I’m very passionate about the problem of procrastination, having suffered terribly from it all my life. For some people it’s a relatively minor thing, but for others it’s debilitating– ruining educations, careers, relationships.What has been blowing my mind lately– and I’m always doing all the reading and experimentation I can about this– is how much of this is PHYSICAL. Hanks talks about headaches and stomach disorders– for me, it’s always been anxiety and loss of appetite. Which leads to low/volatile blood sugar, which leads to mental fogginess, inaction, and worsens the cycle of procrastination.

If I could go back in time to my teenage days and change one thing, it wouldn’t be scheduling, prioritization, visualization, environment-management, monotasking, and breaking down tasks into little chunks. (Though all of those things are very helpful.)

It would be to eat a hearty breakfast every morning. I’m thoroughly convinced on hindsight that it makes the biggest difference. You need a clear mind to do all of the hard, messy work of dealing with reality, and to have a clear mind you need to eat, hydrate, sleep and exercise.

–

• 4-steps
  • Low expectancy? You don’t think you can do it? You can fucking do it. Go watch the videos.
  • Low value? You don’t think it’s worth it? Revisit your purpose. Finish this post and you’ll have one more data point. You didn’t think the Lady Gaga post was going to amount to very much, yet somebody quoted it in Forbes. You have no idea what’s actually valuable or not.
  • Impulsiveness? You’re caught up doing other shit? You need a commitment device. Talk to Sharan.
  • Delays? Things seem too far away? Break into smaller chunks.
• Checklist #LessWrong
  • 1: What is the task? Make sure you’re going to focus on one thing at a time.
  • 2: Do you have something to drink? Get yourself some tea, coffee, or water.
  • 3: Are distractions closed? Shut the door, quit Tweetdeck, close the Facebook and Gmail tabs, and set skype to “Do not disturb.”
  • 4: What music will you listen to inspire yourself to be productive or get in flow? Put on a good instrumental playlist! (I love video game soundtracks, further notes in comments.)
  • 5: Why are you doing this task?  Trace the value until you feel the benefit.
  • 6: What are the parts to this task?  Break things down as much as you can, until they’re physical actions if possible.
  • 7: What are some ways to gamify the task?  Try to have fun with it!
  • 8: What are some rewards you can offer yourself for completing sections of the task? Smiling, throwing your arms up in the air and proclaiming victory, or M&M’s all count.
  • 9: What’s an achievable goal for this sitting? Set a reasonable expectation for yourself.
  • 10: How long will you work until you take a break?  Set a timer and commit to focusing.
  • Get into flow!
• Get Unstuck Immediately
  You came here because you are stuck. I’m going to get you unstuck.
  • Do you have something in mind that you want to do?
    • Yes. I have something important/urgent. It needs doing.
      • Will you go do it now?
        • Yes!
        • Yes, but…
        • No, something’s stopping me.
        • I’ll never do anything. I hate myself.
      • You think you’re going to falter halfway? Set a time limit
    • Kinda. I have a bunch of tasks and stuff but I don’t know where to start
      • Okay. Do you have a written list of these tasks anywhere?
        • Yes
        • No
    • No. I’m so far gone that I have no idea wtf I am doing with my life
      • I feel ya. Don’t worry. I’ve been there before. I got out of it. I’m here to help you.