Everything on the calendar. What is not there literally it doesn't exist to me.
Delivery of whatever by agreed calendar dates. Not before, not after.
Hot topics and things that potentially screw my day, I tackle that first thing early in the morning with a jar of hot coffee (use your preferred brew here).
Lunch time must be respected and I normally do it alone to rest my mind.
By end of the day, long walk alone, swimming or gym.
Before sleep time or while in bed, a podcast .... and bye bye.
I'm like Harry Potter: cooking elixirs and talking to snakes.
💻 Erlang, Elixir, etc developer for more than a dozen years.
🧬 Master of Biology.
☸️ Mahayana Buddhist
👦 2 sons' father
After highschool, for years I've thought I was lazy and that I would never get anything done. Then I became a nurse, worked 13 hours shifts and got a lot done, and I understood that I was not lazy but struggled with motivation.
Fast-forward a few years, I got diagnosed with ADD (ADHD without hyperactivity) and started the journey of understanding how my brain works and how I can work with it instead of against it.
There are lots of tips out there about how to make todo lists, how to take advantage calendars and reminders, how to set timers and use the pomodoro technique...
They all shared one downside (for me): when I set up a system, at the beginning I use it and it helps me, but after a short period of time (can be a few days or a few weeks) there is always one moment where I don't use the system. And then I never use it again, because it feels impossibly hard to go back to it.
It took me a few therapists and a few years to understand that my ADHD was made much worse by my perfectionnism. And here I don't mean perfectionnism as in what's your worst default? oh I'm a perfectionnist kind of interview bullshit, but as a real struggle that my brain uses as an avoidance strategy:
Brain: so I heard work/project/maintaining a clean house is hard, right? Let's not do it then, and procrastinate, and fail not because we're not good enough but because we didn't give a f*k, that's a lot less dangerous for our self-esteem
**Me: well we've used this strategy extensively in the past and it did not yield great results, so this time I've got a plan, we'll use **TOOL #X* It works great for a time, then life happens and either I fail to use the system or the system because too much stuff fell through the cracks Brain: oh look, it did not work this one time, so it's not perfect Me: yeah but it's ok, we still do better with the system than without Brain: didn't you hear me? It's not perfect, so there's absolutely no point in using it! Me: but... Brain: so we're gonna spend the day researching how Sway differs from Hyprland, reinstall our laptop, start configuring it and be bored just before it becomes usable
My therapist at the time really helped me to understand that as long as I didn't get a better understanding of why I was perfectionnist with a tendancy to self-sabotage, I would have trouble setting up systems that could help me and last long enough to make a difference.
And to the surprise of nobody, this all had roots in my self-esteem problems, and working on this really starts to make a difference.
I'm now able to tell myself that this comment is good enough, even if it's too long, probably has a few typos and weird phrasing (not a native english speaker) so I'll post it and go back to learning CS instead of spending the next 3 hours trying to fix it!
Have a good day everyone!
PS: Also, for me, using more paper and less digital for my calendar and todo lists tends to work better.
I’m a children’s musician and college algebra instructor working on a late-in-life iOS Dev career change. First project: a different kind of calendar for my dementia-challenged elderly mom.
Location
Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
Education
Master's in Mathematics
Pronouns
he/him
Work
Adjunct Instructor, College Algebra; Children's Musician
Is it procrastinating if you keep discovering cool and useful stuff that you will access later by keeping 30 tabs open? Yes. I have only just started telling myself that I only need to keep the currently relevant tabs open. However, this has led me to populating my desktop with direct links, which is ugly. So now, I have another mess to clean up, adding to the list of things, elongating the procrastination...
However, if I am genuinely fascinated by something, I dive in, all at once and get it done in .5 seconds. I would say the the most important thing in procrastination is priority management. A simple soft skill that can be organized by lists, charts, sheets and calendars. It's hard to keep track of. There is only so much space in our brains. Put that thought somewhere so you can access it later if its that important.
Getting things out of your head and into an organized system makes room in your mind to focus on the task at hand. This allows for a higher functioning brain in general. Who doesn't want that! If I do not have some kind of organization, I often find myself thinking in infinite loops and on going on whimsical ADHD tangents.
100% YES, but only when the work is boring as hell. But if I'm interested in the work, I do the opposite of procrastinating. I have to say that it's not bad per se, i think it's a method of surviving the stress and hardship of the job in many situations. But this is only the case if you don't attach negative connotations to it. Understand why you are procrastinating and if it's good or bad in that situation. If it's chronic it's another story though.
Yes I do! For me the goal is to get into "the flow" and to get into that I have a few tools and techniques:
Use something like Forest (app/extension) to block websites/apps and rewards you with fake money to buy new trees that you grow during use
Make sure you have a good plan for your feature on how to build it so you don't dwell on decisions
Have a playlist specifically designed to focus. For me that's a playlist full of soundscapes and music without any singing in it.
Reward myself when I'm doing well; taking a walk, getting a cup of coffee with a snack, watch a short youtube video
Work less from home; for me I can focus much better at the office, sort of group pressure or vibe. YMMV; I know a lot of people who are a lot more productive when working from home because they are getting a lot less disturbed.
Work on stuff that has meaning and gives you motivation. Making a new CTA button for client 237 for the 523th time that is also not going to be implemented or not going to make a difference? Or make a new page where sick people can find help to their problems?
Present the work you are proud off and share it with your coworkers. Reap those rewards and compliments and be sure to hand them out as well!
Understand that not doing work related stuff is fine too. I had a lot of fun with a co-worker once with recreating a effect we saw on Spotify. Eventually we could use the stuff we learned from that challenge for a client a few months later.
I guess I would be take the the greatest master championship in procrastinating if it would exist such... Look I was almost opening my terminal and running "bun dev" when I suddenly stumbled across this very urgent to answer discussion... 🤡
🚀 Computer Science undergrad | Tech explorer & writer | Passionate about programming languages, data structures, and more | Sharing my tech journey one post at a time ⭐
software engineer 👩💻, technical writer, i posts contents relating to Linux, C programming language, software tools, JavaScript, React e.t.c. 🟢Volunteer Mod and Challenge Judge here on DEV🟢
Yes, very much so. I find that I procrastinate a lot more when I don't get enough sleep or when I don't sleep well. Even 15 minutes less than my regularly scheduled 8 hours gets me to procrastinate more xD.
Yes, It's the most horrible thing I ever faced.
I saw the calendar every day and marked down the day It has been approx 110 days.
I improved a little bit but I can do it better Procrastination destroys everything
Can anyone tell me how to escape from Procrastination?
French web developer mainly but touches everything. Volunteer admin mod here at DEV. I learn AI and Astro at this moment and databases. — Addict to Cappuccino and Music
Yes I used to procrastinate a lot! The main reason behind the procrastination is negative self talks running behind the brain.
Solution:
Watch your thoughts, then replace those thoughts with positive ones. Try mindfulness meditation and work without judgement.
In recent times I feel like I procrastinated a little less which isn't much... I mean, I started to develop a blog site 4 years ago and still not even halfway there
Smiling person, father of two, Husband, Senior Developer/Architect (in that exact order, it's important)
Experience in development since 2004
Linux user and advocate since 2001
Programmed Canon Canola calculators in 1977. Assorted platforms and languages ever since. Assisting with HOPL.info.
I am NOT looking for work -- I've got more than enough to do.
Location
Perth, WA Australia
Education
A few diplomas.
Work
Software Engineer at [Daisy Digital](https://daisydigital.com.au/)
I'm Calin Baenen – AKA KattyTheEnby – a programmer born October 30th, 2006.
I love programming, it has been my passion since I was a kid, and will forever be my passion.
I'm a coder who has worn a lot of hats, from individual contributor to lead engineer to "CTO" (yes, in quotes, make of that what you will!). I've plenty to learn and hopefully some to share as well.
I try to stay goal-oriented as opposed to time-oriented. That is, "I need to do X, Y, and Z" today rather than "I need to sit in front of the keyboard for X hours". If I finish early, great.
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I literally opened this tab to answer it at 8AM. It's now 9:43.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not at all. My 2 cent to avoid procrastination:
Eat. Code. Exercise. Sleep. Repeat.
Yes. Write now I'm writing this answer instead of debugging my bot for Coze AI Bot Challenge. BTW, you are welcome to try it.
I procrastinate a horrible lot.
After highschool, for years I've thought I was lazy and that I would never get anything done. Then I became a nurse, worked 13 hours shifts and got a lot done, and I understood that I was not lazy but struggled with motivation.
Fast-forward a few years, I got diagnosed with ADD (ADHD without hyperactivity) and started the journey of understanding how my brain works and how I can work with it instead of against it.
There are lots of tips out there about how to make todo lists, how to take advantage calendars and reminders, how to set timers and use the pomodoro technique...
They all shared one downside (for me): when I set up a system, at the beginning I use it and it helps me, but after a short period of time (can be a few days or a few weeks) there is always one moment where I don't use the system. And then I never use it again, because it feels impossibly hard to go back to it.
It took me a few therapists and a few years to understand that my ADHD was made much worse by my perfectionnism. And here I don't mean perfectionnism as in what's your worst default? oh I'm a perfectionnist kind of interview bullshit, but as a real struggle that my brain uses as an avoidance strategy:
My therapist at the time really helped me to understand that as long as I didn't get a better understanding of why I was perfectionnist with a tendancy to self-sabotage, I would have trouble setting up systems that could help me and last long enough to make a difference.
And to the surprise of nobody, this all had roots in my self-esteem problems, and working on this really starts to make a difference.
I'm now able to tell myself that this comment is good enough, even if it's too long, probably has a few typos and weird phrasing (not a native english speaker) so I'll post it and go back to learning CS instead of spending the next 3 hours trying to fix it!
Have a good day everyone!
PS: Also, for me, using more paper and less digital for my calendar and todo lists tends to work better.
I'll tell you later.
Me to Dev: “Of course I do!”
Me to potential employers: “Procrastinate? What is that? No way, I never procrastinate!!”
Me to potential employers who see that comment…
Organization is Key
Is it procrastinating if you keep discovering cool and useful stuff that you will access later by keeping 30 tabs open? Yes. I have only just started telling myself that I only need to keep the currently relevant tabs open. However, this has led me to populating my desktop with direct links, which is ugly. So now, I have another mess to clean up, adding to the list of things, elongating the procrastination...
However, if I am genuinely fascinated by something, I dive in, all at once and get it done in .5 seconds. I would say the the most important thing in procrastination is priority management. A simple soft skill that can be organized by lists, charts, sheets and calendars. It's hard to keep track of. There is only so much space in our brains. Put that thought somewhere so you can access it later if its that important.
Getting things out of your head and into an organized system makes room in your mind to focus on the task at hand. This allows for a higher functioning brain in general. Who doesn't want that! If I do not have some kind of organization, I often find myself thinking in infinite loops and on going on whimsical ADHD tangents.
100% YES, but only when the work is boring as hell. But if I'm interested in the work, I do the opposite of procrastinating. I have to say that it's not bad per se, i think it's a method of surviving the stress and hardship of the job in many situations. But this is only the case if you don't attach negative connotations to it. Understand why you are procrastinating and if it's good or bad in that situation. If it's chronic it's another story though.
I'll get back to you on that rq
Yes I do! For me the goal is to get into "the flow" and to get into that I have a few tools and techniques:
I guess I would be take the the greatest master championship in procrastinating if it would exist such... Look I was almost opening my terminal and running "bun dev" when I suddenly stumbled across this very urgent to answer discussion... 🤡
Yes a lot..
Oh, definitely. After all, I'm sitting here writing this instead of doing the productive work which I should be doing...
Too much, unfortunately 😮💨. Most especially if it's work.
Yes, very much so. I find that I procrastinate a lot more when I don't get enough sleep or when I don't sleep well. Even 15 minutes less than my regularly scheduled 8 hours gets me to procrastinate more xD.
I don’t answer to that, gonna doomscroll twitters instead… 🥱
Yes, It's the most horrible thing I ever faced.
I saw the calendar every day and marked down the day It has been approx 110 days.
I improved a little bit but I can do it better Procrastination destroys everything
Can anyone tell me how to escape from Procrastination?
Yes. A lot.
Yes I used to procrastinate a lot! The main reason behind the procrastination is negative self talks running behind the brain.
Solution:
Watch your thoughts, then replace those thoughts with positive ones. Try mindfulness meditation and work without judgement.
I decided to start practice coding from 10 am. But I somehow ended up wasting 6 hours in playing a game and started coding at 5pm instead.
In recent times I feel like I procrastinated a little less which isn't much... I mean, I started to develop a blog site 4 years ago and still not even halfway there
I waited before replying … wait I tell you if I do in a moment … maybe
Yes, I do. Only if I could get paid to do it.
My best tip is to try to tackle as soon as possible.
All the time.
Guilty as charged.
Yes, unfortunately.
I need to pick up some slack - but school, and other things, make me sooo lazy.
I try to stay goal-oriented as opposed to time-oriented. That is, "I need to do X, Y, and Z" today rather than "I need to sit in front of the keyboard for X hours". If I finish early, great.