Have you managed to cure your procrastination?

[Getonnow]

I'm awful. I don't think I used to be, or at least not this bad. I got a decent degree and although it was hard to make myself start sometimes, I did do the work. I've been really successful in my career and I didn't do that by spending days doing very little. When DC were young I was a demon at getting things done in little windows of time.

Now I'm a widow in a senior job with lots of autonomy. Not much pressure on my time either at home or at work and I can spend literally days doing absolutely nothing. I hate it but I don't seem to be able to snap out of it. I never moss a deadline and always perfom under pressure, but unless something desperately needs doing I don't do it.

Apparently this can be a grief reaction, but generally I feel I'm coping pretty well.

I know the obvious answer would be some therapy, but is there anything I can try to help myself? I'm a master at a list or a plan, use producing those as a brilliant way to procrastinate....🤣

I’ll get back to you…

I'll do it later

😂😂

Make a list and then timetable when to complete each task.

I try habit bundling, listening to a book or a podcast as I do the tasks I don't need full concentration for.

I’m a terrible procrastinator. Not solved anything in my home life but at work, I’ve found breaking down the task really helps me - giving myself mini goals.

Say I have a report to write, rather than having a deadline of Friday for the full report, I’ll break it into sections and give myself a deadline eg, I have to finish the executive summary by the end of Monday, section one by Tuesday etc all the way to finishing the report on Friday.

I then know if I miss a self imposed deadline I’ll be behind. It also means I can tell myself that if I meet a mini deadline early, I can have a break.

Basically trying to increase the ‘urgency’ to force me to do something, and a little dopamine hit when I complete a section.

Nah, I’m bloody awful.

I’ve had a bereavement. everything is on me, there is so much paper work to do tomorrow.

But tomorrow is Friday, that shit is next weeks problem.

I’ve written a list for tomorrow- chuckled to myself as I did as I knew there was no way any of it was getting done.

I’ll probably get involved in something really fucking pointless like re arranging the living room all day instead. I’ll be busy, innit.

“I’ll do it on the night” has always been my phrase. Everything is a photo finish.

Might get round to it tomorrow... we'll see.

Never managed to beat it, now I just know that I am not going to change. I spend so much time worrying about doing things and when I do them I think 'I should have done that before' - but I don't learn.

I’ve got better since having a small child. The carving out of windows has to be so meticulously planned.

However, I do sometimes find myself slipping back to the old ways if I get the opportunity.

I've taken procrastination to literal genius levels.

My main phrases are, "I can't be bothered" or "I CBA".

I'm at the point where I am even struggling to take my medication to the detriment of my health.

I don't know how to deal with it either.

I'm sorry for your loss xx

I find it helps to just write three things that you're going to complete at work that day. Then just do those. It makes it feel like you're making progress without having a huge list which is overwhelming.

Interesting about procrastination being a grief reaction.
I am a widow and cannot believe how I have allowed tasks, chores to pile up. I need to clear out the attic, garage, study, go through files etc, but I start, then make even more mess, so close the door, leaving everything half done. Life admin is a killer. When I worked I had a very responsible job and meeting deadlines were no problem, but now I must admit to procrastinating so much that I've even been late to a friend's mother's funeral!

That all sounds very familiar. I used to be known for my efficiency and ability to get loads done in a day. I still can when under really important pressure, but mostly I just don't care about the deadlines. I'd never let someone down who needed me to get something done, but self imposed "false" deadlines would never work.

Could it be depression? I was an awful procrastinator and massively improved with Fly Lady's "you can do anything for 15 minutes" but hopeless if I'm feeling down then end up annoyed with myself. Look after yourself first Op

I procrastinate to the point of not taking my meds too. Silly and dangerous. I don’t know how to solve it either.
im better at doing stuff for others though. Still last minute. But it gets done.

Turned out mine's autism. Yep, can't get shit done.

I have a cheque for £100 I should’ve banked in 2017.

Procrastination can be a ‘coping mode’ (look up schema therapy).

But in your case it sounds quite logical - you know how long a task will take and you don’t miss deadlines. So why start earlier than you need to?

My procrastination has got so much worse as I’ve got older. Late 40s now. I’ve had some success with things like pomodoros and keeping a weekly planner and internet blockers and just brute discipline. But I think phones have fundamentally killed my concentration span. Plus I’ve started to wonder about ADHD (as my DD is waiting for assessment - so reading up on the traits made me wonder about myself)

If you ever find a cure, let me know.

The phone has definitely not helped.

I stopped fighting it and asked myself what am I avoiding? I never procrastinate anything I enjoy or want ( to have, to do or to avoid).
For example if I know I should do the dishes. I hace enough clean dishes to ignore tgmhe dirty ones but I do want a clean home free from vermin and I want to be able to cook in a good hygienic and safe kitchen so I focus on what I do want rather than how long the process will take.
Sometimes there is a lesson or a message in procrastinating my uni assignments because deep down it was the wrong path for me.
I procrastinate calling someone because i actually don't want to. But if the call will have a consequence that I need or want I just keep.visualising the end result, same with exercise.

How old are you op? Is it likely to be a perimenopausal symptom?

Yes, that too

I calendar "eat the frog" time each day