Getting Started / Overcomming Procrastination

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csiebe

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I'm curious how people overcome their procrastination. I am having trouble writing my thesis. I have been procrastinating on it for way too long, and it seems to get bigger and scarier every day. Also I am completely miserable because it is hanging over my head. My thesis is half done, and I have everything I need to write it and it is outlined fully so it is essentially broken into manageable pieces. After I get started I even sort of enjoy the work and the feeling of being productive.

The problem is getting started every day feels about as difficult as trying to cut off my own arm with a rusty hack saw, and it's equally hard every single day even after days I've been really productive. Anyone have suggestions?
 
I think procrastination is one of those difficult things to fix because it's actually a lump terms for the many resistances we have to getting work done. The underlying reason one is procrastinating can be anything from too tired to too hyped up, or too bored to too overwhelmed, and so forth. So I think you've first go to diagnose why you're procrastinating.

There's a fantastic GTD Connect webinar on the topic. I believe it was maybe 2 years ago. I would watch that. I think it's one of the gems in the archives! It goes through a number of reasons why people procrastinate and how you can link that to GTD to get you going. Maybe your root cause is mentioned in there.

gl

Cheers, Enyo
www.enyonam.com
 
It sounds like you are well set up, with outline and manageable chunks, it's just that you need the extra push of motivation to start.

One suggestion you may have already heard is to get up and tackle it first thing in the morning, BEFORE checking email. The idea being that you jump in to your most important task while your motivation is high (which is typically first thing in the morning) before you get distracted by what others want you to do. The assumption, of course, is that finishing your thesis IS the most important thing to you. Is it? It may be helpful to write a list of reasons why it is so, and keep it nearby to reference if you are having trouble getting started.

Eben Pagan(?) says start with self care - exercise/meditate as works for you, and eat a healthy breakfast, then at the start of your day, set a timer for 55 min, shut out all distractions, and work. When the timer goes off take a 5 min break to wake up your body, then go back for another 55 min. When that timer goes off, take 30 minutes to totally disengage - exercise, meditate, go for a walk or chill out with music... to re-vitalize your will power / motivation. It's important NOT to be checking email, etc, during this time since your mind needs the time to recharge your motivation/will power.

Then if you can, go back and repeat the 60-60-30 cycle, or if your job requires it this is the time you could schedule meetings, be available by phone/email, and do all the little tasks that make up the rest of the day.

While it seems counter-intuitive to take 30 min off during a work day, the theory is that the increased productivity during the focused time will more than make up the difference. I'm experimenting with the approach this week, and so far, so good :)
 
csiebe said:
I am having trouble writing my thesis. I have been procrastinating on it for way too long, and it seems to get bigger and scarier every day. Also I am completely miserable because it is hanging over my head. My thesis is half done, and I have everything I need to write it and it is outlined fully so it is essentially broken into manageable pieces. After I get started I even sort of enjoy the work and the feeling of being productive.
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I'd echo the you need to find out why you are procrastinating. Usually when I procrastinate its either because I am afraid of something, or I don't want what finishing that will mean or I think it's going to take a long time to do.

Now you know that a thesis will take a long time but you've already broken it down by pieces so I'd explore other reasons. These may be totally off base, but this might give you some points to think about.

What are you afraid of that will happen when you finish your thesis? Have you been a student so long that you are afraid that you have to go out and work after it is done? Do you fear that the results you demonstrate will cause a major disruption in your life or in society? Is your research now repugnant to you? Did you not get the results you expected or wanted and hate to validate something that you formerly felt was wrong? Are you afraid that you have no purpose now that the research is done? Do you feel that the research was meaningless or didn't show anything and hate having to document your failure? Do you fear the thesis defense process? Has your situation changed and getting your degree no longer important to you and this is just a drag on where you want to go? Do you hate the writing tools you are using? Is your desk and writing area set up to be comfortable for you to sit at? (Think ergonomics.) Would a change in how your do the work affect your feelings (go to paper instead of a computer, take a laptop to the park to write, change programs from Word to Scrivener ;-) ) Are your segments small enough to be completed in 1 hour or less? Are you trying to do the writing work at your most efficient time? Do you know whether you function best in the morning or evening and are you adapting your working time to take into account your specific physical body clock? Are you healthy? Do you have other activities that you do to take a break from thesis writing and schoolwork or have you been focusing on that for so long you have nothing else and are afraid that it is ending?

Until you figure out why you are procrastinating you won't be able to stop.
 
I did the same thing with my thesis. I have no great solution for you, just reassurance that you are not alone in this challenge. Mine was finally completed when my fiance threatened to cancel the wedding if I didn't finish. Exterior motivation was required. :-(

The one thing that DID help was that I created a space where I did nothing but thesis work and a routine for getting there (get coffee, turn on radio to X station, adjust light just so, sit my tush down and do it.....). Good luck! You will get there!
 
I sometimes procrastinate and mostly finish my work earlier than it should be. A lot of people are right about motivation being a key factor. Before though, back in high school I always procrastinated. How I overcame it, was probably the thought that when I'm done I could do all the things I enjoy doing. Because when you ignore your duties/homeworks and do things that you'd rather do, you tend to think about them and it will ruin the fun, you get a little paranoid in the end too. Just like you when you felt it became scarier everyday. And also the feeling of being productive just boosts my mood, that's why I totally got over my bad habit of procrastination.
 
I hope my advice is far too late to be useful but here it is anyway. I recently finished my thesis and used this trick:

"I must write at least 500 words each day, even if they turn out to be the wrong words"

The wording is important:

500 words is short enough to not be intimidating

each day ensures continual progress

must ensures I get started

at least gives me permission: Permission to stop after 500 and feel good about myself or permission to keep going if I want to. Most of the time, the 500 words took between 20 minutes and 1 hour and I ended up writing a lot more. But on slow days or days with other commitments I still mate a little progress.

wrong words encourages me to have a shot at difficult sections. Most of the time the words are only a little bit wrong and a revision or two sorts it out.
 
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