Does anyone else leave all their important work until it gets urgent?

[Synny]

I'm not great at my job because I don't prioritise my work well.

I pick out all the easy stuff and leave the more important work until it becomes urgent, then frantically try and complete in a short period of time.

I think procrastination plays a big part in it and probably an element of self doubt.

Is everyone out there merrily getting on with their work in the most efficient order, or can any relate to the awful way I work?

Yes, this is the number one thing I really hate myself but seem incapable of changing. It's gets me in constant shit - just had a ccj notice for something that's been on my 'list' for months, I could've sorted it quite easily, so why didn't I? arghhhh. I also pay fines every single year on my tax returns 😣

I don't know why I do it - it's a constant source of stress!

I wish this was me!

I do, but I have adhd so…

I used to like getting a big chunk of whatever done on a Monday and then have a little break, then another big chuck on Wednesday and then if I wangle Thursday well enough I can book in friday afternoons for 'planning' and then block that out and go to the allotment having done a good week's worth of work early.

I have adhd and do my best work with my back to the wall. I only discovered that I had adhd over lockdown, and it has made so much sense of these seemingly sabotage behaviours.

My energy and drive is linked to emotion, and getting started is extremely hard. So allowing the tension and pressure to build up are what creates the head of steam to tackle hard things.

I’ve realised that procrastination is sometimes quite valuable rather than just a character flaw because sometimes things are percolating in the back of my mind.

I’m not suggesting you have adhd from one line in a post, but it might be worth looking at the resources for people with adhd who share problems with procrastination and putting things off because there are lots of strategies that might help.

I do exactly this! It’s an instinctive ADHD coping mechanism (late diagnosis) - I need the addrenalin hit of a tight deadline to get me to do it (as I lack enough dopamine). It’s very common if you have ADHD!

I am a deadline Queen. Always up to the wire.

I’m the world’s worst procrastinator and also suspect adhd. At work I used to faff around doing easy and non-urgent tasks, then pull all nighters to meet project deadlines. I have tried working to a schedule and breaking down tasks but it just doesn’t work for me. My last boss was a micromanager who wanted daily progress meetings with all of the team individually, so you can imagine how that went. I resigned and have now moved to a job which gives me more autonomy and has complicated work (which I love) but with very short deadlines. It’s not perfect but much easier to cope with.

I learnt about this once because I work in education (I can't remember the name of the theory right now though!). Most students will do the easy task first like organising folders, highlighting titles so it feels like have done something but they actually haven't done anything to improve their learning. They put off the harder tasks like revising and doing exam questions, which is the stuff they need to first really. No one likes doing hard tasks so will often put them off until they absolutely have to do it, like cramming the day before the exam. But what you should actually do is tackle the hardest and therefore most important job first. It's all to do with mindset. You have to change your thinking so you start with the big task first.

Yes this is basically my life. Anything time sensitive I can’t deal with it until the last second. Literally anything. Even getting ready to attended appointments. I’m awaiting assessment for ADHD.

Everything i do is to a deadline. So it has to be done. I work in finance. It just can’t sit of my desk

It's called Eat that frog! There's a book about it. The idea being get the worst task (or. Eating a frog) out of the way first and nothing else that day will be as bad.

At work I have a reputation for being incredibly organised and efficient.

In reality I’m the world’s biggest procrastinator. I never, ever miss a deadline though, and I also think the time I spend thinking about starting something is actually really useful when I come to actually do the thing - all that thinking time isn’t wasted time, it’s a part of the process.

I used to fight against it and beat myself up about it. My life has been so much happier since I just accepted this is who I am and how I work. I don’t worry about it any more (& actually that has made me even more productive).

It’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Yes, I am exactly the same. My boss, who is a HR Director so lots of experience in this field, asked if I'd been assessed for ADHD. I do present with a lot of the traits, both in home life and work life.

I hate it about myself but don't seem to do anything to address it (the disorganisation).

I do this. It's part of my ADHD.

No and it really annoys me that people do it .

Why? I never miss a deadline, but will be a bit last minute. Why does that bother you?

I so wish I were like this!

How do you do it though? Are you always busy? How do you cope with your to do list, isn't it always getting longer? And how do you prioritise when you have eleventy billion things to do and feel completely overwhelmed?

I'm similar. And I'm going to sound like a smug square now but I've adapted to it by looking for extra projects to lead so I always have a pretty full plate to juggle.

Boris Johnson

Liz Truss

Rishi Sunak

etc

This is a brilliant talk for those who haven't seen it yet: [https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator]

I couldn't do this. I'm a bit of anxious personality in some ways and I also seem to have really bad luck. I know that something will always go wrong if I leave it to the last minute.

However, in school I was a nightmare - so chaotic and last minute. Somehow when I was at uni the penny dropped and I got myself organised. I couldn't go back to how I was. Now I'm used to it, I love being organised.

https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator Clicky link!!

Yes. I’ve accepted it’s the way I am now and know everything will get done. If it’s something like planning a series of events, I might spend half an hour mapping a rough plan first so I feel better.

I think i am getting better and was all smug i got the final 2 masters essays in a whole 17 hours early :D i mean i had 2 months to write them!

Work wise - long list of everything that needs doing -with deadlines if fixed - then knock off what is vital, then focus on stuff like - if THE BIG BOSS wants those pink highlighters, thats an easy win.