This popped up for me today, and I realized is very close to how I manage to trick myself to get things done even when it feels like my body’s parking brake is on.
To me it feels like just “building momentum” in any way helps. If I’m in working mode, it’s easier to pick up a cleaning task than if I’m in sofa mode. Sometimes just cleaning some lint from the table is enough to get the ball rolling.
Does anyone else have this, or similar techniques?
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When I need to do important things, I research procrastination avoidance techniques for 2 days before doing them.
This is the correct way to do it. Can’t just go in blind!
It’s important to be well informed so I don’t find myself unintentionally falling in to some sort of procrastination trap.
Where’s the hack? This is just a list of chores.
If I don’t want to clean the bathroom, why would I want to walk my dog then do the dishes then hang my sweaters and then clean the bathroom? I don’t want to do any of those things.
Walking the dog and doing the dishes are examples that work for her. In general, pick smaller things that you wouldn’t struggle to start with. The trick is that once in motion, you have fewer hurdles between you and what you need to do.
I have to create a “reward” for myself for most tasks outside of work. At work I can sometimes just hyper focus through my day, but home chores are sometimes like I’m pushing a boulder uphill. If I know I can do an interest right afterwards, or at least convince myself I possibly can, it makes doing most things a little easier. For example, to do the dishes, I watch YouTube/TV show/movie to make it something I don’t 100% despise (only an issue when I spend 20mins zoned into my media and my hands stop doing things lol).
… I initially read this as ‘A strategy for maximizing procrastination’ and was confused for a minute.
Her advice for “how to stop procrastinating and clean my bathroom” is do three entirely seperate chores? Now Im procrastinating 4 things?
I do a similar thing to help myself get started, and the secret is it doesn’t have to be chores. Step one can be literally anything that’s easy to do that you’re not currently doing. For instance, my step one is often something as simple as talking to somebody. Then step 2 is something closer to what you need to do. Like if I’m gonna need to do something that requires more energy, my step 2 could be taking a walk, or if I can’t get myself to do that, pacing around a bit.
You just work up until doing the task you need to do becomes the natural conclusion. If my task was cleaning the bathroom, the next step after walking might be brushing my teeth, then I say “Well I’m already up and doing stuff, and I’m already in the bathroom. Might as well clean it.”And it’s not always gonna work, which I think is okay, as long as it works often enough that my space remains livable.
Me when I see this post on procrastination in my feed: That sounds like work and guilt, so I’ll do it later. watches video a day later and feels guilty for putting it off
I’ll add this to my collection of half-watched ADHD videos.
