January 18, 2004

I'd been meaning to post this for a while, but... Wise words on making procrastination work.
posted by jb 20 years ago
  • The requested URL /~jon/procrastination.htmlh was not found on this server. I'll play around for a while, pretend I don't need to do the dishes.
  • I think that would be because I did not get the link correct. I should have checked before posting. Perhaps this will work ?
  • Might be a good link.
  • Can I read this later?
  • I'm going back to bed.
  • The self-deception part seems hard. Maybe I'm not a very good procrastinator. (I did read the article right away, after all) But then, why am I not going for a run right now?
  • Get a round tuit.
  • Wolof How did you even manage to get out?
  • OK, I'm rumbled. Screen routed to overhead projector which displays on ceiling. Mouse on bedside table next to false teeth in glass of Kemdex. Putting computer on snooze now.
  • This is brilliant. I've sort of thought vague things about this kind of thing for years, but I never got round to formulating it so precicely. Yes, self-deception is a really good strategy. One of the things I do is to set myself a really, really firm schedule. I draw up maps of my time and everything, and I go 'round telling everybody what I'm going to do when and I explain my magical systems to bored passersby untill they start to weep quietly. But I always make sure to wildly underestimate how much time it will take to do any given task. It's tricky: it's got to be long enough to be plausible so I can fool myself into thinking I'll do it, but not so long that it actually takes too long before I'm overdue and desperate. If I get the ballence just right, I'm constantly doing overdue work, which means I'm constantly working.
  • Actually, the main problem with this is what do you do when you have one task which is incontrovertabley the most important task you have to do and you can't get anything else meaningful done until you've done it, and it's a real pig to do? I've been getting a lot of sewing and tidying up done while I avoid my theis work over the last couple of days.
  • Dreadnaught-- Please tell me you're not a surgeon or firefighter. If you ARE, would you please tell me in what city so that I may take the appropriate steps to safeguard myself.
  • I'm sure he'll get around to it eventually Dizzy.
  • Advantage: Pez.
  • Meant to catch up once I got back, but now I don't know...
  • I'm sure I meant to post to this thread two years ago. Other things just, y'know, came up.