Oh, how I hate writing things like these. You know when you forget to call your grandma for almost a month? Then you realize you forgot and tell yourself you'll call her tomorrow. A week goes by, but by then it's 11 o'clock at night. You don't want to wake grandma, so you tell yourself once again that you'll call her tomorrow. Rinse. Repeat. The more you put it off, the more you dread actually calling her. Finally you do and get a 15 minute long earful about how you never call. *sigh*
So, I'm sorry I haven't called, Grandma! I am also sorry I haven't cleaned out my storage unit, pre-paid for classes, emailed my professor a summer's worth of research & notes, called my actual grandma, started or completed any of the crafty things I wanted to do......
Procrastination has always been my number one flaw. If this were a Shakespearean play, it would ultimately cause my epic downfall. My procrastination has gotten me into so many messes, and I always want to put of digging myself out of them. It all turns into a vicious cycle that takes a huge toll on my self esteem. It's hard to feel good about myself with a mountain of things that I need to do, or should have done, on my shoulders. The mental weight is crushing!
Over the past 2 years, I have made a lot of progress, but I have quite a ways to go. So below is a general list of things to do. I hope to update you on my progress! Sometimes a little added accountability can help push me through. What helps you break the procrastination cycle?
Crap to do:
1. Compile research and email professor
2. Read stack of books & magazines beside my bed
3. Clear out my storage unit!
4. Rearrange furniture in bedroom (to make everything in my life more functional)
5. Crafty stuff!
6. List old clothes & kid clothes on Craigslist
7. Profit
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Staying Focused.
There are many times during my day when I have difficulty staying focused. Nothing so bad that I would consider is ADD (note my explicit lack of a medical license.) Perhaps I just have ADOLAB; short for Attention Deficit Oh Look A Bunny!
Ahem, anyway, I have to consciously think about staying on track just so I have a hope to stay focused. Here are a couple coping mechanisms I've developed:
1. Cell phone timer. It would look a little more than odd to have an egg timer sitting on my desk; and quite unsettling for others should it go off. So I set the timer app on my phone for 10-20 minute chunks if I'm having trouble with a task. 5 is too short, 30 too long. A quick little "beep" lets me know when I can take a quick mental break.
2. Coffee. This is kinda a no brainer. I do love a good cup o' joe. But Just like pizza and um, anyway, just like pizza, bad coffee is still mostly good coffee. And the institutional brand coffee our office supplies is good enough for me. I sometimes wonder how it would affect productivity if the company were to invest in some Starbucks just for Monday. I think the return on investment would be worth it!
3. Controlled distractions. This one can sometimes be a minefield. When i start to feel my brain slip beyond my control, I make a deal with myself. "Ok, you can read ONE, maybe two, articles on Jezebel or Apartment Therapy, then you're getting back to work!" This usually works, as long as I make sure not to do it more than once per hour. Gawker's impressively crappy & alienating redesign helps make sure I don't spend too much time on their sites anymore.
4. Lunch. It breaks up the day, gives me something to look forward to, and a benchmark by which I can measure my success. "I'll get this done by lunch!" actually helps.
5. Facebook. Who the hell am I kidding! If I get on facebook, I might not get back to work! Thank heavens I don't play Farmville!
6. Small projects. Hey, if I'm going to get off track with a larger project, might as well use that time to work on a couple smaller, easier projects. Sometimes it's a paper for school, a grocery list, organizing my desk, cleaning out a drawer.
7. Ooooo.....something shiny.....
8. Music. Turning on the radio, hooking up the ipod, logging onto Pandora. Music is great at providing just the right level of background distraction. It also serves as a time measure. I figure the average song is 4 minutes (I really have no idea is that's right) so I can say "I'll work on X for 2 songs" Or "I'll allow myself to be distracted just for this song"
How do you guys stay focused?
1. Cell phone timer. It would look a little more than odd to have an egg timer sitting on my desk; and quite unsettling for others should it go off. So I set the timer app on my phone for 10-20 minute chunks if I'm having trouble with a task. 5 is too short, 30 too long. A quick little "beep" lets me know when I can take a quick mental break.
2. Coffee. This is kinda a no brainer. I do love a good cup o' joe. But Just like pizza and um, anyway, just like pizza, bad coffee is still mostly good coffee. And the institutional brand coffee our office supplies is good enough for me. I sometimes wonder how it would affect productivity if the company were to invest in some Starbucks just for Monday. I think the return on investment would be worth it!
3. Controlled distractions. This one can sometimes be a minefield. When i start to feel my brain slip beyond my control, I make a deal with myself. "Ok, you can read ONE, maybe two, articles on Jezebel or Apartment Therapy, then you're getting back to work!" This usually works, as long as I make sure not to do it more than once per hour. Gawker's impressively crappy & alienating redesign helps make sure I don't spend too much time on their sites anymore.
4. Lunch. It breaks up the day, gives me something to look forward to, and a benchmark by which I can measure my success. "I'll get this done by lunch!" actually helps.
5. Facebook. Who the hell am I kidding! If I get on facebook, I might not get back to work! Thank heavens I don't play Farmville!
6. Small projects. Hey, if I'm going to get off track with a larger project, might as well use that time to work on a couple smaller, easier projects. Sometimes it's a paper for school, a grocery list, organizing my desk, cleaning out a drawer.
7. Ooooo.....something shiny.....
8. Music. Turning on the radio, hooking up the ipod, logging onto Pandora. Music is great at providing just the right level of background distraction. It also serves as a time measure. I figure the average song is 4 minutes (I really have no idea is that's right) so I can say "I'll work on X for 2 songs" Or "I'll allow myself to be distracted just for this song"
How do you guys stay focused?
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