I need help beating my tendency to procrastinate

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by VetLegion
It's your conscience torturing you because Slovenia is blocking Croatia's EU entry

WTF is Croatia?

[Kidlicious]

Eventually you will worry less if you keep monitoring your thinking and eliminating negative thoughts.

[Riesstiu IV]

Originally posted by Heraclitus



I've always had a problem with that, and yes it has gotten much worse. But its not only about that, today I'm having a whole crisis over sending a formal emali to someone I don't kow, half a week ago I just stayed in my room for the entire day delaying any task that took more than a few miunutes, and feeling miserable all the time.

What would you say is the source of this procrastination and anxiety? Is there some important decision in the road ahead that you fear? Like getting accepted to Graduate School? Or perhaps a research paper? Are you extremely shy? Like having difficulty making calls or answering e-mails?

If it's bothering you that much, you could see a university councilor. I think most universities have them.

During my last semester of University, I procrastinated a lot but it was more a personal manifestation from getting tired of attending classes and doing homework year after year.

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Gather your facts and make a decision. The only automatically wrong decision is no decision.

Making a decision isn't the hard part, carrying it out, that is my issue. Since I keep reevaluating when I should start, accompanied by very negative emotions. Like I said, I'm starting to have real problems with this. To the point of panick attacks.

[Wezil]

Divide the task into smaller bits and work on some sort of reward system as you complete each stage.

I am by far the world's worst/best procrastinator. I know how hard it can be to get started. Making the chore smaller works for me.

[Heraclitus]

Re: Re: Re: Re: I need help beating my tendency procrastinatinate

Originally posted by Kidicious

If you do start to have a panic attack go to the doctor, but then you probably won't need to be told that. Panic attacks are very frightening. I had one before.

My suggestion to you is to monitor the thoughts in your head when you have to do a task. Are they negative thoughts? Well of course they are. Try to eleminate these thoughts.

I've thought of seeing a doctor, actually the first one I had two weeks ago, I actualy started searching for my phone to call 911, I was sure I was haing some sort of seizure, it passed before I found my cell, not that I was searching for it very efficiently.

Originally posted by Kidicious
My suggestion to you is to monitor the thoughts in your head when you have to do a task. Are they negative thoughts? Well of course they are. Try to eleminate these thoughts.

Now if you can't do that don't let that cause you anxiety, because sometimes people can't. But just keep trying to eliminate those negative thoughts on a consistant basis.

Ok, I will try Kid.

Originally posted by Kidicious
Also, there are probably things you do to escape from your responsibilities. It's ok to do these things but set yourself on a time limit for those things. Don't let the whole day pass escaping from your responsibilities.

Thats a brilliant idea, as I'm typing this, I'm going to set my phone on countdown. That way I'll have a "external signal" in the form of a annoying alarm clock sound to kick me out of the cycle. But is it possible this will add to my anxiety, and I'll just reset the timer? In any case its wort a try.


I appreciate your advice Kid.

It may be naive, but I'm taking it seriusly, never done this with adivce I found on poly. I'm realy not myself right now, its horrible.

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by Heraclitus


Making a decision isn't the hard part, carrying it out, that is my issue. Since I keep reevaluating when I should start, accompanied by very negative emotions. Like I said, I'm starting to have real problems with this. To the point of panick attacks.

Making a decison to do nothing wasn't really what I meant. More like the "take it a piece at a time" as has been noted.

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Eventually you will worry less if you keep monitoring your thinking and eliminating negative thoughts.

Sure about this? Won't monitoring my thoughts and spending my energy on them aversely affect my ability to do stuff? Causing more negative emotions?

Like I said I’ll give it a try.

[Wezil]

If that doesn't work, try this:


Get off your lazy *** and get your **** together! Go write the damn email already.

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by Riesstiu IV


What would you say is the source of this procrastination and anxiety? Is there some important decision in the road ahead that you fear? Like getting accepted to Graduate School? Or perhaps a research paper? Are you extremely shy? Like having difficulty making calls or answering e-mails?

If it's bothering you that much, you could see a university councilor. I think most universities have them.

During my last semester of University, I procrastinated a lot but it was more a personal manifestation from getting tired of attending classes and doing homework year after year.

In the past few months I've become quite shy, I was always like that but it never went to the point of being disrupting or preventing me from making friends.

Ok, I'll take a look at my universities web-site for info on a university councilor and any contact info.

The problem is quite well illustrated with my situation yesterday when I was supposed to send two relatively important emails. I still haven’t written them.

Thanks for the advice R.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by Heraclitus


WTF is Croatia?

Slovenia and USA go to war. Slovenians, thinking they're about to get their asses kicked, dive into their bunkers and shelters and wait for the bombs. Nothing. Encouraged a bit, Slovenia sends a bomber to bomb Washington, which succeeds and returns. Again, Slovenians hide and wait. Nothing. Once more Slovenians send everything they've got and raze New York to the ground, then hurry back and and hide in the bunkers. Nothing. Slovenian diplomacy tries to feel out what's going on and sends a telegraph. This is the reply:

"WTF is Slovenia!!!? We're going to FVCK you bastards as soon as we can find you on the map!"

[VetLegion]

[Blake]

Buddhism doesn't help with this.

Ajahn Brahm just says things like "Never do today what you can put off until tommorow, after all you might die tonight". He is pro-procrastination .

Although if you look a little deeply you may find that some things you do CAN be more easily put off until tomorrow while the things you aren't doing, are unwise to put off...

Tho the anxiety, thing...
Panic Attacks by Ajahn Brahm.

[Riesstiu IV]

Originally posted by Heraclitus


In the past few months I've become quite shy, I was always like that but it never went to the point of being disrupting or preventing me from making friends.

Ok, I'll take a look at my universities web-site for info on a university councilor and any contact info.

The problem is quite well illustrated with my situation yesterday when I was supposed to send two relatively important emails. I still haven’t written them.

Thanks for the advice R.

For a while, I had a neighbor with similar problems to what you describe. He was okay for years but started to isolate himself during his 3rd year in university. He would often procrastinate school work, e-mail responses, and phone calls because of an intense fear of rejection and failure in both work and personal relationships. He was eventually diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder. Although a year was wasted away, he learned to overcome his social inhibitions and got back on track. He wasn't stupid or a shut, he just intensely feared social interaction.

From the article:

Avoidant personality disorder (APD or AvPD) or Anxious personality disorder (APD), is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation and avoidance of social interaction. People with avoidant personality disorder often consider themselves to be socially inept or personally unappealing, and avoid social interaction for fear of being ridiculed, humiliated, or disliked. They typically present themselves as loners and report feeling a sense of alienation from society.

Avoidant personality disorder usually is first noticed in early adulthood, and is associated with perceived or actual rejection by parent or peers during childhood. Whether the feeling of rejection is due to the extreme interpersonal monitoring attributed to people with the disorder is still disputed.

The article lists a bunch of symptoms such as Hypersensitivity to criticism or rejection and self imposed social isolation, avoiding work and communications that require interaction. You may want to see if any of them fit your sources of anxiety. I'm not saying you have AvPD but I'm just throwing out some ideas. Whatever the source of the anxiety, I hope you overcome it.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by VetLegion
It's your conscience torturing you because Slovenia is blocking Croatia's EU entry

OTOH - don't worry, Vet. If you didn't like Yugoslavia you won't like the EU.