Attacked By Monkeys: Post #15 on Procrastination

I had an awesome week… two weeks ago.  The deadline loomed, the pressure was on, and I performed.  I made a month’s worth of income in a week, and good thing too, as I had pretty much pissed away the preceeding 3 weeks.  The week after that was another total write-off, I did almost nothing besides attend a meeting and answer my email.

How can I follow a star-performer week with a useless-johnny week?  Why, after I shake off the procrastination monkey, is it so easy for him to climb back on?

For a while now I’ve been performing well.  The work was new and exciting.  But now it’s all so last-month.  It’s time to bring back some tried-and-true procrastination-beating tactics, and to try out some new ones.  Here’s my New Deal:

• Desk work requires physical fitness. When I don’t get any exercise, I’m too lethargic and grumpy to make myself concentrate on any but the most enjoyable of tasks.  I need to get some activity and some exercise every day.
  Rule #1: Start the day with an active task, like fixing something or cleaning up the kitchen.  Take hourly breaks from the computer to stretch and do some core exercises or run the stairs.  Stay away from the computer on the weekends.
• Separate work and non-work. Sitting at my computer, there are too many things to do that feel like “work” but aren’t: personal emails, looking up songs that come on the radio, writing blog posts…  My friend David (wisely) bought a second computer; one is for video games and other entertainments, and the other is for work only.  When he’s at the work computer, he does not indulge in other distractions.  It’s an excellent work habit that I would do well to develop, but I’ll try doing it with only the one computer.
  Rule #2: When it’s work time, I will close email apps and will avoid any other non-work activities.  If I suddenly get a great idea for one of my non-work pursuits, I’ll quickly write it down and then set it aside until play time.
• Work, then play. Surely in an 8-hour day there’s time for both.  I’ve tried moving fluidly between work and non-work tasks, but I have to admit that it doesn’t work.  Not only does breaking up my work time make it less effective, but I just don’t realize how much time I’m spending on things other than work until I get to the end of the day and nothing’s gotten done.  I have to set aside a certain amount of time every day to concentrate on “work.”  Even 4hrs /day of solid work would be a big improvement over what I’m regularly accomplishing now.
  Rule #3: 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm are for work only.  Check email before and after those times.   Once I’m routinely accomplishing 4 solid hours per day, I’ll increase the amount.
• Rewards. Procrastination thrives when the rewards for working (or the consequences for not working) seem remote or inconsequential.  I have to make the consequences of my work habits more immediate.
  Rule #4: At the start of a project, I will pick a reasonable deadline (typically 1-4 weeks) and a reasonable reward (e.g. treat myself to a new toy or a night out).  I will tell someone about my deadline and reward, to keep me honest.  IF I finish the project on time, I get the reward.  If late, no reward.

There.  Let’s see if this new regime brings about some positive change.

Ultimately I’d like to be earning a decent living in less than 40hrs /week (it’s certainly possible).  I can use the rest of my time to get back into shape, do more with the wife & kids, work on my career, fix up the house, learn guitar, write a novel, etc.  And I’ll just avoid all that self-abuse that follows a lengthy bout of procrastination.

Wish me luck,

-Johnny O.

What’s in a name?  Attacked By Monkeys: Post #15 on Procrastination

I looked back through my posts so far, and was surprised to find that I haven’t made a single post on this subject, before now.  I’ve mentioned procrastination, but this is the first dedicated post.  I could write a book about procrastination.  If procrastination were a skill, I would be its master.  Unfortunately it’s an addiction, and my own master I am definitely not.  Perhaps I’ll do a series of posts on procrastination, one of these days: what it is, what it isn’t, what works, what doesn’t.  I’ll get started on that, as soon as I have something more important to do. *sigh*

And: the monkeys.  Procrastination is a monkey on my back.  That reminded me of a brief missive that made me giggle my ass off, once upon a time.  My brother lives in Japan, and knows all sorts of other strange Cannuck/Yankie/Brit/Aussie ex-pats who make their home in the land of the rising sun.  It takes a certain type of fellow to seek out the most alien culture on Earth (compared to his own), and make his home there.  My bro knows some characters.  One fellow took off to tour the land of Sony and samurais on his motorcycle.  He wasn’t heard from for several days or weeks, and then at last an email arrived that went something like this:

Crossed Hokaido, and up the West coast.
Saw biggest temple ever.
Ate mangos picked by roadside.
Made great friends in Akita.
Got lost on way to Sapporo.  Bike broke down.  Attacked by monkeys.
Love to all, etc.

I wish I could find the original email, but I think I’ve given a sense of its contents.  Anyway, we all had a great laugh at the mental picture this conjured.  At least we know he’d survived.