How difficult is it to get yourself going?

[jrod1986]

I know this question has tons of interesting possibilities and connotations that could go along with it, but my point is this: Whether it's games or schoolwork or any sort of task that I want to complete, sometimes I will literally do and think of everything I can to avoid starting it. The irony of this situation, is that whenever I do start on a task, I pretty much finish it in a timely manner--and leave myself wondering why I waited...until the next time the cycle starts.

This all sounds a bit like procrastination to me--but it just seems odd that I wait to do stuff (even recent games that I have bought) and then end up regretting the whole waiting process in the first place. Weird. This is all coming from a guy who is not ADD/HD and who has a penchant for just hanging out and talking for hours out at a time in the wee morning with my friends.

Any of this make sense to anyone? I'd hate to go on Dr. Phil. =\

[izdead]

sounds like me, in fact right now I'm looking at racketboy because I don't want to start an analytical essay that I have due soon.

[lordofduct]

ADD/HD is a joke. As my pops said to me, "I had that once, then my dad smacked it out of me... and don't get any smart ideas because I have hands too."

Anyways, I know what you mean. I procrastinate on a lot of things as well. I'm getting better about it... but really if it isn't important (like a book, or a movie, or going out or eating) I procrastinate like a bitch. I've got better things to do I say... like what??? When I was younger I was like it with everything, but hey, there's certain I HAVE to do now, if I procrastinated I'd be a little shit out of luck.

Oh I've also found that for some reason I ENJOY working under pressure. Not sure why, but it gets me going.

[Anubis]

I work well under pressure,

Because I usually am aware of what happens if I don't preform well.




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I procrastinate too damn much

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Awesome

[winds]

...you just encapsulated my very existance with this topic....should we kiss?

But seriously, I am exactly the same way. I always wondered why I am like this too, especially for fun things like gaming. I think it's the idea of once you get into something, you know you're going to be doing that for hours/days/weeks or whatever. Maybe its commitment issues?

[Curlypaul]

I also wokr much better under pressure, It keeps me motivated and I can hold it together pretty well when things get really pressured

[Niode]

I found the best way to deal with it (especially when I was at University) was to just set my self little deadlines, IE milestones for a certain percentage of the work to be done. Then tell either my fiancee or my friend or my personal tutor (only really works in education that one though lol) that I had these deadlines. That way I didn't just brush the deadlines off because they're not 'real'. If you tell people you have these things to do, then it gives you something to work towards, then you can be proud that you've done something when you hit it. Plus, if you involve somebody else in it, you get early feedback that is valuable for doing well. It helps you see problems early on rather than at the last minute when you have no chance to rectify them at all.

Planning is key though, make sure you know exactly what you need to do, when you need to get certain parts completed by, and just timetable in a little gaming afterwards, that way you reward your self, have time to play your games and you don't sacrifice several days straight getting your work done at the last minute.

As my Latin teacher used to tell me at school:

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

It took me years to realise how valuable Franklin's quote is. Without key preparation you might as well not bother because the end result won't live up to it's expectations.

I've always worked best under pressure. I can achieve some impressive things under pressure, but I thought to myself, why not put pressure on myself early, why not get that same burst of energy before final deadlines are due. That way I have that same intensive work ethic, but with chance for a breather in between. Leaving things to last minute may force you to get the work done, but all it does is cause you to rush and stress, which will affect your health in the long run, and it's just not worth it.

[General Chaos]

I'll resonate Niode's suggestion for setting small deadlines. I keep a calendar/datebook full of just about every non-routine thing I need to get done. I try to schedule it for at least a specific day, and often times a specific time.

Time-management really does work.

[Upsidedown Fuji]

Having deadlines and objectives to meet help me stay motivated and get things done. If I don't have either, it's incredibly difficult for me to do anything relatively productive. Just like right now. I don't have any deadlines or objectives but I do have a goal... I want to improve my Japanese further but I have no motivation to do so and I live in Japan for goodnes sakes.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I'm a procrastinating freak as well. In fact, I have a 5 page paper due today, and I have currently about 3 hours to write it before its due. Lovely.