Cure for procrastination?

[Jack C]

I live a solitary life... I don't have any friends. I find things like politics, science and art intriguing but that's looked down upon in this apathetic society of degenerate philistines!

The problem is- I'm indolent... I will plan to read 6 books non stop and never read them for weeks and spend my time on the internet or gaming. Don't get me wrong, I spend hours reading political news because I deem spending hours necessary to analyse them.

What's the cure for procrastination and overall laziness? It's definitely tied in with my misanthropic depressive state, which simultaneously motivates me and discourages me. My perspective never changes, just the motivating forces that change.

Anything you know that can help?

 

[Peaches]

I know it doesn't sound like a smart answer, but the only cure is: just doing it!
More specifically: stop thinking, set a moment to start, and then - 1, 2, 3, go


the more one does it, the more it happens

 

[Lacrecia]

Obligate yourself to do it, in a way or another. Try to find a way that makes you move. For example, find bookclubs online that read a book each month and make it known that you want to participate. Maybe if you feel like you HAVE to do it, it would motivate you.

 

[ladyforsaken]

I know it doesn't sound like a smart answer, but the only cure is: just doing it!
More specifically: stop thinking, set a moment to start, and then - 1, 2, 3, go


the more one does it, the more it happens

Yeah, gotta agree with Peaches. Once you get yourself disciplined, it keeps happening. Same thing as if you procrastinate, once you do it, you end up doing it all the time.

 

[Niave]

I also have this disease called procrastination and I don't know how to just do it.... maybe one day.

 

[purplelives]

Cure to procrastination? I know this one! Let me just get back to you with that answer in say 15 minutes.

 

[ladyforsaken]

Cure to procrastination? I know this one! Let me just get back to you with that answer in say 15 minutes.

Lol..

 

[Rosebolt]

For as far as i know motivation cures procrastination.

 

[Mr Seal The Albatros]

Well, how would you say this procrastination works? Do you say, "I'll put it off until later," before doing it or do you just keep getting distracted while you're doing it?

For the former, I'd say try your best to force yourself to do it. I've found I could stay vey much on task as soon as I've actually forced myself to start doing something.

As for the latter, taking the occasional break isn't a bad idea either. Try designating a small amount of time to read a section of the book, then after that time's passed, reward yourself with a break. Rinse and repeat.

Hope it works out!

 

[TheSkaFish]

Do the smallest possible thing towards accomplishing the task, and then build on the momentum to accomplish the next smallest thing, and keep going. Eventually you'll get it all done!

 

[edgecrusher]

The cure is... meh, I'll type it out later.

 

[sothatwasmylife]

I sometimes wonder if acceptance is a way forward...we identify our flaws...maybe procrastination and then devote ourselves to beating ourselves up....there is something quite masochistic about depression and loneliness and we insist on compounding it.....maybe breaking the cycle of thought sequence is worth a short....or maybe not

 

[Case]

I am a procrastinator, and I can speak about this.

You need to associate an extremely negative feeling to not doing the tasks at hand.

Think about it. Anything we do, we do for a reason, either to be happy or to avoid pain. For me, happiness was never a sufficient motivator. Instead, fear was the more powerful motivation. So, I would associate emotional anguish to the mere thought of avoiding a task. Believe me, once you place high emotional stakes on a simple task, you will get things done.

For example, if you need to finish a project by a certain time, write out a contract to a friend that if you don't complete the project on time, you are required to pay the friend money that you cannot afford to spend. I assure you that this will be an excellent motivation for you.

When going to school, I would work hard on assignments because I feared failing the course. It was MY motivation. I will go to work every day because I fear losing my home or failing to pay my bills on time. I think that procrastinators, like us, need fear more than others as a motivator, and that is actually a good thing because procrastinators don't fear consequences. We constantly say, "Eh, I don't have to do that now. It can wait." Suddenly, deadlines pass, people become angry at us, and sometimes we get fired from jobs because we aren't on time with our projects.

So, inject fear into your tasks as a motivation. It's an idea, so if it doesn't work for you try something else. But it definitely works for me.