working on, or sometimes, I just forget about it, until it's too late, then the cycle starts all over again.
I tend to complicate matters by promising people that I will be doing things for them, and then I never finish what I was working on. They're often understanding, but that does nothing to change how bad I feel about it. I broke a promise, and to me that's the same as converting a truthful statement made in the past, into a lie. This is the real reason why I have yet to charge anybody for my work. Despite the possibility that monetary incentives might make me stick my projects better, I know myself. This is a complex problem with me that's going to take more than financial reward to solve. In fact, since commissions are often paid up-front, it will just ad to the problem, with people pissed off at me because I have their money and they have nothing to show for it. I could only charge them after I'm done, but that just becomes a promise, and it's no different in my mind than the ones I've already made and broken.
Just writing about it has given me a couple of ideas on what I can do, but I would love to hear what other people think. Perhaps you've had similar problems and you have a technique that's worked well for you. Perhaps you've never had these problems, but you use a system that you think might work well for me. Or maybe you've thought of something that you think might work, I'm willing to try it as long as it doesn't involving becoming a mass murderer, or giving up Coke-a-Cola (I love Coke, more than I love Cock!) Whatever it is, let me know! I'd love to hear from you guys about this!
As far at the Ritalin goes, I've had concentration problems my whole life, and was always blamed for being "lazy" or a "daydreamer" when I really was trying my hardest to concentrate. I was told that the concentration thing might go away with anti-depressants, but it usually got worse. So, finally my most recent doctor decided to give Ritalin a try on me. Contrary to popular opinion, there are no studies that show adverse effects to it aside from a very slight increase in heart problems, but my heart is actually slightly healthier than average, so that risk is much lower with me. Some people choose to use it, others don't, I find it works well for me, so I use it. If I was able to find a way to function without using it, I would be more than happy to do that, but nothing I've found, from changing my diet, to cognitive therapy (how the hell can I concentrate on improving my concentration, when I can't concentrate to begin with?) to hypnosis. Medication is the only thing that has worked for me, not only that but it works immediately, and extremely well.
If psychoactive pharmaceuticals aren't the way you'd go, that's fine and I totally respect your choice. But I'm willing to accept the risks involved (which are much fewer then a lot of people think) for the vastly improved life that I've gained from using them.
http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/index.php