My journey in dealing With Procrastination.

[Andre_Forlan]

Yes, I'm a procrastinator, and a chronic one at that. How did I find out? Well, I found myself living from deadline to deadlines; from late submissions to multiple rejections. It was fun at first. Yes, the adrenalin rush that flows through you, as you brainstorm on different ideas while trying to meet up with that looming deadline.
With time, I noticed I was not doing enough - It was if my time was being siphoned off. I found out that the adrenaline rush wasn't worth it. After nearly losing a deadline, a friend looked me in the eye and said "you are procrastinator. I'll admit it was a look of disdain. Got home and searched through the Internet on the word; procrastination. Came across Brian Tracy's book" Eat That Frog ", and thus began my journey into curbing thus habit.
Kindly share your experience on how you overcome this or any other bad habit.

 

[NeuroSkillz Admin]

Hi Andre.
Thank you for sharing. I can empathize as it's been a lifelong battle. On the outside, people seem to be amazed with how much I learn and accomplish. But I still often take hits to my integrity missing deadlines or getting sucked into YouTube. I might 'justify' it with it being more educational stuff, but I'm still putting off areas in my life that are a priority but cause me pain (fear of road blocks, not being able to figure things out, being extra difficult.)

That's a great tip about Brian Tracy's frog book. I've found his tip about getting the biggest, ugliest one eaten early and quickly is very helpful. I've also been practicing being kinder to myself about my setbacks. I think of it this way. I'm my own "boss". Are employees motivated by the boss that berates and insults them or the one that believes in them, are understanding, and encouraging? So I finally decided to have that brain boss and it's working better for me.

 

[NeuroSkillz Admin]

@Andre_Forlan Ooh! Maybe a your thoughts on Eat that Frog would be a great post over in the book review category!

 

[Ssandra]

I realized I have ADHD... Now using strategies especially for ADHD brains and cutting myself some slack (+ medicine) helps me stay a bit more on top of things. Not much, but a bit more at least.

 

[A_wrenn]

I believe I'm also a chronic procrastinator, but I've been putting off getting a professional opinion.

But seriously, I've always struggled with this. At school, at work, with my volunteer organizations, etc. I am constantly pushing deadlines, sometimes making it, and sometimes not. These are the times when I am ashamed of this terrible habit. Sometimes I think that if I only I would be more determined I could lick this habit. But after decades, I think that some professional help may be necessary.

 

[Andre_Forlan]

@Andre_Forlan Ooh! Maybe a your thoughts on Eat that Frog would be a great post over in the book review category!

I will gladly do that.

 

[Andre_Forlan]

Thank you for that brain hack.

Hi Andre.
Thank you for sharing. I can empathize as it's been a lifelong battle. On the outside, people seem to be amazed with how much I learn and accomplish. But I still often take hits to my integrity missing deadlines or getting sucked into YouTube. I might 'justify' it with it being more educational stuff, but I'm still putting off areas in my life that are a priority but cause me pain (fear of road blocks, not being able to figure things out, being extra difficult.)

That's a great tip about Brian Tracy's frog book. I've found his tip about getting the biggest, ugliest one eaten early and quickly is very helpful. I've also been practicing being kinder to myself about my setbacks. I think of it this way. I'm my own "boss". Are employees motivated by the boss that berates and insults them or the one that believes in them, are understanding, and encouraging? So I finally decided to have that brain boss and it's working better for me.

 

[Andre_Forlan]

I believe I'm also a chronic procrastinator, but I've been putting off getting a professional opinion.

But seriously, I've always struggled with this. At school, at work, with my volunteer organizations, etc. I am constantly pushing deadlines, sometimes making it, and sometimes not. These are the times when I am ashamed of this terrible habit. Sometimes I think that if I only I would be more determined I could lick this habit. But after decades, I think that some professional help may be necessary.

I can relate with the feeling. I've also considered getting professional help, but for now, I use my Evernote app to list my activities for the day. I start with the most unpleasant and uninteresting tasks before moving on to simpler ones. In addition to this, I try to limit the time spent perusing through social media platforms. You can also read Brian Tracy's Eat that Frog - still the best book I've read on procrastination.