Does anybody else here have procrastination issues?

[Metalhead]

I feel good when I keep my apartment clean and I feel good when I am able to keep work before play.

The sad thing is I often slip back into "play before work" mode, and I often spend an entire day playing a video game, binge watching a TV series, or reading manga instead of doing what I need to do to take care of myself.

When I am at my job and on the clock, I am able to stay focused. But once I get home, all bets are usually off. I usually just open up a can of soda, take a hit from the bong, sit back, and vegetate the rest of the day.

Yeah, I have a real problem with procrastination, and it probably has absolutely nothing to do with my Asperger diagnosis at all. I look for immediate gratification where I can find it, my sponsor tells me. He is probably right about that.

So, if any of you have been successful in conquering a procrastination habit, I would love to hear about it. I can manage to not procrastinate for about a week or two, but then it creeps back in and a week later I am back where I started. That is not a very healthy cycle to be living in.

 

[kay]

I am horrible about procrastination but not in the same way you are. I don't do fun things first, I just tend to find less important task to obsess over first. I can always find 20 other task to do before I do the thing that really needs done. Today I felt the need to worry about trying to stop junk mail, sorting toiletries, reading and commenting here on the forum, catching up on e-mail that could have easily waited two or three weeks. Meanwhile the kitchen is still a mess, clothes still need in the dryer and paintings don't paint themselves. So, I swear I will just read one more post and then off to the attic where more procrastination awaits. Sorry, I obviously have no tips, I suspect though after a day at work you need a lot of down time and may not be procrastinating so much as trying to recover. So, I do have a tip after all I guess. Simplify your home chores so you have less to procrastinate about. Your sponsor could be right and that is something to consider but us aspies tend to over do it pretty easily and fall into a similar pattern to what you describe. My weakness is Pinterest after I have been out and about. And my NT boyfriend even can end up binge watching mindless tv in an effort to recover from work. Yep, I guess I did have advice. Simplify at home stuff so it's not so demanding and feel free to have that magna reading downtime to some degree. Just try to find a bit of a balance. I will try to take my own advice.

 

[WereBear]

Set a timer? Do 15 minutes of a pleasurable thing, then 15 minutes of what you have to do, or vice versa.

It’s possible part of your brain sees the whole thing as too big.

 

[Gracey]

Being aware of procrastinating is a great foundation to build upon.

Sorry I can't offer any handy hints and tips, I believe I may have been procrastinating instead of living life for the best part of thirty years

 

[the_tortoise]

I have some issues with procrastination, but I have discovered that sometimes what looks like procrastination is actually just a shifting/organizational problem....I'm not putting off or avoiding doing what needs to be done, I just can't see how I'm going to do it and/or I have no plan for the "when" of it.

 

[SusanLR]

Procrastination is the big easy for me.
Especially when it comes to deadlines and appointments.
I don't particularly care about driving anyway and if I
have somewhere to be at an appointed time, errr.
I usually make it, but in a rush for time.
Around the house I wish I had more time to just relax
and do what I feel like doing.
But, I look around and see so many things that need to
be done, my mind starts racing about it and I can't relax.
I try to put things in order of importance.
If I can get a few things done, then I feel I've accomplished
something but cheated myself out of 'Me" time.
So I'm chasing my tail.

 

[Progster]

Yes, I do procrastinate, but I know that this is something that everyone does from time to time. It's more often the case that I get sidetracked and then forget or don't get round to doing something. I need to make myself post-it notes to remind myself to do things.

I try to make a point of going and doing something straight away as soon as I remember to do it and not leaving it to later, as long as this is practically possible, but that usually means that I forget something else in the process.

 

[WereBear]

I hate housecleaning. I even have a good excuse: I had bad, "forced cleaning," experiences. So I would procrastinate until guests or my own sense of wanting clean quarters would kick in, and usually it would require a whole day of funk music and a stiff mixed drink

But an Apple app called UnFilth Your Habitat introduced me to the concept of using a timer. Just clean for 5, 10, 15 minutes. If I see something needs to be cleaned, I jump in and clean it and not put it off; because it would only take 5, 10, 15 minutes.

I hate dusting most of all, so I don't have much clutter on my surfaces, I use glass-doored bookcases, and I invest in tools which make the job easier.

This has transformed my tasks into doesn't make me panic and I don't need to do those marathons any more.

But it goes for lots of things: if a task is daunting, make it smaller, shorter, less.

 

[tree]

 

[disconnected]

I procrastinate, but I thought it was due to executive functioning skills?

 

[DCA]

I procrastinate A LOT. To the point where its gotten me in trouble at work. Only minor issues so far. But its definitely something I need to work on & get better at...

 

[Ezra]

I'll answer this later.