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How often do you procrastinate?
A few more questions (takes only 2-3 minutes):
1. How serious of a problem it is for you personally? (On a scale of 1-5)
2. Did you ever try solving this problem? (Yes / No)
3. If "Yes", what solutions / approaches did you try? (1-3 sentences would be great)
4. Does the problem still persist today? (Yes / No)
I'm conducting some research for my product, would appreciate any answer, detailed or not.
Thank you, Hunters!
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Replies
Jenna Langer
1) 3.5
2) Yes I try to solve it, but that is also a form of procrastination in itself.
3) Paper lists, white board, trello, to dos, flagged emails. Too many places to track, and building a system takes time (a perfect form of procrastination), but if I don't look at the lists then it doesn't matter.
4) Yes. Challenging with meetings, small tasks, emails to respond to, and big projects that have many tasks and build over time. No tool is great at aggregating all of these things. And multiple tools means you end up missing one of the lists.
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@jennalanger Thanks for sharing, Jenna! True, at times there are way too many systems to keep track of, so it's mentally easier not to engage with your to-do's at all.
Building upon this, would you be open to talking a bit more on the topic of procrastination in an interview, say in the next month or so? Via text / audio / video, whichever is best for you, for research purposes only (will not be made public).
1. 3
2. Indeed
3. planning, switch between activities, hours of "no shame" rest on the agenda
4. No
I think procrastination is the result of bad planning skills and no connection with your own personality :)
@valeryfenskaya Thank you for answering, Valerie! A disconnect with one's own personality may indeed play a major role in it.
Also, while you're here, would you be open to expanding on this topic in an interview, roughly in the next month or so? Done via text / audio / video, whichever you prefer as a medium, and for research use only (will not share it anywhere publicly).
@ooolzhas would love to! one of my goals for this year is to "tame my inner monkey" (and that little animal often dives into procrastination). so I would be happy to share the experience :)
I do procrastinate, every day. Maybe a bad habit, some say, but it is usually followed by explosion of creativity. Later I discovered the words of this wise man:
“Few understand that procrastination is our natural defense, letting things take care of themselves and exercise their antifragility; it results from some ecological or naturalistic wisdom, and is not always bad -- at an existential level, it is my body rebelling against its entrapment. It is my soul fighting the Procrustean bed of modernity.”
― Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
@nenadg Thanks Nenad! I notice that frequently too – all the creativity bursts when you least expect it.
However, coexisting with "good procrastination", according to my observations, there's also "bad procrastination" – putting even the simplest things off for no apparent reason. Just laying on the bed scrolling through Instagram, reading news for the 10th time today, etc.
Do you ever experience any of that?
1. Daily
2. Yes
3. Focus in the process no the product ("Tackling Procrastination" https://www.coursera.org/learn/l...)
4. Yes, but it's more easily to recover my motivation
1. Probably a three. Its typically on days where work is less concrete, whether its doing readings
or working on slide decks.
2. Yes
3. I've tried the Pomodoro Timer at pomofocus.io, which i found works fantastic. Sets up 30 minute blocks where you work for 25 minutes with 5 minute breaks.
4. I wouldn't say it entirely solves my problems, but that's typically because i either forgot or choose not to use it.
@henry_zhang3 Thank you for answering, Henry! Will definitely give Pomofocus a try – seems pretty simple & clean, which I especially like.
Also, would you be open to sharing a few additional details via an interview in the next month or so? Done via text / audio / video, whichever you prefer, and for research purposes only (not for public access).
1. It's a 3. Maybe procrastination is sometimes helpful because you avoid pursing something which is neither important nor a priority.
2. Yes, ...
3. it works with proper planning - which prevents poor performance and procrastination - a sense of urgency, and proper accountability.
4. Yes - but I'd differentiate between positive and negative procrastination.
All in all I'd say procrastination exists when there is a lack of planning, accountability, and urgency.
@marius_schober Thank you, Marius! I share your opinion that there are 2 kinds of procrastination and that planning, urgency and accountability play a major role in it.
Would you be open to talking about these things a little more in-depth in an interview, say in the next month or two? Via text / audio / video, whichever format you prefer, and for research use only (will not be shared publicly).
1. it's a 3 for me too
2. Yes
3. I tried setting up my calendar with alerts with everything I need to do.
4. The problem still persists, because I get notification blindness very easily.
@caroline_chiari Thank you for taking the time to reply, Caroline! Sounds just like what I've been doing, haha!
Btw, in case I need a few additional details, would you be open to sharing them in an interview in the next month or so? Done via the preferred medium: text / audio / video, only intended for research purposes (will not be made public).
@ooolzhas You can always contact/interview me, but I may put off answering you ;) chiaricaroline @ gmail.com (sorry for the spaces)
1. How serious of a problem it is for you personally? - 5
2. Did you ever try solving this problem? - Yes
3. If "Yes", what solutions / approaches did you try? - Setting daily reminders in Google Calendar. Setting task duration in ClickUp. Maintaining proper sleep cycle and working hours.
4. Does the problem still persist today? - Yes, keeps fluctuating though. Once I give myself a reality check, I make sure the tasks are done and not procrastinated.
@azharshams9 Wow, thank you, Azhar! That's a pretty nice setup you have over here, ClickUp and Google Cal are great tools.
Would you mind going a little more in-depth on your approach via an interview, in the next month or two? Done via the medium of preference: text / audio / video, only for research use (will not publish it anywhere).
@ooolzhas Sure, would be glad to add value. You can drop me an email at azharshams96@gmail.com with the details and we could take it forward from there maybe. Good Luck!
1. It's a 2 for me. Especially if there are tasks that I don't enjoy.
2. Yepp
3. Tools don't work, because if you are a true procrastinator, you won't utilize the tools.
4. It's not totally fixed but much, much better.
@judith_ackerman Thanks for answering, Judith! "If you are a true procrastinator, you won't utilize the tools" – haha, so on point! So did it become better for you after doing something in particular, or just naturally over time?
@ooolzhas Mainly self-discipline I'd say. I took small steps, working on priority lists, setting up timeslots etc. I think the main thing is not to rush things and try to fix everything at once. It's still a process but looking back, I can see the progress clearly.
@judith_ackerman Agree, most of the time it comes down to these (solid) basics.
On that note, would you maybe be open to talk more about that in an interview, in the next month or two? Text / audio / video, whichever you like best, and intended for research use only (will not be shared publicly).
It is a pressing problem for me (I would rate it 4 out of 5). And I've tried multiple approaches to solving the problem (for eg. Pomodoro timer, 5-second rule, etc)
Using a Kanban flow map along with a Pomodoro timer has helped me understand where I get distracted and helped me plan better.
@varsha_rajendran Thanks, Varsha! It's the same thing for me as well, tried multiple approaches to varying degree of success, but still haven't found the "right" one.
That said, would you be open to sharing more of your thoughts & observations on the topic of procrastination via an interview in the near future? Performed via text / audio / video, whichever you like best, for research use only (will not be published anywhere).
@ooolzhas Sure, you can mail me the questions at varsharajendran31@gmail.com, and I will be more than happy to help you.
@varsha_rajendran Thanks, Varsha! Will send you an email in the coming weeks then, as soon as I have more details
@vlad_zaev Thanks for sharing, Vlad! Did you learn how to suppress it, or does it come naturally to you?