wait but why newposteverytuesday This is Part 2. You won't get Part 2 if you haven't read Part 1 yet. For Part 1, click here. ___________ p p rro o --c c rra a s s --tti --n n a a --tti o on n |pr!!krast!"n!SH!n, pr"-| noun the action of ruining your own life for no apparent reasonLet me start by saying that I've had just about enough of the irony of battling through crippling procrastination while trying to write posts on procrastination and how to beat it. I've spent the last two weeks being this guy, who shoots himself in the foot while talking about gun safety, and I look forward to getting back to irony-free procrastination following this post. A few notes before we begin: - I'm not a professional at any of this, just a lifelong procrastinator who thinks about this topic all the time. I'm still in a total battle with my own habits, but I have made some progress in the last few years, and I'm drawing my thoughts from what's worked for me. - In this post, I'm referring to both ADD and non-ADD procrastinators (and the line is often pretty hazy between the two), but not those with severe ADD/ADHD, who need something different than anything in this post can provide. - This post was posted late, not only because it took me 2,000 years to do, but also because I decided that Monday night was an urgent time to open Google Earth, hover a few hundred feet above the southern tip of India, and scroll all the way up India to the top of the country, to "get a better feel for India. " I have problems. - I'm gonna be kind of extra serious in this post, because as much as people joke about procrastination, it's a pretty serious problem for a lo t of people and it really affects happiness. All right, so last week we dove into the everyday inner struggle of the procrastinatorto examine the underlying psychology going on. But this week, when we're actually trying to do something about it, we need to dig even deeper. L et's begin by trying to unwrap the procrastinator's psychology and see what's really at the core of things: We know about the Instant Gratification Monkey (the part of your brain that makes you procrastinate) and his dominion over the Rational Decision Maker , but what's really happening there? The procrastinator is in the bad habit, bordering on addiction, of letting the monkey win. He continues to have the intention to control the mo nkey , but he puts for th a hapless effort, using the same proven-not-to-work methods he's used for years, and deep down, he knows the monkey will win. He vows to change, but the patterns just stay the same. So why would an otherwise capable person put forth such a lame and futile effort again and again? T Thhee a annssw weerr i iss tth haatt h hee h h aass iinnccrre eddi ibbl l yy l o ow w ccoon n fifi d deennccee w wh heenn i tt ccoom meess tto o tt h hii ss ppaarrtt oof hhi iss ll i f e e , , a alllo ow win ngg h hii m msseel f tto o b be ecco om me e e en nsslla av ve ed d b by y a a sse ellff--d de effe ea attiin ng g,, sse ellff--ffu ullfi fi lllliinng g p prro op ph he eccy y. Let's call this self-fulfilling prophecy his Storyline. The procrastinator's Storyline goes something like this: For the Have-T o-Dos in my life, I'll end up waiting until the last minute, panicking, and then either doing less thanmy best work or shutting down and not doing anything at all. For the Want-To-Dos in my life, let's be honest—I'lleither start one and quit or more likely, I just won't ever get around to it. The procrastinator's problems run deep, and it takes something more than "being more self-disciplined" or "changing his bad habits" for him to change his ways—tth he e rro oo ott o off tth he e p prro ob blle em m iis s e em mb be ed dd de ed d iin n h hiiss S Stto orry ylliin ne e,, a annd d hhiss S St toorryyli innee iss w whhaatt m muusstt cch haan n g gee .. * * * Before we talk about how S torylines change, let's examine, concretely , what the procrastinator even wants to change into. What do the right habits even look like, and where exactly will the procrastinator run into trouble? There are two components of being able to achieve things in a healthy and effective manner—planning and doing. How to Beat Procrastination Follow @waitbutwhy72 51k Like Like Share Share 190 Follow by Email Subscribe Email Address (no spam ever) !"# %&'&()*+' , ,-../&0 1(& 2'")..# 3-4'5 6/7& 8' 3&(0.&9*:& ; !)#0 6+ <& 8'0-=&()>?& @' A)9&>++B CD 6"/'50 8 E&)('&F !"/?& 8 !)0 /' G+(H" I+(&) JC 6#.&0 @K 3&+.?& ,+-L?? A/'F 8' M:&(# N+0H&? JD 6#.&0 +K ODP,&)(P@?F Q/'5?& %-#0 !"# 3(+9()0*')H+(0 3(+9()0*')H& Popular Posts wait but why: How to Beat Procrastination http://www.waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/how-to-beat-procrastinati... 1 of 31 12/7/13 2:42 PM
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7/22/2019 Wait but Why: How to Beat Procrastination
the action of ruining your own life for no apparent reason
Let me start by saying that I've had just about enough of the irony of battling through crippling procrastination
while trying to write posts on procrastination and how to beat it. I've spent the last two weeks being this guy, who
shoots himself in the foot while talking about gun safety, and I look forward to getting back to irony-free
procrastination following this post.
A few notes before we begin:
- I'm not a professional at any of this, just a lifelong procrastinator who thinks about this topic all the time. I'm stillin a total battle with my own habits, but I have made some progress in the last few years, and I'm drawing my
thoughts from what's worked for me.
- In this post, I'm referring to both ADD and non-ADD procrastinators (and the line is often pretty hazy between the
two), but not those with severe ADD/ADHD, who need something different than anything in this post can provide.
- This post was posted late, not only because it took me 2,000 years to do, but also because I decided that Monday
night was an urgent time to open Google Earth, hover a few hundred feet above the southern tip of India, and
scroll all the way up India to the top of the country, to "get a better feel for India." I have problems.
- I'm gonna be kind of extra serious in this post, because as much as people joke about procrastination, it's a pretty
serious problem for a lo t of people and it really affects happiness.
All right, so last week we dove into the everyday inner struggle of the procrastinator to examine the underlying
psychology going on. But this week, when we're actually trying to do something about it, we need to dig even
deeper. Let's begin by trying to unwrap the procrastinator's psychology and see what's really at the core of things:
We know about the Instant Gratification Monkey (the part of your brain that makes you procrastinate) and his
dominion over the Rational Decision Maker, but what's really happening there?
The procrastinator is in the bad habit, bordering on addiction, of letting the monkey win. He continues to have the
intention to control the monkey, but he puts for th a hapless effort, using the same proven-not-to-work methods
he's used for years, and deep down, he knows the monkey will win. He vows to change, but the patterns just stay
the same. So why would an otherwise capable person put forth such a lame and futile effort again and again?
ttoo bbeeccoommee eennssllaavveedd bbyy aa sseellff--ddeeffeeaattiinngg,, sseellff--ffuullfifilllliinngg pprroopphheeccyy.. Let's call this self-fulfilling prophecy his
Storyline. The procrastinator's Storyline goes something like this:
For the Have-To-Dos in my life, I'll end up waiting until the last minute, panicking, and then either doing less than
my best work or shutting down and not doing anything at all. For the Want-To-Dos in my life, let's be honest—I'll
either start one and quit or more likely, I just won't ever get around to it.
The procrastinator's problems run deep, and it takes something more than "being more self-disciplined" or
"changing his bad habits" for him to change his ways—tthhee rroooott ooff tthhee pprroobblleemm iiss eemmbbeeddddeedd iinn hhiiss SSttoorryylliinnee,,
We all know what an i cky item is. An icky item is vague and murky, and you're not really sure where you'd start,
how you'd go about doing it, or where you'd get answers to your questions about it.
So let's say your dream is to make your own app, and you know that if you build a successful app you could quit
your job and become a full-time developer. You also think that programming ability is the literacy of the 21stcentury, and you don't have money to spend outsourcing development anyway, so you decide to anoint "Learn how
to code" the winning item on your list—the number one priority. Exciting, right?
Well, no, because "Learn how to code" is an intensely icky item—and every time you decide it's time to get started,
you will coincidentally also decide your inbox needs to be cleaned out and your kitchen floor needs to be mopped,
ASAP. It'll never end up happening.
To un-icky the item, you need to read, research, and ask questions to find out exactly how one learns how to code,
the specific means necessary for each step along the way, and how long each one should take. Un-ickying a list
item turns it from this:
N+R H+ <&)H 3(+9()0*')*+'
S(&&.# I/F0 /' S(&&.# T/'H)5& 1F0
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N+R H+ <&)H 3(+9()0*')*+'
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Well unfortunately for procrastinators, they tend to miss out on both The Happy Playground and Flow.
For example, here's a procrastinator that never even gets started on the task he's supposed to do, because he never
makes it through the Critical Entrance. Instead, he spends hours wallowing in The Dark Playground, hating himself:
Here's a procrastinator who gets started on the task, but she can't stay focused, and she keeps taking long breaks
to play on the internet and make food. She doesn't end up finishing the task:
Here's a procrastinator who couldn't bring himself to get started, even though a work deadline was approaching,
and he spent hours in The Dark Playground, knowing the looming deadline was drawing near and he was onlymaking his life harder by not starting. Eventually, the deadline got so close, the Panic Monster suddenly came
roaring into the room, freaking him out and causing him to fly through the task to hit the deadline.
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Start by thinking about the terms we've used in these posts, and if they resonated with you, write them down. Part
of the reason I assigned terms to so many of these feelings or phenomena—the Instant Gratification Monkey, theRational Decision-Maker, the Panic Monster, the Dark Playground, Ickiness, Bricks, the Critical Entrance, the Dark
Woods, the Tipping Point, the Happy Playground, Flow, your Storyline—is that terms help you clarify the reality of
the choices you're making. It helps expose bad choices and highlights when it's most critical to make good ones.
In the same way a great achievement happens unglorious brick by unglorious brick, a deeply-engrained habit like
procrastination doesn’t change all at once, it changes one modest improvement at a time. Remember, this is allabout showing yourself you can do it, so the key isn't to be perfect, but to simply improve . The author who writes
one page a day has written a book after a year. The procrastinator who gets slightly better every week is a totally
changed person a year later.
So don't think about going from A to Z—just start with A to B. Change the Storyline from "I procrastinate on every
hard task I do" to "Once a week, I do a hard task without procrastinating." If you can do that, you've started a trend .
I'm still a wretched procrastinator, but I'm definitely better than I was last year, so I feel hopeful about the future.
Why do I think about this topic so much, and why did I just write a 19,000 page blog post on it?
Because defeating procrastination is the same thing as gaining control over your own life. So much of what makes
people happy or unhappy—their level of fulfillment and satisfaction, their self-esteem, the regrets they carry with
them, the amount of free time they have to dedicate to their relationships—is severely affected by procrastination.
So it's worthy of being taken dead seriously, and the time to start improving is now.
Finally, if you're going to try to make a change, I encourage you to email me ([email protected]) with aconcrete goal and a date for its completion. I'll write it down and check up on you when the date hits.
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I've been in the procrastination pits of hell for a long time now. The way you describe it all is amazing, and
I think your advice is spot on. Unfortunately for me, I'm not strong enough to follow it, so I'm stuck here
crying in the dark playground for life now.
(Wish Adderall was an option, but I'm in the UK and it's not used here. It's also pretty much impossible to
import.)
Reply
DDiinnaarreennaa November 7, 2013 at 5:52 AM
If you think you may have ADD/ADHD (procrastination was the main symptom that led to my
diagnosis of ADD) then get your GP to refer you to the Adult ADHD service in your area (they
should have one, NICE guidelines say there should be one and if your GP tries to fob you off orsays adult ADHD doesn't exist, show them the guidelines and insist on the referral, or change GP)
- although you won't get Adderall, the NHS does allow prescribing of Ritalin, Concerta and
Dexedrine which all have similar effects. Good luck!
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 6, 2013 at 8:55 AM
I think it's very important to try integrate long tasks or projects in to your daily life. Basically faking your
mind that's just a regular chore you just do like going to work, vacuum your place or eating lunch. Just
something you do every day without having the big overarching goal in mind.
This is really something that helped me on my diet. It allowed me to do sports on almost every day for over
2 years now and I HATED sports before all that. But because it just became part of my daily life I just did it -
still with minor procrastinating of course, but in the end I never quit and with 50 kilos less on my ribs it
really paid off.
Reply
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 6, 2013 at 9:39 AM
I'm definitely a Mixed Feelings Park person. If anything's got a deadline and isn't one of my own goals,
that's where I'll end up. If it's something I want, I'll just stay in the Dark Playground. How crazy is it that I
always put my own desires after things like university, work, etc?
Reply
LLuuggooLLiiaann November 6, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Jesus, the way you write, the analogies, the depictions and stuff is genius. I feel so interpreted.
Thank you very much for sharing this.
Reply
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 6, 2013 at 9:48 AM
First public online comment ever and have just one word: Awesome blog--even more awesome post!
Reply
EEKKBB November 6, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Welcome to the interwebs!
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So maybe one factor at play here is by setting such lofty goals for yourself, some of which are likely out of
your reach, you doom yourself to failure and disappointment. "I wanna be a great guitar player" ---> years of
frustrated practice because you're not talented enough. Try setting more achievable goals for yourself, e.g.,
"I wanna learn to play the guitar", and if you end up being great, it'll happen because you have a natural
love for it and will never want to stop playing (it becomes your dark playground). If not, you have to learn to
be satisfied with just knowing how to play guitar a little.
Reply
JJiimm November 6, 2013 at 5:27 PM
It's about how you feel in those other 9 days, and while you're doing the work on the 10th.
If procrastinating doesn't make you feel bad, and rushing/cramming doesn't make you feel bad...
you don't have a problem, I guess. Procrastination isn't something that negatively affects you.
However, most people who procrastinate feel like crap while they're procrastinating and feel just
as bad after finishing something they procrastinated on. The looming nature of a task put off can
provoke anxiety. In this case, procrastination has a significant negative impact on the emotional
state of the person procrastinating.
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 7, 2013 at 9:06 AM
"when I compare the house I made at the eleventh hour to the ones I make when I take the time
to lay one brick at a time, the two aren't significantly different, and honestly a lot of times the
houses I make in a rush look better to me. "
I agree with this statement. Maybe this is the irony. In art the Monkey probably plays a pretty
important role in beauty and meaning.
I really love this analogy of the monkey and agree it gives clarity to the subject of procrastination.
I just wonder... The building is made of neatly laid 'bricks', small tasks like 'write 100 words in 5
minutes' or 'go to a 30 minute class'. I agree, it is. Could the whole reason you're building, you're
purpose, could be thought of as it's foundation. Ironically, in art, the monkey may be the key to
building the foundation.
Can a monkey be a muse, I wonder? In Betty Edwards book "drawing with the right side of the
brain" she mentions that our rational brain has a lot of preconceived notions about what things
look like. It distorts, not in a good way, but in a rather predictable and boring way. So we have to
frustrate our rational brain until it shuts down and shares the power. Turning your picture upside
down usually pisses it off. This switch then calls in the spatial side to make decisions. Getting
away from the verbal side to the spatial side can be a step toward our intuition or, at least, our
unconscious side. Maybe this transition to the right brain is a step toward our monkey. A key tocreativity. (there is definitely a feeling of struggle as it happens, same as you describe. She is also
a genius for suggesting we fight this fight. Very helpful)
Artistic considerations-unconscious choices of color, line, direction and imagery, guided by
emotions, could be the domain of the monkey. They feel like a whim. 'I Just Felt Like It'-type
decisions. These are the things that give l ife, beauty and personal meaning to your building. They
separate your building from every other brick building on your street. They give you a reason to
build it.
I would never give my Monkey the steering wheel to the car. It is a trickster, after all. But, a good
switching system, knowing when to defer to your monkey, when to take the reigns, seems key. If
you value a meaningful life.
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 7, 2013 at 7:35 PM
Jim,
I used to feel the way you describe when I procrastinated. But now I don't, because I've learned to
look at it differently. Rather than being upset that I waited until the last minute, I think it's pretty
cool that I can work one-tenth as hard as most everyone else around me, and still usually
out-perform them. IOW, my last-minute-house is usually as good as, or better than, their
one-brick-at-a-time-house.
I think the "feeling bad" came from my mom. She would see me in my room, cramming for a test
or writing a paper the night before it's due, and yell "Why do you do this? You should have started
a month ago! What's wrong with you??!!" As a kid, you get the message: when you procrastinate,
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gratification monkey is responsible for fantasizing about the beautiful mansion, while the rational decision
maker is responsible for laying the bricks while preventing the monkey from getting ahead of himself. By
the time they cross the tipping point and enter the happy playground together, they'd have finally begun to
co-exist. Hence, it appears that it is necessary for them both to co-exist. This is why I think even the
non-procrastinator's brain would have an instant gratification monkey, except, it'd be on a leash. "I think
long-term" sounds like the non-procrastinator is romanticizing about the future. Any plan of action is acted
upon only after romanticizing about it, which, I assume, is the job of the instant gratification monkey.
Irrespectively, this is a great post and those terms have been burned into my brain for life. My instant
gratification monkey is already romanticizing about my eventual state of flow. :)
Reply
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 9, 2013 at 8:46 AM
You make a good point: "Maybe the instant gratification monkey is of some use" but, what if you
take this a step further. What if the 'Rational Mind' is of some use...to the Monkey. Maybe the
Monkey should be needs to be consulted before ordering the bricks to be laid.
Does the monkey always want to derail us? Or does it know who we really are and what we really
want and need at some basic level. Should we pay attention to some of its diversions? An
example: someone working as an accountant who obsessively wants to play guitar instead. Maybe
the monkey is saying, "Putting numbers into columns is not who you are" Maybe listening to one's
inner monkey can get you to re-think a practical but unfulfilling career choice. Couldn't your
monkey be the one who makes you decide to stay up late playing guitar only to miss work the
next day, gives you a stomach ache at every meeting, spills coffee on your boss, makes you forget
to set the alarm clock? Would it help to 'kill the monkey' or should you look at these things as asign that, deep inside, you may no t be cut out to be an accountant?
Maybe the 'Standard Procedure-Rational Brained Bricklayer', the one who figures out time
schedules and divvies out bite sized tasks, is the b*tch. In service of the inner Monkey. Who holds
the leash and who wears the collar?
What is 'higher intelligence', could it be a matter of figuring out when to be guided by our monkey
and when he is derailing us. He does both. But maybe he's got an 'in' to our subconscious and we
can learn from him. Our decision making brain needs his services because the rational mind deals
only with the outer world.
'Romanticizing' , I agree, is important. I like that term, it implies that tasks and practical concerns
haven't been taken into consideration. But, more importantly I think, 'romanticizing' is a good
term because it's like a daydream that feels good. Daydreaming about something that feels good
is the start of knowing who you are and obsessing on what we daydream about tells us if we can
stick to it or are good at it-Only then should you order all those bricks. Call in the rational mind.
These labels, monkey and dark playground, etc, are a wonderful start to discuss this subject. WBW
person, you're amazing. But some of the comments about 'kill the monkey' are on the wrong
track. I wish we could understand the good and bad sides of both the rational and irrational
decisions. And not choose sides.
GGuunnmmeettaall GGeeiisshhaa November 6, 2013 at 6:21 PM
I've refused to read blog posts over 2000 words, but with this, I was riveted - I didn't think anyone could
come up with a single effective suggestion that could be employed against my personal procrastination.
However, "create a Panic Monster" just might be a stroke of genius. I've only ever gotten anything done
under the gun.
Your panel - the tug of war with the monkey at the border of The Dark Woods and The Dark Playground:Going to make it my desktop picture until I start and finish the six or so tasks that have been tormenting
me for weeks.
Reply
GGuunnmmeettaall GGeeiisshhaa November 16, 2013 at 3:37 PM
Is it weird to reply to yourself? I feel an obligation to report that right after I posted the above
comment, I did indeed make that image my desktop. I chuckle every time I open my laptop,
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because that monkey's funny. And um, I haven't once thought about the admonishment the entry
sign is supposed to represent. Sigh. My procrastination goes deep and might require
electroshock... I mean, who tracks their own comment among hundreds?!
WWaaiitt BBuutt WWhhyy November 25, 2013 at 8:57 PM
Maybe it didn't work, but I'm amused at picturing that picture on a desktop.
JJuusstteenn November 6, 2013 at 8:32 PM
Just today I started telling people that "I am going to take the patent bar on December 2nd" after I've been
telling people I'll take it when I'm ready for the last three months. So I guess I better start studying for it :)
But first I have to take a bar tending course I bought from Groupon. Damn monkey.
Reply
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 6, 2013 at 8:44 PM
This is one of the smartest, funniest, most helpful blogs on the internet. Great work.
Reply
cchheellllssppeecckkeerr November 6, 2013 at 9:55 PM
Somebody recently shared an insight with me about her procrastination, that made me think about itslightly differently. (I also suffer a lot from it) She recounted that when she was a student, she would do her
assignments at the last minute and usually not end up getting a very good mark. Okay, but not great. BUT
she could blame not getting a good mark on having done it at the last minute. It was an excuse that was
always available. She realized that she had a terrible fear of failure. Which seems contradictory but actually
makes sense. The worst possibility was that she would do HER VERY BEST on something and STILL FAIL.
That was her fear. So by sabotaging her own efforts, she always had something she could blame her poor
performance on. It made a lot of sense to me, and I realize I do the same thing. I'm trying to get more
comfortable with the idea of failure. Some people I know have even suggested as an exercise trying to do
something BADLY as a way of defusing perfectionism. There's something about the excitement of starting
something with a beginner's mind, not really knowing how it will turn out out, without a huge burden of
expectations, that's so much more fun than forcing myself to do something I have to do a very good job of.
But I'm not very good at it myself and all of this is theoretical as I continue to self-sabotage and play with
the monkey. Just thought I'd share. I love your blog.
Reply
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 6, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Not sure if it was mentioned above but David Allen's "Getting Things Done" has a lot of useful tools and
techniques that are well applicable to this challenge (esp. breaking stuff up into manageable steps).
Reply
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 6, 2013 at 11:03 PM
The Tipping point is absolutely true. That's why its so SO SO important to break your goals and tasks into
smaller chunks. If instead of saying "I'm gonna write 100 pages today" you say "I'm gonna write 20 pages
today," it becomes that much more manageable.
For me, I'm a writer, so I keep track of 1000 word increments. I use pomodoro timers to keep myself on task,
and the first 2000 words of a day are the absolute hardest. If I can push past 2300 words, I can always get
to 5000-6000 words super easily.
At 2300 words, I can say "Well, I really want to stop, but I'm only 700 words from 3000...." then "I'm only
1000 from 4k, and that last 700 wasn't very hard..." then "Well I'm so close..." and it just gets easier and
easier.
I also put my phone in the corner of the room so I can't pick it up mindlessly. That helps a ton too.
Make habits and structure for yourself to combat your desire to screw around in the dark playground. It
won't cure it, but it will help.
Reply
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while to convince the doctors, and even longer to assemble a decent life for himself, but according to the
man's story, after hearing what the mechanic said, no more psychiatric therapy was needed. During the
conversation, responding to the mechanic's questions, the man had explained what had happened, all the
symptoms he had been having, how it had ruined his life, and how much progress he had made.
The mechanic was unimpressed. "You're not sick," the mechanic said. "You don't need doctors. You just need
to say, 'Fuck it.' Just keep saying 'Fuck it.' You'll be better in no time."
Maybe it happened that way. Maybe it’s just a story. Food for thought.
Reply
AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 11, 2013 at 11:18 AM
It's hard to put into words how much this article and its first part have meant to a serial procrastinator like
me. I've gone through the gamut of articles on this to get to the bottom of the problem, since without that I
knew I couldn't permanently solve it. Some came very close, but you completely nailed it!
As a procrastinator I finally feel understood and see light at the end of the endless tunnel because:
1-You know what it's like personally, so you don't use frustrating platitudes and oversimplifications
2-You give concrete images and names to abstract, hazy things we feel but have trouble disambiguating
3-You keep it funny and light, just the opposite of all those dark, depressing feelings of the Dark Playground
and the Dark Woods
4-You give a sense of hope because of your clear reasoning and steps for the way out!
Even though I'd already known some of what you mentioned, such as the clear and measurable goals, it
was your sympathetic presentation that got it through to me in a meaningful way. It's been a while since Ilaughed so hard, gasping for air at your descriptions of your tangent off to India on Google Earth, at the
Instant Gratification Monkey's resistance to make the Critical Entrance...just everything.
What eye openers. It all rings so true. And the truth sets us free.
Thank you, more than I can say, for your honesty in writing this and for the time invested in putting this
together!
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AAnnoonnyymmoouuss November 12, 2013 at 5:48 AM
Hi, I want to talk to you regarding publishing a paid tech ar ticle in huffingtonpost.com/waitbuywhy
Loved your article. I've been dealing with procrastination/ADHD for years and have done a lot of the sameself-interpretation of it as you have (although I have different names like the Dark Void and the 4-year-old).
To expand on the monkey's repulsion of the Dark Woods, I've found that he's not only motivated by fun, but
also repelled from the woods by several monsters. (failure, rejection, and negative judgement) The key to
getting the monkey into the forest is re-assuring him he'll have lots of fun on the other side of the woods,
AND convincing him that the monsters he fears won't hurt him.
In the case of ADHD, the monkey is so high-anxiety and nervous that it can be extremely difficult to coax it
into the woods. Adderall does an amazing job of calming the monkey down and creating a sense of
confidence that allows him to walk into the woods without fear.
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AAnnoonnyymmoouuss December 3, 2013 at 4:38 PM
for me the only way to calm down the monkey has been pills. I tried for years to play it nice with this tricks
but it was becoming a god damn gorilla. For person with anxiety disorders I would also suggest in your listgo to a Psychiatrist :p
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MMaarryy @@ FFiitt aanndd FFeedd December 3, 2013 at 6:14 PM
This is great. Loved part one also, especially the lead. I'm glad I discovered your blog today, just subscribed.
More on this along with all the o ther fun things, please!
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AAnnoonnyymmoouuss December 3, 2013 at 10:33 PM
As I was reading these articles, I remembered that Eric Berne talked about procrastination somewhere in
Games People Play (possibly one of his other books). It seems a lot of procrastination has to do with
perfectionism -- as long as I don't produce, I won't be shown up for the failure I am. The commenter who
said he decided he could produce just as well in a day as in 10 seems to be blessedly free of this.
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AAnnoonnyymmoouuss December 4, 2013 at 1:55 AM
Funny, just this morning, I found out that I am scheduled for a "come-to-Jesus" meeting with the Dean over
my department. The subject? My performance, deeply rooted in procrastination.
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aaccoouummeerriillhh December 4, 2013 at 9:11 AM
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE these two posts about procrastination, because they articulate and clarify exactly the
madness I have struggled with everyday of my life. However, there is a couple more dimensions of it for me.
They have to do with indecision/second-guessing decisions, perfectionism, and getting stuck in flow.
So, the "Instant Gratification Monkey" is just one of the reasons I have a hard time getting to "The CriticalEntrance" and through "The Dark Woods" of the task to the "Tipping Point." Another contributing factor is
that as I am on my way to start a task, or as I am doing it. I am haunted by the "Ghost of Doubt." This ghost
is comes around and brings up questions like. "Should you even be doing this? Maybe you picked the wrong
thing to make a priority, or chose it for the wrong reasons. Maybe you have forgotten something really
important while trying to focus on this that you will regret later once you realize it. You know that urgent
thing, or other also important thing, you decided to put off, because this was more important, maybe that
really was more important to deal with now. If you don't check into XYorZ you will forget about it till its to
late."….etc. All sor ts of reasons to stop the task and go elsewhere.
ALSO, guilt of doing something I want, or think is important is something I struggle will too.
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Then, there is the "Growing Power Pill of Perfectionism." It sometimes appears within the "Dark Woods" and
sometimes within "Flow." Either way, it lengthens the task, expands the brick. The result is that I don't ever
get to the tipping point, or if it is in the flow portion, it expands "what needs to be done" more and more
until the panic monster shows up for another reason, jarring me out of the happy flow state.
Even if perfectionism is not a contributing factor, I can get stuck in the flow state and this takes up a lot of
time needed to accomplish other necessary bricks in my life.
In these cases I end up landing back in "Mixed Feelings Park," because even though I accomplished the task,
and maybe even very well, it was at the expense of something else important. Add, that I tend to takelonger to do things than "typical" anyway and people tend to be unhappy with what I do no matter how
well done, or brilliant it is, because it took too long.
So, I could go into more nuances of the whys and results of my predicament and/or I could spend more time
perfecting the points I have already made. However, in an attempt to not let the "Growing Power Pill of
Perfectionism" kick in, I will stop now.
Any suggestions for these topics?
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CChhrriiss December 4, 2013 at 6:22 PM
Great piece. What I find difficult:
- When you under-perform with Mixed Feelings but everyone around you is still impressed. What is the
point of doing even better?
- Also, and unfortunately, when I'm in the flow.... I have to have some dinner, do other priority stuff first...and the flow is gone. Sometimes hard to get back to it.
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HHaannnnaahh December 4, 2013 at 6:34 PM
Please, please do not stop writing things like this. It so so so so applies to me. I have ADD and I'm a major
procrastinator (yet also strangely a perfectionist). Also, maybe you could write an article discussing how to
get over procrastination, specifically as a writer. I'm in college and an aspiring journalist/writer and this
would be so helpful. :)
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AAnnoonnyymmoouuss December 5, 2013 at 7:59 AM
My monkey loved the first post. It didn't like the second. Skipped to the end. Eating cake now and scolling
through the comments.
Can you perhaps make a summary version please. I really want to read the long one, but the monkey
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AAnnoonnyymmoouuss December 5, 2013 at 12:58 PM
I really want to read all of this but I have 2 finals tomorrow, plus I just saw a link to TWENTY COW
PHOTOBOMBS!
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AAnnoonnyymmoouuss December 5, 2013 at 3:32 PM
Great work you describe my habits perfectly, I wanna get over this definitively
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SSaammaanntthhaa WW December 7, 2013 at 3:31 AM
Wow, I read this 2 or 3 days ago and commented and farted around and didn't do my schoolwork while
thinking about how great this article is. But tonight I was on facebook and I just thought, "I'm in the dark
playground." and I realized I didn't want to be there and I got to work! I finished my 5 1/2 pg spanish essay
and submitted it to officially finish up one of my 3 classes this term. 2 to go but I feel more confident even
just having the vocabulary to pinpoint what I am doing and why. Thank you!
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