# Procrastination problems



## Maelstromeater (Sep 20, 2012)

Alright, this is directed toward anyone, but advice tailored to an intp would be most appreciated. So I have this procrastination problem. I've had it for many many years now and it really effects how I perform at school. I often don't do homework because I don't need to, and of course that hurts my grade, but the problem goes beyond that. I will blow off homework or studying in courses simply because I'm not particularly interested in the subject. I know people work less intently on work they aren't interested in, but this seems more detrimental than that. So has anyone encountered this problem, and if you have how did you manage to fix it (if you did manage to fix it)?


----------



## Dolorous Haze (Jun 2, 2012)

What year/grade are you in? By which I mean, how long do you have before you can leave school and pursue solely what you are interested in? :kitteh: I'm the worst procrastinator in the world, ( I should be doing an essay for school right now) and the only reason I still drag myself out of bed in the morning is because I know I need to finish these last couple of months before I can graduate and do what *I* want.

Try, as much as you can, to tailor your timetable to suit your interests, for example, if you like arts and humanities, (like me), make sure to take options like history and religion. (I presume English is mandatory ) That way when you have to do your homework, it won't be quite as bad.

I'm still terrible for doing my homework but I've gotten a little bit better. I know it sounds clichéd...but starting it really is the hardest thing to do. Once you get going it's not as bad. And having your homework done takes a lot of stress off the next day...I absolutely loathe the feeling of waiting for a teacher to ask...."Where's that essay?" :shocked: :tongue:

Now...I probably should go and do my homework..........later.


----------



## shadeslayer16 (Oct 1, 2012)

I have a midterm worth 25% of my mark tomorrow at 10am that I have just barely started studying for. Doesn't get much worse than me.
Like it's been said, it's usually just a matter of getting started. I've found taking intermittent breaks (5-15 minutes) for every certain allotment of time for studying (usually an hour or more) really helps you recharge before jumping back into studying again. Sometimes you really can't just take what you want - I'm in a nursing program and let's just say (nursing) 101 isn't exactly the most enthralling subject. Now the teacher doesn't help, but the source material is just plain dry. So much theory, so much about ethics and blahblahblah. Ironically I found the history part of it most interesting (the Grey Nuns and Florence Nightingale? I ACTUALLY READ THOSE CHAPTERS. FULLY, TOO). Otherwise I either don't read it or barely read it. In fact, I only do the readings if I know I have a test. Like I only did lab 101 readings because we had quizzes on them where if your average on all three is less than 66% you fail the entire 101 course. That lit a fire beneath my ass.

You just have to find a way to make it interesting. Study groups, breaks/rewards, etc. And IF YOU CAN, try and take courses that interest you. You are bound to come across mandatory courses, or courses you have to take and have some interest in but the options seem dry. It really takes sucking it up and dealing with it.
*Believe me, *I know it's easier said than done.
But it really does go back to just getting started.
I should get back to studying for my midterm... only 7 hours away... (seriously, what did I just say about how it doesn't get much worse than me?)


----------



## TheProcrastinatingMaster (Jun 4, 2012)

I encountered this problem, then school ended so it wasn't a problem any more.
Hmm, that wasn't very helpful...


----------



## Biracial (Sep 8, 2010)

Maelstromeater said:


> Alright, this is directed toward anyone, but advice tailored to an intp would be most appreciated. So I have this procrastination problem. I've had it for many many years now and it really effects how I perform at school. I often don't do homework because I don't need to, and of course that hurts my grade, but the problem goes beyond that. I will blow off homework or studying in courses simply because I'm not particularly interested in the subject. I know people work less intently on work they aren't interested in, but this seems more detrimental than that. So has anyone encountered this problem, and if you have how did you manage to fix it (if you did manage to fix it)?



My procrastination was a compulsion and it stemmed from being overwhelmed/depressed, poor time management or convinced I couldn't do the assignment. I asked for help from the smartest person I knew to explain it in a language I understood. Or I'd break the the project down into smaller more manageable parts. 

I also got really into time management. "Getting Things Done" 

I've completely changed my view on time. The bottom line is I cant get time back. It's more valuable to me now that I'm older, but I never really thought about time when I was in school (I wish I did).


----------



## machood (Sep 28, 2012)

I wouldn't consider my procrastination "fixed," just that I refuse to do anything that doesn't apply to what is my most important goal at the time. Sold my TV. Sold my Xbox. Stopped buying canvases and art materials that would just distract me from working at my business. The internet is still my greatest vice as I routinely get lost reading random articles and blogs and generally getting off track.

When I was in school, (if I went to class...) I would be able to stay focused and present if I wanted to. Then after the fact, forget about studying or anything to do with school. An imaginary, arbitrary deadline really has no meaning in my life. If I don't meet it, yes, there's consequences. I understand that and even panic about it like you might. But that doesn't translate into sitting down and using my free time to get it done. None of this is a valid excuse for the behavior by the way. But I know how you feel, and I bet judgmental others in your life (parents ex.) call you lazy.

I procrastinate about the laundry, cleaning, all the life upkeep stuff I generally hate. I'd rather be daydreaming, writing my novel, researching something interesting... the only trick I know is to eliminate everything from your life that distracts you from what needs to get done. Then you'll have nothing to look at but the stack of books, and nothing to do but what you have to do. I definitely benefit from forming habits. When you keep habit forming in mind, it can help keep you from slipping up that one time at risk of starting the whole process over again. 

Take my advice with a grain of salt here, I'm far from perfect in this area.


----------



## ewerk (Sep 22, 2012)

For me procrastination stems from resistance to not wanting to do something that you think you can't do or fail at or worse even maybe be successful at doing but you're scared because either way your scared to face the truth. I often encounter procrastination when I feel that I'm scared of either not doing it well or doing it well and it changing my life. Perfectionists like myself often have a difficult time with procrastination because we feel that we can't do something unless it's perfect which leads to overwhelm and fear.


----------



## AJ2011 (Jun 2, 2011)

(1) self-discipline/regiment yourself, and (2) find a ExxJ friend to review your progress every week. A regimen should emerge out of introspection of what you want to accomplish (where you want to be) by what time (get your friend to review it and perhaps even brainstorm it one time with him/her). Obviously, don't make your regimen arbitrary or you'll never follow it. xNTPs do extremely well with a trusted, judging partner.


----------



## HippoHunter94 (Jan 19, 2012)

Procrastination: I've been meaning to get around to this...


----------



## Konosh (Nov 6, 2012)

Honestly, the best way to do this is to restrict yourself to an inflexible schedule, where so and so hours on such and such days you do exactly what the schedule says. Conforming to this may be difficult at first, but you need to follow it and it will set in within a week or so. If it says study, sit down, shut off all electronic devices, even if you do not actually study and just stare at papers, eventually you will find yourself actually reading them, and picking up information, eventually getting more and more information this way. Once you are set in the schedule it will feel wrong to deviate so it will be easy to maintain.


----------



## blit (Dec 17, 2010)

.
I have this problem too. Although I still procranstinate, I'm noticably better at getting things done before deadlines. I noticed that my procrastination starts with a small distraction which prolongs into hours. The best way I've combatted is by pre-emptively controlling my surroundings where choosing to be distracted is an explicit choice and not a habit. 

 Become more minimalistic. - _ This is really not about just having less stuff because getting rid of stuff is easy. It's harder to get rid of stuff that drain your time and energy by giving you a false sense of accomplishment. It's even harder to recognize and accept that's actually distracting you._
 Set no more than 5 hours in the morning 6 days a week to finish *one* task. - _Even though the limit is imaginary, I feel increasely pressured to finish towards the end of 5 hours. Then, I relax afterwards. Also, the most productive people I've ever met, regardless of type, rarely multitask. Even though from a distant, they appear to do. In reality they intensely focus on finishing one thing so quickly that over a span of time they get more done. The hard part here is telling yourself that you will get those other things done later and then believing it. It takes some practice to push those future worries to the back of your mind._
 Sleep 3 REM cycles or ~9 hours. - _Don't ever give this up. Sleep depreviation produces half-ass results at best. You are not just losing sleep but also an entire day of focus. Yes, sometimes it's unavoidable. But, most of the time it is avoidable, so always look ahead for when and where you can adjust._
 Excerise ~30 mins 6 days a week. - _The endorphins produced allows you feel relaxed during the 5 hour tasking session. _


----------



## Echoe (Apr 23, 2012)

ewerk said:


> For me procrastination stems from resistance to not wanting to do something that you think you can't do or fail at or worse even maybe be successful at doing but you're scared because either way your scared to face the truth. I often encounter procrastination when I feel that I'm scared of either not doing it well or doing it well and it changing my life. Perfectionists like myself often have a difficult time with procrastination because we feel that we can't do something unless it's perfect which leads to overwhelm and fear.


Yup, I find trying to blast it with positive talk just helps me. I got over my disdain (well, mostly . It creeps back up.) for doing house-chores this way. You know, just telling myself "It's not that damn bad," or "It's nothing, just do it," whenever I caught myself griping. I think what helped it along best was that I could feel conviction in those beliefs, it wasn't some empty mantra. I also kept in mind that people change and habits can be broken, I just needed to get over the work of constantly shooting at my negative thoughts about doing the chores for awhile. Indeed, the "whatever" attitude about the chores did set in a couple of weeks, or some such. Wasn't long.

It also nice to get encouragement from someone else, someone who will give you easy, realistic guidance with faith that the issue won't be hard to get over. It just makes it easier to believe you'll get through the issue and can handle the how-to of it if someone else is convicted that it's totally easy. I would recommend Googling simple motivational/work strategies where the writer sort of simultaneously instructs it with an optimistic pep-talk about how easy it is. I think a lot of us INTPs really underestimate the power of more emotionally based tactics for help, including affirmations from others.

On that note, it may sound cheesy, but I would consider keeping some note with words of encouragement that get you motivated on your goals as well as reminders of what you will get from accomplishing your goals, and perhaps reading it everyday. I haven't tried this personally, but I've seen strategies like that recommended, and I would just imagine it would help you re-train your thought process.

Change your habits gradually in small steps you know you won't be bothered to do. Such as, if you want to do projects earlier time yourself 10-15 minutes everyday for a week working, then go up another 10 minutes the next week, and so on. Or maybe do a single portion a day, again, one you won't really want to run from, and once again just elevate week by week.


----------



## milti (Feb 8, 2012)

I think what @ewerk said hits the mark on the head. I'm an INFP and I simply _can't _get started. Once I get started, though, I am a swift worker. But it takes me a long time to convince myself that I am in a frame of mind where I _will _concentrate and finish. Getting to that state takes all my effort and energy. 

In my case, I know that I procrastinate because I have this ideal finished product (or score) in my head that I just can't ever match in real life (and I don't leave myself enough time to do a perfect job). I also think I'm plain lazy. Also a bit over confident, because so far everything has managed to get itself done even at the very last moment and with my stress levels through the roof. I need constant nagging or the feeling of a deadline to ever get anything done. When I was in school, my mother would nag me, and I had a fear of F's. Now that I'm an adult, nobody nags me, I say I can handle it on my own, but I usually end up stressing out.

I force myself to start. I help myself along with copious amounts of caffeine and don't get up until I've begun it at least. I also ask someone to keep reminding me of deadlines. I need the slight push. Actually no, wait, I need a HUGE push. Lol.


----------

