Cannot stop procrastinating

[furryblanket]

I'm in a job where I get commission. Because of this it's in my interest to do my adminny/typing work during non working hours from home. I don't have to do this at all but when I'm busy I prefer to use my in-office hours for things that require being in the office so I don't waste time.
SO some weekends I have work I need to do from home. EVERY SINGLE TIME I leave it until Sunday (fine) but I spend almost all day looking at the work and then logging off and reading MN or doing other things. I always end up procrastinating so much that I never do more than 10 minutes work at a time and it takes all bloody day!
How do I stop this? (Yes, I'm doing it now)

[wasonthelist]

When you find out, let me know (sorry - not helpful, but I am world champ procrastinator).

[furryblanket]

Last weekend I cleaned the whole flat just to avoid working. I HATE cleaning and quite like working, it makes no sense

[JessieMcJessie]

I know exactly what you mean. I used to have to fill in daily time sheets and would inevitably leave them till the last possible moment on a Sunday and then my whole day would be spoiled as they hung over me and I procrastinated about doing them. I pretty much discovered the joys of MN when looking for distraction from getting on with them.

The only top I have is to arrange something else set in stone on that day so you have to do the work in a fixed time eg a boozy lunch with friends so you have to finish it in the morning.

My problem was that I actively chose to do the times gets at home instead of in the office then got all grumpy about work impinging on my own time! It was better if I just did them at work- maybe what you need to do is rethink the logic of why you choose to do the work outside office hours as perhaps more commission doesn't really compensate for spoiled weekends?

By the way I was only able to solve the problem by changing to a job with no time sheets ;-)

[Doobigetta]

I think people who struggle to get things done think people who are very organised have some kind of special skill, or are weird and actually enjoy doing boring and unpleasant jobs. They don't, they just focus on the payoff instead of the job itself. So not "oh god, I have to fill in my expenses and it's such a pain and I'll have to go and find all the receipts ooh I know I'll just spend an hour on Mumsnet instead" but "right, I'm going to spend half an hour getting those bloody expenses out of the way, and then I'm totally justified in spending an hour on Mumsnet". That's how I do it, anyway.

[SnowBells]

... and this reminds me this is EXACTLY why I'm on MN right now...

[Alicewasinwonderland]

Make your desk comfortable, some music in the background if you like.
Estimate how long it will take you. What do you prefer: getting rid of the work in the morning, or just attack it in the evening? You might work better when you have a deadline (such as bedtime).

Start and FINISH one thing. Ideally the most unpleasant or difficult one. Do not stop until that one is finished. Then another one, then have a cup of tea.

You'll get used to it.

[furryblanket]

I think I do it because I find it easier to just smash it all out at the end of the day. Otherwise I do what I've just done - write 200 words, think 'oh that's not so bad' then stop and start doing something else for 10 minutes (reading MN). It takes forever.

[JessieMcJessie]

So don't start till the end of the day then?

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Head over to the bullet journal thread in Housekeeping :)

[furryblanket]

Jessie If I don't start until later it hangs over me all bloody day because I worry that I won't do it at all. I always have the best intentions of getting it all done early but I just can't. I need to set up some kind of system whereby the study door doesn't open unless I've finished

[Dorris83]

Oh yes I hear you I am procrastinator extraordinaire. Have you read this article?

waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html
It is spot on for me! I spend far too long in the 'dark playground'

[furryblanket]

Half way there! First document completed. I've never finished one this early before, apparently making a thread helps?
Now for a small wine coffee and a two hour 10 minute break

[Breadandwine]

Thanks for this thread, furry.

I've just done 3 jobs I've been putting off for a while. Only 1,000,000 more to go!



Seriously, I shall use this thread to motivate myself! [stern!]

[furryblanket]

I actually took a full hour break, oops. Am working on the second piece now though and I'm looking like I'll be done in time to have a walk (fitbit says I've only done 2000 steps today ) and a leisurely bath before settling down with the telly for the evening, woohooooo

[Friendlystories]

I would start doing it in the office, no incentive to procrastinate then because you won't want to stay longer than you have to. Can understand your reasoning for doing it from home but if it's not working for you it defeats the object.

[furryblanket]

Fern I'm just as bad if I do it in the office; I end up staying three hours longer than I actually need to.

All done now, somehow this thread kicked me up the arse

[Friendlystories]

The irony struck me as soon as I posted furry, I am the world's worst procrastinator Glad you managed to get it done, I will be starting a lot of threads if that's the effect it has

[MightyMug]

No idea. It has taken me the entire week-end to go to the gym. Feel great now I've been, but that doesn't stop the procrastination.

[furryblanket]

Fern just post in here with whatever you need to do, I may have made a magic thread.

I now need to stop procrastinating and straighten my bloody hair so I can go to bed relatively early!

[Breadandwine]

OK, here goes with two pressing issues:

I have a tricky email I've been putting off responding to. Well, not tricky, really, but the correct response will take a lot of thought. By midnight tonight, I'll have it written and sent!

And I have a work proposal I really need to complete. That I'll have done by 1pm tomorrow!

[turdfairynomore]

Doris that article is amazing! It sums up my life perfectly!! I am a p1 teacher with substantial leadership responsibilities too so I have LOTS of work to keep me busy! But I simply cannot get stuck into it until THE PANIC MONSTER comes breathing down my neckj! It doesn't help that I'm a crap sleeper too so I put off working at a reasonable hour by using that as an excuse!!!! To be honest, I've come to almost accept it as part of what makes me "me"!!

[Breadandwine]

Beat my first deadline by 40 minutes! Sent the email and received a reply already!

1 down and 1 to go - except I've just remembered a poster I need to design for a workshop I'm running. I'll get that done tomorrow!

(Back to that article - thanks, Doris!)

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

I work (or rather, shirk) from home and i could've written this thread. I probably would've done too, if I was on a deadline with something else.

The ONLY thing that has EVER worked for me, is setting a timer. I learned it in the FlyLad book. You set a timer for 15 minutes (because "alone can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes"), then start work. When you find yourself slacking off, you say NOOOOO, because you must do 15 mins. When it's finished, you're allowed a break.

It really works. I do it for everything I'm putting off - work, housework, decluttering, shagging DH (I'm kidding). And it's astonishing how much you can get done in 15 minutes.

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

*FlyLady book

*anyone can do anything for 15 minutes

[furryblanket]

You ladies are all fantastic and I promise that next weekend I'll try all of this. But I bet I'll also post about how much of a procrastinating twat I am