Has anyone ever fixed their procrastinating, self-sabotaging self? I'm so annoyed at me.

[Galvantula]

I am fed up making my own life more difficult by sitting doing stuff like this, instead of just getting the fuck on with what needs done and then having time to have fun.

Even having read this about why i do it, i still go back to the same patterns.

waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html

Any magic tips for not being a total arse to yourself?

I’ve not found a way yet. I’m forever making plans to do things and I just end up doing other stuff or arsing around on my phone.
I can only get into gear when I have a deadline.
For example I can only get the house spotless if someone’s coming over, I can only do paperwork when there are legal or financial consequences after a certain date and so on.
I’ve been trying to be more organised, eat better, exercise and read more for months and it doesn’t happen

I’m a terrible proscastinator, I also self sabotage and I have crippling imposter syndrome
Years of therapy mean I have a better understanding of it, but can’t seem to knock it on the head 🙈 that said, I have re-framed tasks recently as “doing something my future self will thank me for” and that’s helped, some....

Come on @inHospNeedAdvice you caaaaaan do it.

I was an awful procrastinator, and I came up with a method that helps me. I will try to explain how I do it here.

I always find if I know I need to do something by a certain time, vaguely in my subconscious I will picture myself not doing it and the consequences, eg. a person such as DS' teacher, or my college tutor, standing in front of me and thinking or saying that I am hopeless. Now I bring that feeling of dread into my concious mind. I give it form, weight, allow myself to believe it has already happened. I have procrastinated to the point of uselessness yet again.

Next, I picture myself saying to that person, "Ah ha! But I did do xyz, and I fucking aced it, here it is, so put that in your pipe and smoke it!" Or words to that effect.

Now bringing myself back to reality, I imagine that I have used my time travelling device (I use Hermione's time turner, but you can use whichever method of time travel you prefer) to go back from the first reality in order to change the course of time and give myself a second chance to get it right. I stand up at this point and say out loud "Fuck you teacher! I'll show you" or similar. Then I go and do the things I need to do, and don't rest until I know that my "Fuck You!" moment is in the bag.

I hope that helps you ladies, it really helps me, although it is completely bizarre.

What did procrastinators do before the Internet?

What did procrastinators do before the Internet?

Housework and baking. At least I had a clean house. Ironically my arse is even fatter now, though. It seems procrastination via internet is worse for your derriere than procrastination via bread-making.

I used to write out really detailed plans of all the things I was going to do....

Procrastinating here on MN when I should really be planning my revision timetable (exam in less than 4 weeks! Aaah!), or at least get on with the 300 household chores that have been piling up.
I know that for me it is, the more I'm scared of 'the thing', the more I will procrastinate. As if not thinking about it will make it go away.
List making helps me, but even more date-setting, so I'm holding myself accountable (hence the need to do a revision timetable).
Oh god, I'll really have to do it now, won't I? maybe I'll just start by folding the laundry first...

Sillystuff

That has helped me go and prep the veg, many thanks.
I'm going to try this again. You are a and I love your bizarre.

I procrastinate the housework thing too though, like now for instance...

I am SO in. I am on here to avoid doing an assignment I think I am useless at....

I did it. I made the beds (well, one bed) then I fixed the blind - which was not urgent and way down the priority list but I did it.

I also managed to play Farm Heroes, in between......

I have been wanting to paint my bedroom for about five years. I just can’t do it it’s awful.
I also struggle to use my voice and walk my path on earth.
I love doing nothing it’s safe.

I'm also a terrible procrastinator. Even in the morning; my alarm will go off, I'll go to the loo, and then I get back in bed a spend 7 years half an hour aimlessly scrolling through Twitter/Mumsnet/Facebook. I don't understand why I do it, because it means I then have to rush getting ready but every morning it happens
Today I've been putting off planning a lecture I have to give in a few weeks by watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I managed to force myself to the gym this morning but only because I'd agreed to meet a friend there.
I just have no motivation a lot of the time!

Omg can I join? I run my own business (cm) and am so far behind on work, finances, housework, self care, paperwork... you name it.

More bizarrely I have a rep for being organised and on top of things. Fuck knows how, I suspect because I’m constantly just in time... I obviously fake it well!

I am a terrible procrastinator and it makes my life very difficult and stressful sometimes having to play catch up. I think it is because I resent "having" to do things to some extent and laziness too. I can make decisions quickly but doing anything is a struggle sometimes. We moved into our property nearly 20 years ago.Said we would do it up a few years after moving in. Finally booked it today. That was a matrimonial procrastination, sometimes we both collectively drag our heels. The kitchen is a tip now, but only now are we doing something about it. We could have had a lovely kitchen way back.

At work I often fart around stalling rather than doing. Thankfully I can do stuff fast when I knuckle down but there have been some close shaves and some stressful moments.

I still have my old school reports. I often got the comment that I achieved great things when I applied myself. I rarely did then, I rarely do now. Having an iPad and sites like MN don't help!

I also have a reputation as being super efficient, conscientious and organised at work. If only they knew!

Me me! This quote inspired my username.

I too worry about things not being good enough if I try, or not living up to the standard I’ve set in my mind.

I procrastinate and daydream. Sometimes I wonder where the last 10 years went and worry my life has moved no further along. I hate myself for it and yet can never seem to change it.

I did jigsaws and read before the internet!

Oh my Perfectionist that's pretty much it. I'm sure my work is actually fine, to normal people standards. But in my head it has to be just right. To some arbitrary standard of perfection.

I've been a daydreamer since primary school. It was actually in my school reports. "Galvantula is perfectly intelligent and v conscientious, but spends the entire day either chatting incessantly or staring into space daydreaming" was the gist of it.

I think a lot of my daydreaming has been replaced by internet use since 1999 tbh. I remember when Google was testing the beta version.

Romany, I'm over the moon if my bizarre idea helps even one person. Since I used the idea, it really does feel as if I am a magical time traveller, compared to my old procrastinating self!

The thing is that it helps if you do have that feeling of dread, which usually for me means an adult person being involved. I literally arrange home visits for the kids so that I have a reason to dread my house getting too messy!

• ProfessorSillyStuff and Company cannot accept responsibility in whole or in part for any negative side effects experienced as a result of time travelling -

• This cheap and cheerful motivational mind hack is in beta phase and has not been tested on live humans. Therefore undesired effects may be encountered at the participant's own risk. -

I've got a question from a not-so-bad procrastinator to you guys.

Why do you write the day off when you sort of tell yourself you've fucked up or not done what you wanted?
If you said at 5pm (I'm thinking about weekends when you're supposed to be doing stuff at home) 'Right get off my arse and do three jobs then I won't feel like a failure' you'd get loads done then wouldn't actually feel shit AND you'd slowly get through your jobs...

My husband does this almost every (weekend) day. Moans about how useless he is, says he's going to get something done, spends all day fannying about then at 4 or 5 says He's fucked it up all and leaves it all for another day. But he's still got hours left.
It's so fucking annoying.
I don't want to give the impression that I think I'm perfect, I am not a 'do it all' person, and I am shit at housework and constantly have a filing pile, but not because I procrastinate but because I don't even have any intention of doing it.
On the rare occasion I decide to do my jobs I get them done pretty much the day/week I want to.

I don't understand this 'writing the day off' thing and it's already been mentioned on this thread so I thought I'd ask.

Tia

I blame the internet. I used to get so much done and felt refreshed after a long and productive day. Now I feel sluggish staring at a screen most days and laying on my bum.

For me, if I've had a list of stuff to do then procrastinate til 5pm, the day has already been a failure so finding the motivation to do anything is doubly hard. Hence my tactic of celebrating small achievements and I no longer set myself targets of useful stuff I have to do that day. I've also reframed things in my mind from "stuff to do today" to "things to achieve at some point soonish".

I was at work so I'd kinda fucked up my work day. In terms of being inefficient and making myself rush and being late.

I am going to try and achieve something this evening. I did already do some music practise with ds2 - we are trying to learn an instrument together.

I don't normally write off the whole day and just sit in my pants eating chocolate or anything. but i do get into the bad spiral sometimes.

Do badly>feel bad>fail to start >feel more bad etc etc.