How Do You Get Work Done?

I would recommend some exercise by Delphix · 2003-07-27 04:22 · Score: 5, Insightful

Exercise would be my first recommendation. It will keep your sleep habits in line pretty well. Physical activity seems to be what's missing from most of our lives today. If I don't make it to the gym, my schedule will slip quickly to 1AM, 2AM, 4AM...which isn't good since I left college years ago ;-) The other thing I would recommend is finding a buddy to go do exercise with you. It helps if you're both accountable to each other for showing up. And just having someone to do it with you doesn't hurt. This carries over to work as well. I'd imagine you sit there thinking about a million things, but you can't concentrate on what you need to do because it seems like you can put it off. The later, you wind up with many things to do and little time. You get a bunch of work done at this point, but there's so much you have trouble keeping up with it. I had the very same problem in college. Another thing that might help you is getting a job a couple hours a week. As long as I've had something constant to do, it's kept me going. Just don't get something that follows you home...go there, do your work and then head to class or do some homework. Honestly, part of it is just sheer will as well. You have to resist the urge to just read a page and put stuff down. Set a bedtime for yourself and a wake up time for yourself and follow them. That's about the best advice I can give you. If you do have some mental disorder such as ADHD only a psychologist can diagnose it. Although many times it's over diagnosed.

Re:I would recommend some exercise by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 04:42 · Score: 2, Insightful

Getting daily exercise and having a set routine helped me very much when I had to overcome the same problem. I breezed through undergrad, doing absolutely no work, and then I started law school, which meant that I had to actually study for once in my life, and I didn't know how to do it. If I had 30 pages assigned for the next day, I'd procrastinate for a few hours, read 5 pages or so, go check email, baseball scores, maybe turn on the tv for a minute, get a snack, talk on the phone, and before I knew it, I'd wasted another hour and a half. I finally gave myself a set schedule where I'd go to school in the morning, work out after that, get dinner and run errands, then spend the next three hours studying away from my apartment. If there are too many distractions in your apt/dorm/whatever, don't study there. If the weather's good, go read in a park, or if not, find a library, bookstore, empty room, or any quiet space without distractions. Don't bring your cell phone!
Re:I would recommend some exercise by atempleton · 2003-07-27 05:08 · Score: 5, Insightful

I have had similar experiences and I focus on two solutions:

1) Regular exercise (even 20 minutes of brisk walking each day can help) and keep the coffee consumption fairly low (it tends to make you scatter brained)
2) Break projects down into smaller chunks. For example, if you have 100 pages to read, break it down into 10 10-page chunks and do them one at a time with breaks in between. Or if it's a complicated project, break it into steps and follow a similar pattern.

The only other thing is to JUST GET STARTED. Sometimes the first chunk/step is the hardest step. Just do it, as they say....
Re:I would recommend some exercise by enthused+i+swear · 2003-07-27 05:10 · Score: 5, Insightful

I would NOT recommend caffeine of any kind. In fact, stop drinking it all together. I used to have the same problem you did, and nothing seemed to be able to change it. There have been many threads on ./ about the effects of caffeine, and for more information I suggest looking there. Basically, when you need sleep and take caffeine, the caffeine blocks your body from feeling tired, while still having all of the effects of drowsiness. You're brain is asleep, but your body is awake and you lose cognitive functions.

I used to be very addicted to caffeine, but quit because if i missed drinking coffee or a coke, I started to get horrible headaches, and it just scared me too much. As an added bonus, my productivity shot up quite a bit. It really is all about regulating sleep for maximum concentration. I highly recommend a normal sleep schedule and stay away from caffeine. (IANAD)
Re:I would recommend some exercise by MCZapf · 2003-07-27 05:39 · Score: 4, Insightful

I have to agree with your "JUST GET STARTED" advice. That's the first thing I thought when I read this article. For me, I was often overwhelmed by the large scope of some projects, and I didn't know where to start. Or worse, I just didn't have the motivation to start.
But, if I just started doing some work, even if it was the most half-assed prototyping, my mind soon got into gear and I got going. It also helps me to start working when I think I don't have time for it, such as an hour before I had to go to class. The artificial deadline made me want to finish up whatever little task I had started before I went to class.
I've tried setting aside whole days for projects, and it never works. I always goof off because I feel I have so much time on my hands.
Re:I would recommend some exercise by Lemmy+Caution · 2003-07-27 06:38 · Score: 5, Insightful

There's a split here between those who look for moral explanations, and those who look for explanations in substrata.

I'd try changing diet and habits like caffiene first. Attentive mechanisms in the brain are neurochemical, like everything else in the brain. I know it's a horrifying idea for some, but the fact is that we are physical, material beings, and our minds and personalities are products of that physicality. If those basic changes don't help, then it's appropriate to look at self-help or personality-based issues. But all the self-help in the world won't do a bit of good if you're going against hardware.
Re:I would recommend some exercise by Skeezix · 2003-07-27 08:14 · Score: 4, Insightful

I identify completely. For me the biggest hurdle to overcome is getting started because when I have some task that seems enormous, I get overwhelmed. I look at all the things I have to do rather than focusing on taking the first step. When I actually do get to it, I realize it's often not so bad, and after getting that first step done, I have a sense of accomplishment which pushes me to take the second step, the third, and so on...
I struggle with this in almost every area of my life: my professional career, work at home, spare-time hacking, even romance. The only way I can really get stuff done is to take it in chunks. The thought of cleaning the entire house may be daunting, but certainly the thought of loading the dishwasher isn't so bad. And after I'm done with that, mopping the kitchen floor isn't that big of a task, and so on....

--
Celebrate the finer things in life
Re:I would recommend some exercise by Lemmy+Caution · 2003-07-27 08:50 · Score: 4, Insightful

I agree with this 95% - but I think a hardware/software metaphor isn't too stretched here. There are some "levels of analysis" that are more effective at the software/mind/thought/personality level, and some that are more effective at the endocrinology/neurology/physical health level.

But one place, among many, that the metaphor breaks down in that there's a less graceful degradation in computer technology. A broken computer just doesn't work; there's only a limited range in which hardware problems will appear as system behaviour problems. A body which is having "problems" will still apparently continue to operate the same for quite some time, especially for very subtle things like concentration, attention, mental energy, etc. Because the brain and body degrade more gracefully, it's harder to distinguish between high-level and low-level causes for issues.
Re:I would recommend some exercise by nano-second · 2003-07-27 17:32 · Score: 2, Insightful

I have experienced the same problems, and over my university career (I'm just finishing my last term) I have slowly gotten better. I'm not too bad on homework because it is easier to see an end to a specific assignment, but I still have trouble studying. Don't take medication, there is nothing wrong with you. It's difficult to make yourself work on stuff and almost everyone encounters this.
I concur with the recommendations about exercise and breaking things into small goals. However, it's important not to be too focused on the breaks. If you can focus on something for longer, work on it longer. What motivates me more is if I plan something fun to do that I have to X amount done before. Even if it's just watching a movie on my computer or eating supper out somewhere cheap.
I also find making schedules and lists really helps. It gives you something to cross off, so you feel like you've accomplished something and it helps me focus if I've got what I need to do written down. Break it down into as fine detail as you need. If you need to schedule every hour, do so, for me, usually setting aside which day to work on something is sufficient.
Always follow the WORK FIRST, FUN AFTER rule. It never, ever, works in the other direction, there's no motivation to stop fun and work until the last minute.
If it helps you, write down the mark you'd like to get in the course and work backwards for how well you need to do on each assignment, leaving a little lee-way for mistakes. Although, ideally one is motivated by learning, getting decent marks is important too.
I find that working on campus, if I can avoid friends, can also be beneficial because there are fewer distractiions than at home.
I often find myself overwhelmed with stuff and not feeling like working on the thing that is highest priority. This is a dangerous situation because I used to end up working on nothing. Now, I make a deal with myself, I can ignore the highest priority thing as long as I'm doing some other schoolwork. That way, you're still making some progress. I would also suggest that while in school, never give yourself an entire day off. Make sure you do some reading or studying or a question or two for some course each day. The more this becomes habit, the less you'll have to do a crazy all-night cram because you've been ignoring stuff all week.
So in summary:
1. Exercise and small goals are good
2. make fun plans that are rewards for accomplishing tasks
3. write a list of tasks and a schedule (a big wall calendar with due dates helps)
4. work first, fun after
5. remind yourself of the marks/learning that each task represents
6. find a work environment with the minimum of distractions
7. Always work on something even if it's not the highest priority.
8. Work on something everyday
Something that has never worked for me, but does for some people is to set strict bed time and wake-up times so that you always get enough sleep and are forced to use sane hours for work.

--
I hope you're not pretending to be evil while secretly being good. That would be dishonest.

Do you like what you do? by allism · 2003-07-27 04:25 · Score: 3, Insightful

If you REALLY like what you do, you will be more interested in doing it than surfing, you won't procrastinate, etc. If you're not excited about what you're doing (and I mean so excited that you can't WAIT to jump on your latest project) you might wanna consider choosing another field.

--
Denver Isuzu Suzuki

Re:Do you like what you do? by nomadic · 2003-07-27 04:30 · Score: 4, Insightful

Unfortunately for many people there is no commercial, paying field which they'd enjoy.

If he's really worried about procrastination on the job, however, something a little more structured like systems administration might be a better choice. When you have people screaming at you because they just lost all connectivity, the urge to procrastinate for the most part vanishes.
Re:Do you like what you do? by spazoid12 · 2003-07-27 04:52 · Score: 4, Insightful

I don't agree with that assumption. I really like what I do. A lot. But, I often have a similar problem with procrastination. In my case it's often because I enjoy thinking about the problem and solving it in my mind. Implementation is a long boring part that I sometimes even dread. Documentation is even worse.

I noticed this kind of problem started with me in about 1995. I was a Mac dev at the time and was suddenly finding myself exhausted by Apple's continuous cycle of producing massive huge API's for devs to learn...all just to abandon them shortly thereafter. PowerTalk was one such example. If you want to build a world-class product it's going to need to have all 1 million checklist items finished as features in it. Which means you have to follow all the trends and respond accordingly. Trouble is, each one trend is a huge job.

It used to be that a single person could produce a great work in the computer field as a hobbiest. Commercial software wasn't a whole lot more impressive than shareware. Now days it's tough to go alone. You can do it if your application targets a niche. But, imagine writing a shareware word processor alone today? Who would bother? Why? OSS gives us a way to deal with this by removing the "alone" factor, replacing it with ad-hoc teams, or virtual teams, or even real teams. But, OSS is starting to really piss me off. Maybe people that still support OSS haven't been out of a job for enough months.

So, today, there is just so much to know and learn and follow. It's too easy to start feeling that it's all just a bunch of crap trivia and lose interest entirely. I have long-time (18+ years) dev friends that now sell cars and hope to never touch a computer again. At my last job I'd look out the window at a construction crew and wish I could be shovelling dirt, too. Of course, they looked up at the building and wished they could be out of the rain.

How do you keep up your C++ skills, and your Perl skills, and your Java skills...while learning UML, trying out Struts, contributing to Mozilla, developing on opinion on Rebol, D, or Erlang... offering "tech support" to all your family and friends, ... the list goes on.... How do you do this and not begin to be exhausted by it?

Another poster suggested exercise. He might be right. I used to run a *lot* and play inline skate hockey. But, all that ended about 1995. So, for me at least...it's either lack of exercise, or the fact that CS is more complicated chock full of trivia than ever before, or the combination of both.
Re:Do you like what you do? by aussersterne · 2003-07-27 05:49 · Score: 5, Insightful
I think the crux of the issue here (and what you are getting at) is that work and study are much easier to accomplish if you are passionate about them; if you have a personal point of view, something unique to contribute, an unfailing interest in the subject matter, or some other conscious driving force behind it.

Unfortunately, in the modern world, this is very difficult.
- Very few types of work leave room for individuality or craftsmanship any longer. Nearly any type of work you do is likely to relegate you in some way, metaphorical or otherwise, to a position of "cog in a wheel in the giant machine."
- Nearly all of modern industry also requires a dedicated, detailed skill set that tends to take years to master, often descends into minutiae at the expense of the "bigger picture" and that tends to compartmentalize one within the field (i.e. you have studied to be this kind of cog in the wheel, and after you put in your decades to master it, you will be stuck as that cog forever, because it will take far too long to train to become another kind of cog).
- Because of the nature of the modern marketplace, there is very little room for individuality, passion, or points of view. Whether in academics or business, if your work and even your general demeanor are not well-suited to maximize profit, you will quickly find yourself out of work. Thus, in the interest of staying active (i.e. employed, in school, funded by grants, etc.) in a field, people generally try to sublimate themselves to the greatest extent possible, becoming the most colorless, generic cog they can be.
- As a kind of corollary, work or study in any field these days also generally involves a large percentage of time coping with business-oriented and political issues, rather than the issues at hand. A successful photographer is first and foremost a successful businessman. A successful systems analyst is first and foremost a successful businessman. A successful lawyer is first and foremost a successful businessman. A successful doctor is first and foremost a successful businessman. Ad infinitum.
None of this breeds any kind of productivity ethic. Even if you are very interested in a field, and approach its study with enthusiasm, you are likely to run out of steam before you reach the end of your study, gradually disillusioned by the degree to which you must endlessly specialize, sublimate your own identity, avoid creativity, sacrifice future freedoms and learn the ins and outs of petty business, all in order to simply build a career doing something you thought you liked.

I personally feel that most men (and women) given a chance would prefer to be craftsmen (and women) of some kind, in whatever their chosen field, bringing a quality and uniquely personal product to the people of their own community. Instead, because of the nature of the modern marketplace, many essentially become clerks and civil servants in one field or another order to be able to draw a wage.

As a result, and lacking enthusiasm, we end up sitting around browsing the Web and dreaming of something better... but those who develop the fortitude to switch inevitably find that their new field is, on balance, not all that different from their last one... still all business, anonymity and colorless, impersonal nonsense.
--
STOP . AMERICA . NOW

what i used to do... by the+idoru · 2003-07-27 04:25 · Score: 2, Insightful

when i had to study for an exam, or do some work that didn't require the computer, i would use it as an opportunity to defrag my HDDs. keeps you away from the computer/web/games and might just force you to get osmething done.

Re:Stop Reading Slashdot! by Homology · 2003-07-27 04:26 · Score: 2, Insightful

My record is 55 hours of straight coding.

I'm sure that the code produced are of real high quality.

Re:Stop Reading Slashdot! by nomadic · 2003-07-27 04:28 · Score: 5, Insightful

My record is 55 hours of straight coding.

Followed, no doubt, by six weeks of debugging.

programming by nunofgs · 2003-07-27 04:28 · Score: 2, Insightful

I seem to have a bit of the same problem as you when it comes to programming... I sit down, start to code, and at the first problem I encounter, I just load up mozilla and lose myself for hours... I have found a solution tho, I un-plug my cable modem! seriously! Then I resume coding... sometimes I find myself opening mozilla only to find there's no internet connection so I continue coding

Exercise by fredrikj · 2003-07-27 04:28 · Score: 5, Insightful

I am very familiar with your problem, and the thing I'd recommend is getting a decent amount of physical exercise. I always find it easier to concentrate on schoolwork (or any other work) after 30-45 minutes of running and a shower.

The biggest problem is motivation. Often when I don't feel like working, I definitely don't feel like exercising either :)

One word: Discipline by nurb432 · 2003-07-27 04:29 · Score: 1, Insightful

Just stop being a child and do your work. Then you can play.

Gotta learn how to be an adult sooner or later, might as well be now.

No this isn't meant to be a troll, its just reality. Use a crutch now, always use a crutch. Its time to grow up dude.

--
---- Booth was a patriot ----

Re:One word: Discipline by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 05:22 · Score: 2, Insightful

I agree,but if you're having trouble with this, and you're covered, SEE A SHRINK.

People on slashdot always say "IANAL", because they aren't experts on the law. More people should say "IANA Therapist", because we aren't experts on human behavior, but therapists are.
Re:One word: Discipline by JimBobJoe · 2003-07-27 05:48 · Score: 5, Insightful

**Worst advice ever**

Him: "Can slashdot tell me what I need to get myself boostrapped and productive?"

You: "You know what you need punk? To bootstrap yourself and get to work!"

He knows what his problem is, that's why he's asking the /. community. He's seeking out different ways at becoming productive. Your response was delightfully unhelpful.

Some people are blessed with the talent to just be effortlessly productive. Others need to put effort into it, some will not become productive until a crisis hits them, and a few will never be productive at all (which costs everyone time and money.) If you're in the first group, then congratulations, if you're in the second group, then congratulations that you found your system, if you're in the third group then I'm sorry for whatever may have happened (that also seem to have added a new crutch to you that you're not entirely aware of.)

My personal experience... by JohnGrahamCumming · 2003-07-27 04:30 · Score: 5, Insightful

I'd start with not setting aside an entire day for work, that's just overwhelming
for anyone. When you start by telling yourself "I'm going to work all day" you
are probably going to fail because just the sheer length of the day and magnitude
of what you have to get done can become overwhelming.

The key to fixing your problem is probably to make the tasks in front of you not
seem so overwhelming through a number of techniques. I sympathize with your plight
because as a student myself I had a hard time initially, but it's worth knowing
that over time your ability to work hard for longer will improve... like so many
other things it's a question of practice.

Music may or may not help you, that seems to be a very personal thing. I can't
stand to have music while I work (because I want to listen to it and not work)
but have a colleague who has music on (low volume) all the time. Personally I
have found that the quiet droning voices on NPR help keep my mind on the job and
if something I really do care about comes on it's a little welcome break from
what I am doing.

You might also find that some other non-work activities actually bring more focus
when you are working. If you go to a gym, run or do some other physical exercise
I've found that it has a great effect on concentrating the mind. If you are
drinking a lot of caffeine laden drinks while working you might find that cutting
back enables you to concentrate more because you are not overstimulated by caffeine.

But specifically...

1. Prioritize the work

Sit down and make a list of all the tasks that you have to get done. I use a
real paper notebook for that sort of thing because it's satisfying to cross them
off as you go.

Once you've made the list order them (1, 2, 3, ...) in terms of how much of the
job you'll get done, or how hard they are to do. If you knock off a few hard
tasks at the start when you are more focused you'll start to feel better and the
smaller tasks coming later will seem less overwhelming. (I think in the Seven
Habits book this is "Put first things first"---but really it's commonsense, if
you get out of the way the stuff you are dreading doing you'll feel better and
get more done).

For example, right now I am working on the test suite for my open source project
and it's *boring*, *long* and *hard*. But I've got a list and slowly by slowly
I'm seeing progress.

One reason that lists can be problematic is if you write down all the tasks and
realize that you haven't got enough time... hence the next topic...

2. Set yourself some goals

It's important to take your list and set some goals. "I'm going to finish
task X by lunch". Then try to stick to them. If you find yourself unable to
stick to the goals and timings then go back and replan. You'll have a better
idea of how long the task is going to take and that will motivate you more...
Thinks "If I finish Y tonight, then tomorrow I'll just need to do A, B and C"

3. Reward yourself

I've found that stopping my main tasks and doing a little other task that I
find interesting is a good way to keep the motivation up. For example, I'll
have a goal "finish X" and when I've done it I'll stop and do something unrelated
which I enjoy.

For example on my open source project I have this long boring test suite to write,
each time I complete a task I work on a fun task associated with the performance
of the project. You can do something similar which means you actually praise
yourself through a reward for going something done.

4. Eat well

Nothing like being hungry to screw things up. Eat good food, stop for meals and
eat them.

Good luck,
John.

Re:Some friendly advice... by mesach · 2003-07-27 04:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

Agreed. I have ADD, I'm not hyperactive(i do fidgit). But the current buzzword is ADHD, and many people completely forget about ADD as an option if they aren't hyper.

Goto a doctor and try to get on stratera or some equivalent.

AND STAY OFF OF THE WEB... its the worlds greatest time saver/waster

--
moo.

Get started by Vireo · 2003-07-27 04:35 · Score: 2, Insightful

As many out there, I have the same problem (major case of procrastination). However, I sometimes get the job done. Generally, the problem does not lie when working: the problem is getting started. Once I'm studying or working on a project (be it code, report, etc.), I generally enter "the zone" and I am able to work for 3-4 hours straight at an amazing pace. So what you want to do is get over the preparation phase and get started the earlier possible. Find something interesting fast in what you have to do.

Another tip: when studying, do not just read a book. Take notes.

overcoming this problem by Poletown · 2003-07-27 04:36 · Score: 5, Insightful

I used to suffer from this problem REAL BAD. Like you, I could not get anything done, even if I locked myself in my office for the whole day. The Internet, MP3's, TV, whatever was available served as a distraction. I purchased countless books on procrastination, all of the "PUMP YOURSELF UP" motivator books, asked other people for advice, etc. Nothing worked. Then one day, I don't even remember how, I came up with a system that worked. Each time I had a project to work on, I would sit down the night before and develop a plan. 1) I break down each of the major tasks needed to be completed. 2) Under each task, I break down all of the subsections that needed to be completed 3) Under each subsection, I fill in the details that needed to be done (sometimes in paragraph form). 4) After everything is listed, I go back through and assign time guidlines. When I follow this, it works out great. I think the whole problem is that sometimes a big project like writing a term paper is just overwhelming. Rather than trying to figure out where to begin and what to do, it's easier just to click onto your browser of choice and say "I'll do it later". When everything is listed and broken down into little sections, the project isn't as overwhelming. Just a bunch of 'little projects' that need to be done. I'm not if this will work for you, but it makes things MUCH easier for me. Good Luck

Re:overcoming this problem by switcha · 2003-07-27 05:35 · Score: 2, Insightful

I find the best part of doing the 'mini-goals' is that as I see more and more things physically checked/crossed off, my pace picks up. When you see so many things scratched off and fewer things left, it's like seeing the finish line.
For a project or even just my 'to-do' list for each workday, I sit down and write down all the stuff, and then tape it up on the side of my monitor. After lunch, when I see 50% or more of the things crossed off, I start to really work fast, as I know if I finish early, I can just leave work or goof off for the rest of the day and have a PBR.

--
You know what? ... A little club soda *did* get that out!
Re:overcoming this problem by n3k5 · 2003-07-27 06:44 · Score: 2, Insightful

one thing you have to keep in mind when you do this is that it's impossible to make a perfect plan beforehand -- it can change every time. if your plan says that task 2 will be done after task 1, and task one turns out to be delayed postponed due to previously unknown circumstances, you must absolutely avoid ignoring task 2 as long as number 1 is unfinished. this happened to me in the past, because i prioritized my to-do-list so the most important task would be done first, and i often made the mistake of thinking it wouldn't make much sense to do anythign else as long as the most important issue was still waiting to be dealt with. i have since learned that choosing what to do is actually quite difficult. always picking the top priority activity is wrong, because it could take hours or even days until you find the motication to actually finish it -- time in which you could accomplish other things. but it's also wrong to think any activity is okay, as long as it makes your to-do-list shorter, because a tidy, cleaned apartment and alphabetically ordered CD collection won't help you with the paper that's due tomorrow.

what works for me is talking to a person to which i'm important and who cares about me, and telling him/her of my most important issues in a way that i know they will ask me about them a few days later. this gives me motivation to get things done, so i can be proud when i tell him/her about them, and i'm also reminded to tackle tasks i haven't been motivated enough for yet.

--
but what do i know, i'm just a model.

Solution: DO NOT WAIT TO GET STARTED! by Knife_Edge · 2003-07-27 04:36 · Score: 3, Insightful

The instant you think of something that you need to do, immediately begin doing it. If you are at college, you should have a constant barrage of things. Do not bother trying to organize your time beyond the classes you must attend and meals you must eat. If you follow my advice correctly, you should be busy constantly.

The problem you are having is that you have many things to do. Sitting around worrying which to work on first is just a waste of time. Which did you think of first? Work on that one until you make significant progress, then switch to whatever you thought of next. Constant calculations about how to make yourself more efficient by prioritizing tasks drain your energy and increase your stress, while using my 'work whenever you think about work' method will get things done.

If you get distracted between the time you think of something you need to do and the time it takes to start doing it, you have the attention span of a hamster. I would warn you that you can make up all sorts of excuses for this, like attention deficit disorder, all the while insisting that you are intelligent (which may be true). But being intelligent is only the potential to do things - nobody will care that you are intelligent if you are too unfocused to use your mind. Lack of accomplishment equals lack of capability in most people's minds.

Concentrate. Stay busy. Start now.

Re:Some friendly advice... by chrisbro · 2003-07-27 04:40 · Score: 4, Insightful

Hell yes, stay off the web. This has to be my number one time waster. I sometimes just find myself mindlessely hitting refresh every 5 seconds or so on /. or some other news site before I realize that I'm zoned out. There's just too much information on the web out there, you can easily get lost in it. Found myself reading a factoid list of Earth info (wow, I didn't know the longest mountain chain was under the Atlantic!) for an hour the other day while I should have been doing other things. Only use the web if you really need to (or anything else that allows deviation, for that matter).

Re:my spew by harvardian · 2003-07-27 04:46 · Score: 5, Insightful

I'd like to emphasize the importance of meaningfulness to help combat procrastination.

When I started college, I was a psychology major. Whenever I sat down to do work, I could never bring myself to do it before midnight, just like you. In fact, I'd often procrastinate by doing work on the school newspaper's website.

After a year and a half of procrastination hell every night I suddenly realized that if I procrastinate by writing code (alright, it was ASP, and VBScript doesn't really count), maybe I should make CS what I do ALL the time. I became a CS major and have been happier ever since.

As a side note, even though I'm much happier I still don't start work early (usually around 10 PM). Do yourself a favor and don't put unreasonable expectations on yourself -- don't sit down at 3 PM and say "okay, let's get cracking!" if you know you won't. Relax until after dinner, and then start up work. It'll save you a lot of frustration and you'll probably get started on your work sooner.

And PLEASE don't take ritalin or something else like that. 60% of the students I know procrastinate their asses off. It's not because all of us have ADD, it's because sometimes studying sucks. To underscore this point, whenever I've worked a real job (two internships doing CS stuff) I've never procrastinated simply because I find significantly more motivation to do the work. So it's not like my rampant procrastination was a mental defect.

No caffeine after 6 PM. by AntiOrganic · 2003-07-27 04:46 · Score: 4, Insightful

This might sound ludicrous to those who live off of caffeine, but I've found caffeine absolutely has a completely detrimental effect on my ability to get work done. I become panicky, nervous and confused, and I can't keep a clear train of thought.

This certainly does not apply to everyone, but may to you.

We call this discipline by rblancarte · 2003-07-27 04:49 · Score: 4, Insightful

All this takes is discipline. There is no real secret to this. We are not talking just deciding to do things better, we are talking about actually making a shift in how you focus on your goals. I hate to say it, but it will mostly come with maturity. All you need to do is decide, "It is time to get serious about this all. I will do my work now and not put it off for later, I will not procrastinate, I will not surf the net or play doom or anything, I will get my computer work done." It just takes some dedication and dicipline.

Sorry, I know you are looking for that magic pill that is the solution for this, but there isn't one. This just takes a shift in the fundamental way that you see your priorities.

RonB

--
It is human nature to take shortcuts in thinking.

Re:We call this discipline by idlethought · 2003-07-27 05:22 · Score: 5, Insightful

All this takes is discipline. There is no real secret to this.

This is of course circular reasoning.. You need the discipline to develop the discipline etc..

It's true of course, like most circular reasoning, without being helpful.. Already there have been some very sensible and practical suggestions for getting that initial focus. If once you start you can keep going then it's finding that initial focus that counts. Excercise is one good suggestion- excess energy can express it self in lack of concentration. The other very good suggestion was the visualising the initial steps in the task. Very often with a big bit of work of any sort knowing where to start is the tricky part.

I often find when writing a document for work I can't make a start on it until I have the initial structure and more importantly most of the first paragraph planned. The first paragraph is usually utter crap and needs to be dumped, but it creates the crack in the wall to start on.
Another idea might be to just start- if you're about to write a report for college but can't get started try writing anything to get yourself into the right frame of mind- a stream of invective about the tutor, a complaint about how the RIAA's tendency to sue everyone for listening to music makes you too angry to concentrate. A stream-of-conciousness about nothing at all.

If it's a coding project I find writing the comments at the head of the file, even if they contain nothing but in-jokes and bad puns to be removed later, get me into the right frame of mind to get started.

Or just reconfigure your machine so it can't see the network anymore to remove that (and email) as a temptation.

Well, there's always poverty by Oswald · 2003-07-27 04:49 · Score: 2, Insightful

Seriously, have you considered blowing off college and bumming it for a while? Wait tables or whatever for food money, and waste as much time as you like on the internet or lost inside your own head. It seems like there's only a few possible outcomes--either you'll get bored with it and develop some real motivation to go to school (then you won't need motivational tricks), or you'll love it forever (in which case you avoided wasting your life doing stuff you hated), or maybe you'll even find something you really love to do and become a fabulous success at it (may require school, may not--either way, the motivation is there).

Of course, there are pitfalls here, too. For instance, you may love bumming around for twenty years, get sick of it finally, only to find yourself too dysfunctional to go to school even though you really want to. That would suck. Also, you'll find that the bum's life isn't usually awash in women (or whatever turns you on). Most people (though not all) are looking for less starry-eyed partners.

If you're going to school to please other people (parents?), you might want to sit down and really think about what YOU want out of your life. You only get one, you know. You're not doing anybody any favors spending all that money on something you're only giving a half-assed effort.

I have the same problem by JanneM · 2003-07-27 04:50 · Score: 4, Insightful

I have exactly the same problem you describe. I can sit at the desk, stuff right in front of me, and still end up doing no work for hours. I may surf the net, read mail, pick up a suddenly interesting (but unrelated) book, make coffee, doodle, making suddenly important phonecalls, decide my chair needs reupholstering or whatever.

Only when I am cornered like a frightened rat, with the third extended deadline breathing down my neck, voices screaming at me to get going (no, not in the head; they belong to people hat need my results) and my stress level is high enough to induce cardiac arrest am I able to focus and actually do it.

A partially successful strategy is to put yourself in a situation where you have another, even more important, task to do; this will transform your duties into avoidance activities and will suddenly get done quickly and easily - just witness how clean and well-organized your apartment is after an important deadline. Of course, that does mean the new, hugely important task will be lingering instead.

On the downside, I have never found any way to really solve this. I just put up with failing myself over and over again, putting off stuff I should have done long ago. On the upside, even with such faulty strategies, I have managed to get a Ph.D. - and high blood pressure, jeadaches stomach pains and stress-related mood swings, but hey, you can't have it all.

--
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.

More to the point by 3ryon · 2003-07-27 04:58 · Score: 1, Insightful

If you were interested in what you were doing, you wouldn't even have time to break away and post this question.

--
Kind thoughts do not change the world

In the same boat. by Resident+Geek · 2003-07-27 04:58 · Score: 2, Insightful

I've been wondering for years why I can't get anything done--I just goof off. I can do things when I let my idle fantasies quiet down for a while, but more often then not I'm distracted by reminding myself of all the other things I have to do. I used to think it was a problem of "forgetfulness", especially when I was younger:

Mom: why didn't you do your chores?
Me: I forgot...:-\

Things started to change when I started sitting.

Meditation has been dismissed by lots of posters, especially in that last story about meditation in the workplace, but your story rang out a clarion call that sounded eerily familiar. I stumbled into it from a completely different angle, but have found that sitting has allowed me the mental clarity to pay more attention to the things around me. This, in turn, lets me do the right things at the right time. When it's work time, I work. When it's goof off time, I goof off. When it's time to go to the bathroom, I go to the bathroom. :)

I came to the realization that when it comes down to it, I'm the only one who can live my life. There's no easy way to do it. However, if you practice mindfulness, you've got a walking stick to help you on the path.

Despite the fact that we're two different people and no two folks are the same, I'd recommend that you take the time, once a week, to sit. Just count your breath. Exhale, inhale. That's one. Exhale, inhale. That's two. If you lose count, don't sweat it, just start over. Set a timer for twenty minutes. Or just keep an eye on a clock that's in sight. Here's a guide to practice that you may find helpful. Some of it may not apply--you don't need to jump into a monastery and shave your head :)

I hope you find the peace you're seeking.

--
Fighting the War on the War on Drugs.
http://smokedot.org/

CANCEL YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION by takochan · 2003-07-27 04:59 · Score: 4, Insightful

The web is a massive time waster. I didn't
need it (didnt have it!) when I was in college.

Cancel it, or pick up a 2400 baud modem. You can use that to check your mail, but it will keep you off the web because it will be just to slow..

Now you can get your work done instead of reading Slashdot, and all sorts of other silly webpages..

Underwear and the Command Line by Snafoo · 2003-07-27 05:00 · Score: 5, Insightful

I've been diagnosed with ADD and I have two suggestions for dealing with procrastination and focusing problems. Note that I don't to either of these much anymore, as I'm medicated, but they worked well enough at the time.

Suggestion #1:

I have a little theory to the effect that, for a certain percentage of the population, GUIs have made focusing a lot more difficult: Sure, your taskbar, icons, buttons and menus make it easier to switch rapidly between many different tasks and contexts, but they also _make_it_easier_to_switch_between_many_different_t asks_and_contexts_. One minute you're studying faithfully --- at your mental office, so to speak --- and the next, you're in your mental rec room, playing FreeCiv; or in your mental coffee shop, chatting on /. And, Oh God, the futzing that one can do with a GUI! Desktop icon arrangement. Wallpaper. Themepacks, for heaven's sake. It's a temple of distraction in here.

So here's what I recommend: Ditch it. Ditch the GUI. Install Linux, if you haven't already, and configure /etc/inittab to boot to initlevel 4. Learn to love vi or nano or emacs: They work great for comp sci projects, and if you have an essay or a paper to write, do it in vi first, import it to word_processor_of_your_choice (for formatting) only when you're about to print it.

If you can't ditch the GUI for whatever reason (i.e. you need a proprietary Windoze app, or you can't bear to install Linux) then I recommend setting up a new account (linux) or user profile ('doze) that will only allow you to run only those applications which you need to get the job done. If that doesn't work, you should seriously consider getting yourself a (second-hand?) laptop upon which you will place only work-related programs --- preferably, one without WiFi or some other way of exposing it to the Lethean floodwaters of the 'net.

Suggestion #2. This next one is a little weird, but it works well for me. Note that it might work less well if you don't have any roomates, as it depends greatly on your desire to avoid embarrassment. It also requires that you have an extra room in your house.

Make yourself a home office in a well-heated room, and keep only work-related things in it. When you go to study, take in all the food, caffeine, and books that you'll need for a stint of about five hours. Set an alarm clock to go off in five hours. Now, close the door, and take off your pants. Yes, you heard me, take off your pants. If necessary, take off your shirt as well. Put them in a plastic bag, and tie the bag shut. Put the bag away (the further away the better.). This way, you can't leave the room suddenly without raising eyebrows: If, say, you have a sudden impulse to jump up and watch TV, or phone a friend, it'll take you a good five minutes to dress, which should be plenty to reconsider and sit back down.

After a couple of months of this, you get in the habit of staying in the room until the alarm sounds, you don't have to take off your pants anymore.

--
- undoware.ca

Research your own neurosis by Voivod · 2003-07-27 05:05 · Score: 2, Insightful

I've always had the same problem. You have to really think hard about what it is that prevents you from working, and attack those things relentlessly. This may take years. What breaks your concentration? When you notice you've gotten a lot done, think hard about what led up to you reaching that state!

It's totally different for everyone, but here are some things that work for me :-)

Really strict use of source control like Perforce or CVS so I can review what I did last time or just rollback my changes if I get off track.
A Makefile that lets me build my entire environment from scratch without having to remember exactly how I'd configured mySQL, Apache, etc. When I move to a new machine or upgrade something I just type one command and go to work.
My physical work environment has to be totally clean. I'm not at all an organized person normally but a cluttered work environment always distracts me. It took me years to figure this out.
Booming loud music in headphones. What's that ringing sound I'm always hearing?
My work environment needs to be cold and have fresh air. The colder the better. I'm always fighting co-workers for control of the AC.
It needs to be early in the morning or late at night.
If it's late at night, a single shot of tequilla does wonders, but no more. :-)
Drink water non stop. As much as I can stand.
I tell myself I'm only going to get a little bit done, like get something to compile, write a function. Usually I'll just keep going once that's done.

Other people find techniques like making schedules, having a really strong routine, making lists, etc very helpfull but not I. Also, caffeine is an evil drug that makes you THINK you're really productive, when in fact you're not getting shit done... at least in my case. Avoid it unless it's measurably helping.

Balance by bitty · 2003-07-27 05:05 · Score: 2, Insightful

Obsessing over it and not blowing off any steam is going to turn you into a rifle-wielding maniac with a love of rooftops. Have your study time, but don't leave out the play. You'd be surprised at the problems you can solve when you're distracted.

Set aside time to work, but remember to take breaks for food, or your brain won't work very efficiently. Start each session with planning out your goals and write them down. Break the tasks down to small chunks that'll only take a little while to complete. It feels really good to check off each item as you get it done, and helps get you motivated to move on to the next. If you get stuck for too long on anything, take a quick break for a walk or cartoons or whatever distracts you, and you'll come back to it fresh and with a new way of looking at it more often than not.

Morning by GrEp · 2003-07-27 05:06 · Score: 2, Insightful

I have the exact same problem. I can't concentrate on homework unless I am under pressure or I am to tired to be distracted. The solution I found was to get up and hour early and do homework in the morning. Sounds evil, but it works. Get in the habit of it and you find yourself with too much free time ;)

--

bash-2.04$
bash-2.04$yes "Don't you hate dialup connections?"| write USERNAME

Re:my spew by JanneM · 2003-07-27 05:07 · Score: 5, Insightful

A workable strategy is acceptance.

Accept that you are a procrastinator, and that you will not get anything done until the last minute. Then plan accordingly.

Say you have a paper due in a month. Great. Talk to the professor and set up a meeting a week from now where you will show your outline, thesis and detailed plan on how to defend it.

In another week, set up a new meeting with the same or different authority figure to go over your list of references and help clear whether you are quoting the right stuff or not, and whether those people in the references really can be interpreted the way you do it.

And the next week, have another prearranged meeting to go over your language and style.

Suddenly you have hard deadlines for every aspect of that paper, which means you will actually be quite comfortably done when the real deadline appears. True, you will still be stressed and feeling behind, but on the positive side you do see that the work is actually progressing nicely. And with this predisposition, you will never _not_ feel stressed in any case, so just make it work for you.

the trick is to make these deadlines _real_ - arranging for a friend to take a look at the paper won't do it; such a "meeting" is too easy to blow off, and a friend will be forgiving if you haven't done the work. It needs to be with people that will cause real, negative, consequences if you mess it up.

--
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.

Re:my spew by GrimSean · 2003-07-27 05:12 · Score: 4, Insightful

I couldn't agree with this more. I started University in September of 1999, and it took me until the beginning of last year to realize that the degree I was in (Molecular Biology & Genetics) simply wasn't for me. Like the questioner, I would simply procrastinate until I simply had to do the work or face failure, leading to all-nighters that left me physically and mentally destroyed for the next week.

A friend of mine, after having listened to me complain about my marks (I was a straight A high school student, as I was never pushed there, and I couldn't understand how my marks were so bad in University) suggested to me that perhaps I wasn't in the right program. I took a week where I looked at what I was doing with the majority of my time - it was reading, just not for class - so I changed my major to English, and I begin doing that full time in September. For the past year, since I decided that I was going to change to English, my marks have risen 15 percentage points and I feel much happier. I also tend to start my work earlier (except for right now, I have a project due on Wednesday worth 25% in my last science course ever, and I haven't started yet) and my work ethic has risen from doing about one hour of studying to four hours straight.

English isn't for everyone; you need good reading and comprehension skills, plus the ability to bullshit (read: compose) essays. I would suggest to the questioner that for one week he should write down what he is doing instead of working - be it talking to people, surfing the web, or whatever - and try to find a degree or program that will allow him to do that for a living. It may turn out that University or College isn't the place for him. I would also suggest he consider Trade Schools, as most people in the business are retiring in the next 10 years, so there is about to be a high demand for Plumbers, Electricians and Millwrights. Hopefully, he'll be able to find something that suits him.

--
I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own. - Christopher Walken

Re:I had the same problem. by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 05:18 · Score: 3, Insightful

I had the same problem, I was also depressed. According to a psychiatrist, depression can really impair your ability to concentrate and even to think clearly. Part of my procrastination was an overall lack of motivation. Depression is a much more common problem than people think and it has physical components that can be treated by medicine because it is a disease.

Avoiding Distractions by Alan+Cox · 2003-07-27 05:26 · Score: 5, Insightful

You can put all your "distracting" applications into a group that your "work" login doesn't allow access to. You can remove the network cable except in specific pre-planned periods.

Nowdays I have to get a lot done, and there are a few things I've found very helpful (and believe me I used to do my homework in the lesson it was being handed in for 8))

- If I think of something else that needs doing I write it down, I don't start doing it disrupting the current task
- If I think of stuff late in the evening I write it down so I dont spent the night trying not to forget it
- Split big tasks quickly into a list of little subtasks, cross them off as you finish them
- Don't sit on irc , its the ultimate productivity killer and distraction bar none (some people seem to swear by putting all their non "work" stuff on a seperate desktop so its not in their vision except when they take a break)
- Remember you can read your email just once or twice a day. Ditto web news sites/slashdot
- Don't look at a pile of things and think I really ought to be doing something. Do *something* even if its pick the easiest looking task to knock off the list.
- When you build up a pile of tasks that can't be done in the required time (wait for final year university 8)) prioritize them and cross of stuff you have to discard, don't sit around doing nothing because you can't do them all.
- Get into a routine (I'm dire at this but when it works it helps). Get up read email, go do work the same pattern every day.

Ultimately though its about willpower., someone suggested exercise, one good exercise way to learn about relaxation and willpower is martial arts. Not all of them are about beating the crap out of people (although if you like that sort of competitive thing there are plenty to choose from), others like Aikido are much more about self control and at the extreme soft end they verge into deeply internal things like T'ai Chi .

Adapt by scoove · 2003-07-27 05:31 · Score: 3, Insightful

Can anyone please give advice on how to overcome this problem, be it a little trick, medication, or anything else?

Having been a similar kind of student in college, but have gone to a successful career, I don't think you're going to find medication or tricks or anything to 'overcome' your nature. The key to success is recognizing that the world's got people like you for a reason.

"ADHD" classifications, IMHO, are usually a label placed on the hunters by the gathers (to horribly oversimplify things). Do some research on hunter/gatherer models of learning and motivation and you'll get some good insight here.

Approaching this all from a "learning system culture" sort of macro operating system for humans, Gatherers are well suited to working together in cooperative teams, they learn via second-hand sources well, and fundamentally seek and accept extrinsic direction. They are motivated by these outside sources which they trust implicitely. They make good committee people, good followers, etc. Society needs people like this to follow rules in conducting their work. Understand that post-secondary education is the pinnacle of their system, and you'll see why you may be having problems.

I'd strongly suspect from your description that you're of the hunter ethic. Are you self-taught? Motivated by doing things you want to do (instead of what society/teachers/parents/friends tell you to do)? This model is also needed by society in conquering new things and treading outside the predictable, safe areas where gatherers like to reside. Understand that society needs both of these. If you're in the latter category, quit dwelling on the fact that you may fail miserably in the gatherer's universe (they didn't intend it for you anyways) and focus on doing what hunters do better.

Find out what topics self-motivate you. Design your own education program (and understand that you need to present third-party credentials to the gatherers you deal with - absent college degrees, get yourself certified in the various areas, e.g. CCIE, CISSP, Security+, A+, and various other certifications for your area). Make it a golden rule that you never burn bridges - your reputation is the only thing you have to offer.

And don't forget that the early years are the hardest for the hunters because we don't have a formal educational system that's designed for our success (the existing one is actually designed to classify us as a disorder and medicate us!).

Nearly every CEO and business leader I work with is of this hunter ethic (in fact, a savvy investor may wish to avoid gatherer-run companies, like Lucent, that lack any tolerance for risk and vision). Just hang in there, make yourself an expert at something, make certain that you protect your integrity in everything you do as this is critical, and success will find you.

*scoove*

my solution by tongue · 2003-07-27 05:32 · Score: 2, Insightful

I actually have the same problem, and i've found my biggest distraction to be the computer itself--instant messages, emails that need responding to, web pages that need to be checked every few minutes for updates (thanks slashdot and fark!), and just general screwing around all conspire to keep me from my appointed task.

My breakthrough came when i went to a coffeeshop to work with a laptop on an empty battery and no free outlets to be found. I started working on a notepad, and before i knew it i had the entire design for what i wanted to do laid out, and most of the code hand-written. It was amazing, and surprising. Obviously there's some things you HAVE to have a computer for, such as debugging, but i've found the more i limit my computer usage to only the most necessary tasks the more likely i am to accomplish more than 15 minutes of work a day. Incidentally, in that one eight-hour stint at the coffee shop i got more work done than in the three weeks previous, which is more a testament to how badly i was blocked working at home than how productive pen and paper made me.

also this guy has some good articles on personal productivity you may find useful.

Re:Simple Solution by JamesP · 2003-07-27 05:36 · Score: 2, Insightful

I have a very simple solution that hits the problem like a baseball bat. Listen to music using headphones. Two reasons: 1 - It will boost my concentration like 400% 2 - It will avoid getting distracted by avoiding you turning your head (since it's plugged in the computer and the wire is short.

--
how long until /. fixes commenting on Chrome?

Pen and paper works. by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 05:37 · Score: 1, Insightful

If the computer is your major "first draft" tool, consider changing.

Get off the computer by scribbling things with pen and paper. You don't need to stay at you computer to do this. You don't need to stay home to do this. Then you do your final draft on box once it's done.

Personaly, I even code with pen and paper (drawing charts, put down algrorithms). When coding comes, it takes less computer time to finish the job.

Disconnect from the net by Glonoinha · 2003-07-27 05:53 · Score: 5, Insightful

Actually he is right, moreso if he tweaks it just a bit by making it difficult but not impossible to access.

Want to get serious work done? Walk across the room and disconnect the network cable from the wall. Really need access (like to submit your homework, as you suggested) walk over and plug it in, submit your work, and then unplug it again.

For someone that is easily distracted, removing the ease of distraction (ie, a direct connect to the net) is better than Ritalin.

--
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer

Loose the Internet by OS24Ever · 2003-07-27 05:55 · Score: 2, Insightful

For some reason, i get hte most amount of work done when I have the least amount of internet connection.

--

As a rock-in-roll Physicist once said, No matter where you go, there you are.

The secret is to get started by jason777 · 2003-07-27 06:01 · Score: 1, Insightful

In highschool, a teacher had a banner on the wall that said "The secret to getting done is getting started".
Its simple, but its true. I find that if you can just break down and open that book, or fire up visual studio and write a couple lines of code, or whatever, you will be more inclined to keep going.
If you keep thinking about getting started, you never will.

Re:Pure Fear by whatch+durrin · 2003-07-27 06:10 · Score: 2, Insightful

But what really motivates me are what-if scenarios about if I lose my job, my house, my wife, my family. I can't relax and forget how horrible it would be to lose what I have worked so hard to get.

I'm glad this works for you. But for a college student, the poster probably doesn't have this motivation.

In fact, I think more college students should actually take the time to figure out what is a rewarding career before venturing down the marriage/kids path.

Part of the problem may be that he doesn't like his major (whether he knows it yet or not). It would be a travesty to force himself to graduate with the degree, get a job, get married, and have kids, only to discover he should have been a fireman.

--
***
Radio Shack. You've got questions...we've got blank stares(TM).

Start it! by augustz · 2003-07-27 06:14 · Score: 2, Insightful

Seriously, this is what worked for me. Being a perfectionist (but a procrastinator) what would do wonders is to just sit down, and get started. If it's a paper, I'd start by putting down my name and the date, and then put down one - three sentences, and after that I would be off.

Coding, write the first class (that actually does something so you can see it take effect) and same thing.

Sometimes about halfway through hit a dead spot and get distracted by slashdot etc. The trick there was to have started things at least a day earlier so I could just hit the sack when I found producivity going down.

Unless you start, it won't get finished, so the trick for me was to just start :)

Same story here + a few years... Don't panic by panZ · 2003-07-27 06:19 · Score: 2, Insightful

I don't have any correctional advice but I'd say don't panic, if it is important enough for you to change your habbits, they will change. Your story sounds exactly the same as mine. I graduated with a computer engineering degree 1.5 years ago. I was thrilled that in my last year, i could take graduate level, evening classes because I could go to bed later, and later. I found that it was only on a deadline between midnight and 6AM that I could work at home. None of my friends were up, nothing good on TV and /. and all had been read for the day. Yeah, I was pissed that I couldn't discipline myself to work normal hours but I never had motivation to change because that was acceptable in college.

Fastforward 18 months, I was able to pull off this graduation thing and find an awesome embedded software job where I'm required to be in the office by 10:00AM. I thought it would be hard but I value the job and what it affords me so much that I don't want to screw it up by not hitting deadlines or sleeping in. My body is on a new sleep schedule (though I force myself to go to bed by 2AM sometimes); and I'm totally satisfied. Of course, I still make trips to /. and kuroshin and personal email during the day but I make it quick and make sure I get my work done. There is room to improve but what it takes is finding enough motivation to keep you focused. Find a significant other that keeps normal hours, get a job you really like, accept projects with firm deadlines... stuff like that.

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--Let's hack root on 127.0.0.1 --panZ

Re:Some friendly advice... by NineNine · 2003-07-27 06:32 · Score: 3, Insightful

Before you know it, 5 hours have passed and you got 2 weeks of work done.

Are you sure you're not describing coke? Weed is more like "Before you know it, 1 minute has passed, and you forgot what you were doing a minute ago. Repeat for several hours. At the end you'll find that you A. Relaxed B. Ate too much and C. Got ZERO accomplished.

Re:Gumption traps by Max+Webster · 2003-07-27 06:44 · Score: 4, Insightful

Excellent advice. I find that it's easy to leave important things on the to-do list if they're big and nebulous ("Do project X", "Solve problem Y"). But identifying the first small task can break the logjam. How many household chores are held up because the first step is "buy drain cleaner" or "find 3/4-inch screws"?

In the case of a student, maybe it's "look for book X in the library" or "re-read chapter Y", or "write some header comments in each file", or "write a function to parse these strings". After that, the other steps become clearer.

Set smaller goals by Gudlyf · 2003-07-27 06:56 · Score: 5, Insightful

"... reducing it to a manageable size..."

My wife has worked with ADHD kids and tells me this is the best thing she's seen to focus and motivate them to produce (other than intrisic motivation, which is of course the best motivator, but this technique does lead to intrisic motivation).

Think about what you should be able to accomplish in 15 minutes. Set an egg-timer for 15 minutes, and do that task you visualized. You can eventually work up to larger increments. You'll probably find yourself beating the timer in some cases.

I know it sounds simplistic, but knowing that pressure seems to be a large motivator for you, the motivation of knowing that bell is going to go off sounds like it might do the trick. This stuff works on adults as well as children. In my wife's experience, it's never failed her (with her students).

--
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.

Re:Set smaller goals by some+damn+guy · 2003-07-27 12:57 · Score: 5, Insightful

Since I've ADD, I think I've gotten to be an expert on motivation without really trying. I'd obsess over it. But so often I'd feel bad because it was so easy to forget all my plans and just do whatever.

The right motivation definitely made all the difference for me. It was about my values when it worked . I just had to decide the value of the kinds of things i found myself doing. When I started realizing all the missed oportunities I was creating by bouncing from thing to thing it straightened me out a bit. It was too easy to spend all afternoon playing quake (I didnt have the attention span for command and conquer :) )or whatever instead of doing homework... but when I realized what those activities were costing me in terms of missed opportunity it stuck with me more, not just with school but also with 'fun' stuff. It was much more rewarding for me to have a hobby than a tv or computer game habit.

That being said, medication helps. You might be hesitant to use amphetamines but I feel far more focused than if i had a cup of coffee. In fact, the coffee sometimes hurts more than it helps. There's two parts to it, which im sure healthy people feel to a lesser degree too- part one is getting excited enough to do anything other than space out(caffine helps) but part two is actually getting something done efficiently- i.e. reading a book and not having my eye bounce from paragraph to paragraph or skip around like crazy (caffine doesn't help much at all.) When i read for fun I'd almost never be able to read a book from begining to end. I'd hop around until the whole thing got read. Needless to say, I didnt read much fiction.

To the guy asking the question, theres only one guaranteed way to focus on college that I know of, and I've tried a lot of different things. Quit right now and get a job (probably a lousy one, but not for a lack of trying). Pay all of your own bills. Work 40 a week and try to be independant. Don't take any help from your parents. Just try it. Work retail or landscaping or something entry level. Try to picture your future. It will suck. If you were having problems deciding what you wanted to go into, you'll have less. You'll get the old-man-now-what-the-hell-did-i-do-with-my-life-sy ndrome at 19. It's priceless. You'll want out of such a crappy life and you'll learn whats important- you'll think a lot less of playing quake instead of studying.

It will light a fire under you. Look around in class and look whos always there, sitting in the front, arriving early and taking immaculate notes. You'll see a lot of thirty somethings and first-generation students, at least if you go to the right kind of school. You might have lived a comfortable middle-class existence up till now and you want to keep living it. Nothing wrong with that, but you can't forever, and some people never get a chance at all. The only risk is you'll never go back to school if you quit. Just make sure you have a plan for going back...loans whatever, savings. When you pay for it yourself you'll do better too.

Basically, life doesn't suck enough, or you haven't found a passion. It makes all the difference in the world. No mind tricks, just a nice reality check. You don't get a second chance at life so you better start deciding how to live it.

It's the only real thing that ever worked for me (my life sucking).

Re:Gumption traps by FlowerPotAdmin · 2003-07-27 06:59 · Score: 2, Insightful

I've seen that kind of effect before, but on a smaller scale. If you don't feel comfortable making major changes to your code, try going through it and just fixing bad style or tweaking computations. Then you might notice some code duplication that could be pulled out into a function or two, and pretty soon you're improving the program's functionality. Small steps are easier to take, so get started on something minor and ramp up the effort as you get more comfortable again.

--
-Justin
That's enough posting for now lads, there're trolls afoot.

Re-evaluate your career path? by auferstehung · 2003-07-27 07:05 · Score: 2, Insightful

You might re-evaluate whether the area you are working/studying is really something that you enjoy doing. It sounds like you may not be.

Granted, there will always be days where what you are doing seems like drudgery. But, if it is chronic, you might just be struggling down the wrong career path. Better to adjust your course now while you are still in college than suddenly realise while sitting in your cubicle 15 years from now that you really wished you had become a vetrinarian (or lawyer, or MBA, or plumber or whatever).

My experience has been that if I'm doing something I enjoy, productivity flows effortlessly.

--
Logic is not Divine.

What you are doing is not necessarily bad... by Grieveq · 2003-07-27 07:14 · Score: 2, Insightful

As an electrical engineering student, this happens to me -- everyday. Despite what everyone is saying here, there is just no way to avoid it if you are in a demanding major. The web and tv are "escapism" proxies. You just have to weave them into your lifestyle to benefit you instead of having them hurt you.

My advice to manage:
1) Set your life full of as many deadlines as you can handle. As an undergrad I am a teaching assistant, take grad classes, work in the robotics research lab on a group project, and explore new things I'm interested in (Linux, Computer Vision, and Robotics). Needless to say, I don't get home until Dinner. With constant deadlines, you will always be on your toes -- and that is a good thing. Nothing brings out the creative juices like a deadline.
2) Leave the TV ON during your favorite shows and do school projects that require the use of your computer. Yes...leaving the TV on is usually a bad thing, but if you can manage these two things at once you'll be happier then sitting in front of a comp wishing you could watch your favorite show.
3) When not watching TV and just plain studying, take a break every half hour to read a website article or chat for a few mins with a friend.

So what are the downsides of this plan? You are constantly stressed with all the work that needs to be done and some of your real life relationships outside of school suffer. Is this a bad thing? Depends on what kind of person you are and what is most important to you. It's allowed me to keep a 4.0 and to compete for a spot in a top grad school. (Hopefully)

Fullscreen! by Aetrix · 2003-07-27 07:20 · Score: 2, Insightful

I had problems in my humanities and anthro classes when I had to write stupid papers about stupid subjects. I think my speed and quality of writing drops 80 - 90% when I have to discuss the interrelation of "red" color symbols in some dumb book.

So here's what I would do. I would first STRETCH! I would make sure my body was awake and not tense. Then i would open the office-suite-du-jour and create two new documents. Then I would fullscreen said document editor. Now: I would start writing any old thing in document 1, hopefully getting around to discussing the paper I was goiing to write. Once I had an idea ANY IDEA I would shift+tab to document window 2 and start writing it down. When I came to a lengthy pause, I would flip back to doc 1 and write what I was thinking.

Then after a few hours, i would have one document with essetially, a dialogue of me talking to myself in plain english. In the second window, I would have more formal writing in a horrid mishmash order. I wouldn't even look at these documents. I'd save them, close them and come back after a good break (usually overnight). Then I would combine my thinking-struggles with my writing-struggles into a paper that I was assured to convey both my mental process and thoughts, as well as a structured discussion of those points.

The important lessons here:
1. KEEP TYPING. Even if you stop thinking - keep your hands moving. It keeps the momentum going.
2. FULLSCREEN - this removes all other distractions, making the only distraction to type on the junk document.

--

"One touch of Darwin makes the whole world kin." George Bernard Shaw

Exercise, and lay off of the dope and net-pr0n by Kymermosst · 2003-07-27 08:41 · Score: 1, Insightful

Try to build up a little willpower. Sheesh.

It sounds like you're just plain old-fashioned lazy and procrastinating.

--
"Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.

Re:a MUSICAL exercise and a question about ADHD by Sixty4Bit · 2003-07-27 08:49 · Score: 5, Insightful

I felt the same way as you regarding ADD. It doesn't really exist. As a matter of fact, I had the exact same argument: How can you not be able to accomplish something at school or work, yet play games into the middle of the night with unbreakable concentration?

Games are short term goals. The longest games last an hour or two at most. And even then, there are even shorter term goals within a single game. One could argue that FPS games have the shortest term goals of any game out there. Every second that you haven't been killed, you have reached a goal. If you happen to kill a person AND not get killed, you get two goals in one second! But I digress.

Work, on the other hand, often requires longer term goals. You have to spend many hours dedicated to one task to achieve a goal. One trick is to break that long term goal into several short term goals. Another trick is to take goals off of your task list. This is the one that I needed to do. I was getting so upset with myself for not working, when I thought I should be that it caused many internal problems. You have to know when to play and when to work. You must make it OK to enjoy life a little. I would always feel guilty about playing until I decided that it was OK to play online for a couple of hours.

The problem is not just one little thing that can be fixed with a pill. It takes training and self discipline... and a pill. For over 20 years I tried to convince myself that I did not have ADD, that I was just lazy. I joined the U.S. Navy to prove it to myself. Guess what? I have ADD. I need a pill to help my brain concentrate on one thing at a time. I sought help from a counselor, who then sent me to see a psychiatrist for one reason, and one reason only; to get a prescription for my ADD. You see, I am a smart guy, I have drive and determination, I am good at video games, but no matter how much I wanted it, or how much I tried, I could not stay focused on a single task for any length of time. I walked into the psychiatrist's office and we started chatting. Within 10 minutes she tells me that she knows what my problem is and has only one question to ask. She asked me, "So, how much coffee do you drink a day?" "Well, I don't drink coffee, I drink Dr. Pepper. And I drink about 3 liters a day."

Come to find out, caffeine has the same effect on the brain as Ritalin. There are actually about 7 different types of ADD, each with a different symptoms and treatments. The severe cases require Ritalin. Mild cases require exercise and counseling. I fall somewhere in the middle and take a different kind of medication. I am down to 1 liter of Dr. Pepper and two pills a day :) I will be on the two pills for the rest of my life. Which really stinks, but I am up for promotion, so I guess it doesn't stink to bad.

My advice, don't waste your life fighting a losing battle. Go see a counselor and find out how to fight your particular problem. I didn't want to admit to myself that I had ADD and it cost me some of the best years of my life.

--
This is not the sig you are looking for...

Re:Gumption traps by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 09:18 · Score: 1, Insightful

- once the laziness is clearly seen, visualise yourself beginning the task, in detail. You can do this lying in bed or anywhere, but the important thing is to get over the initial hump, and sort out a clear picture of the first steps you need to take.

I believe I understand what you're saying, but it might help to put it another way. You have to visualize yourself doing the task, but you also have to put yourself in a frame of mind where you're irritated that it's not done yet. Let yourself become antsy that you're not doing the task already. I found this approach helps, because although I may not enjoy doing the work, I dislike not having the work done more.

That said, don't take it to extremes. It's very important that you not stress out.

Sit at your desk for a set period each day... by Simon+Brooke · 2003-07-27 09:25 · Score: 2, Insightful

... and do nothing else but work.

Which isn't to say you have to work. Just, if you don't work, just sit there. Do not read slashdot. Do not read Usenet. Do not browse the web. Do not pick your nose. Do not look out of your window. Just sit.

You'll soon get so bored you'd rather work.

This may sound crazy, but it works for me and has got me out of some very blocked spots.

--
I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.

A possible cause, and some possible solutions. by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 10:05 · Score: 1, Insightful

I'm a college student and have a similar problem. For me, one of the causes of this behavior is the "thrill" of getting the project finished in the few hours before it's due, even if it takes an all-nighter. It's a great rush to do something in 1/5 of the time you expected and still get a result worthy of a good grade. Now, I know this isn't the only reason I do this, but I think it plays a large role.

How can you avoid this? Well, I can't say I have found the solution, but here are some ideas.

Try to work on the project for at least 2-3 hours on the day it is assigned.
Try to work on projects either in your school's computer lab or the library, where other people are working hard. Maybe set aside 2 hours to go work on stuff in the lab before you head home each day from school.
Make yourself work for 30 minutes and then allow yourself to surf the web for 30 minutes (or whatever time division you like).
Make an outline of the solution. Each main bullet represents the bigger parts of the project. Then break down each bullet a level or two until you understand the work involved more exactly. Then just work down your outline completing bullets one at a time. Be sure to print out the list and check off the bullets (believe it or not, but checking off the bullets is rewarding in itself).
Don't demand perfection for the project on the first round. Just get something that works now and then polish it over time if you have more time.
Don't make overly ambitious plans about what you are going to accomplish. Start simple and then add bells-and-whistles later.
Make backups of your document/code (or use revision control) so that if you decide to experiment and it fails you can get back to your previous point without wasting time redoing work.
Try to avoid interruptions by other people. When you are deep into a project, any interruption means you'll have to spend 5-10 minutes to get back into your flow.
Try to do the work now rather than later. If you know you have to finish a project, and that finishing it will be unpleasant, then get it over with now so the burden of the project won't be weighing on you for the next 2 weeks.
Realize that you are not alone. On nights before projects are due, maybe half my class are in the computer lab furiously trying to finish their project. The other half are probably at home doing the same thing. Many people procrastinate, especially when they work unsupervised. So don't feel bad thinking you are the only screwed up person.

Good luck!

Vitamins... by peachykonan · 2003-07-27 10:41 · Score: 2, Insightful

A lot of people have already commented on the benefits of exercise and better ways to approach what seems to be an impossible task. I'll try move on and discuss a short bit on proper eating, how it impacts exercise, and vitamins. 1) Stay away from eating junk food and easy snacks. Treat your body right. In 1st and 2nd year, I was so depressed I was kicked out of University after my first year of engineering because I couldn't get myself to study. There were too many distractions, and every time I tried to focus, I just wanted to do something, anything else. In addition to this mental desire, I had this physical feeling; an autonomic nervous system 'fight or flight' response that made me just uncomfortable trying to sit still. I dealt with this using exercise and proper nutrition. Knowing how to control and deal with my body helped me eliminate this issue. If you've never ever experienced the after-workout effect of endorphins, let me tell you, studying during this period is incredibly easy. Today, I'm healthy, fit, have a CS degree, and getting a salary. 2) Don't take vitamins for granted. Although I've been reading that new studies (can't remember the reference, sorry - do a google search) indicate that regular multi-vitamins may actually be slightly BAD for your health, what I'm about to suggest is a simple B vitamin complex. For people with depression or anxiety issues, this is a god-send. Read articles/books on this vitamins, this stuff *matters*. If you don't want to do any work, just grab a stress-relief vitamin. They're pretty costly, but they're primarily just a composite of b-complex and E + misc. I sincerely hope that the above two are helpful in some way. University is meant to be challenging, so thoughts about having ADD is not unusual... Most of my friends thought they had it too.

Fixed intervals by djmitche · 2003-07-27 10:46 · Score: 4, Insightful

My girlfriend learned this at a thesis-writing seminar, and it's worked wonders for me. I work on each task for a specific, short length of time (30 minutes for most, but you may be more comfortable with another length). This applies for everything from open-source programming to household cleaning.

This system has several advantages. First, I'm never faced with an insurmountable task. When I began, my house was very cluttered, and it was hard to get excited about cleaning it. But it's not so hard to think "I'll just clean the living room for 30 minutes and I'll be done and on to something else". Second, for thinking tasks (like coding), the fixed time means I don't stop "between thoughts" on a project. When the time is up for a task, I stop right where I am, even in mid-sentence or mid-expression. The anticipation this creates keeps each task fresh in my mind, so I can pick up at full speed the next time I begin that task.

some concrete mechanisms for that by ChrisCampbell47 · 2003-07-27 10:55 · Score: 3, Insightful

Quoting the esteemed Mr. Cox:

If I think of something else that needs doing I write it down, I don't start doing it disrupting the current task

Get a tiny voice recorder. Not the 60+ minute digital dictation things, just a little one that captures 30-90 seconds of voice. I bought my first one of this VoiceIt model for $40 7 years ago and it changed my life. I never EVER forget anything now (which has it's own problems :) because I can just dictate it into the voice thingy and transcribe it into the PDA/whatever later. If you rely on scribbling it down, you'll often fail right from the start because A) you'll forget before you get a slip of paper and pen, or B) writing isn't an option -- like when you're in traffic, mowing the lawn, etc.

It's critical that it be small enough (credit card sized) that you just carry it in your pocket everywhere, not just when you think you might have some bright ideas ...

Cell phones these days often come with a voice memo function, but that solution is often lacking due to A) size of cell phone and B) they won't store more than 5 discrete memos. I frequently have 10 piled up in my VoiceIt before I have a chance to sit down and transcribe into my PDA.

Remember you can read your email just once or twice a day. Ditto web news sites/slashdot

One way to effect this is to turn OFF automatic retreival of your email from your mail server. When you're ready to spend 15 minutes on reading and replying to emails, hit the "fetch" button. Auto-retrieval just breaks your concentration every five minutes.

And, finally, cable TV is evil. Cancel it.

--
One simple rule for its versus it's

Notes from a work-at-home dad and bad student by benwaggoner · 2003-07-27 11:28 · Score: 2, Insightful

Amen, brother.

Back when I was a single guy with my parents paying for everything, it was about all I could do to turn in enough work to keep going reasonably well in school. Friends, Harpoon 1, Tetris, doing layout on the school paper, email, obsessing on girls, and straight up writers block often left me rather paralyzed. For stuff I was excited about, I could do good work. Otherwise, it was mostly late and lousy.

Fortunately, I went to a school (Hampshire College) which was very project based, with written evaluations and no tests. So for those four years, I really had to shape up. No coasting through on multiple choice skills, I had to WRITE. And the written evaluations were profoundly more effective than a grade. I remember Eqbal Amahd's "Waggoner shows insight, occasional brilliance, and a certain sloth" better than I ever would have a "C+"

Skip forward a decade or so, and now I'm a father of a 16 month old and a 3.5 year old, and work out of the home doing freelance writing and consulting. In many ways, this should be a nightmare of distractions, but I'm actually more productive than ever before. In the last two years, I've done a lot of consulting for companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Sorenson Media, Getty Images, The Associated Press, The Criterion Collection.

Some tips:

Don't be paralyzed during the first draft. If you're writing, it doesn't have to be perfect the first draft. Just WRITE for a while, and let it take the shape it's going to have. It's much better to write a first draft that you have to throw out entirely than to sit there without writing anything.

Don't sign on to projects you're not excited about. One reason I do well on the consulting and services side is that I only sign on for projects I'm really enthused about. I get pretty enthusiastic, as anyone who has seen any of my presentations knows. But stuff that bores me, bores me, and won't get my best attention. I never offer to do boring stuff for money (one of the better parts of being freelance).

Quit when you're too tired to work well. This was a hard-earned lesson when my daughter was born before my book was done. I spent hours trying to get stuff done, but too tired to work well, when I should have been asleep so I could work well the next day. All nighters rapidly become self defeating.

Cash the advance check. If it's important you get something done, don't leave a way to back out of it. Make completing it your only option. The specter of hideous failure is a great stimulant.

Do what floats your boat at the moment. Turn having multiple commitments into a strength instead of a weakness. When you get bored on your current task or project, switch to something else you aren't stuck on. It's all about finding SOMETHING you can make forward progress on at any given time.

Use, don't abuse deadlines. I pride myself on hitting all my deadlines. But I rarely have stuff done much before the deadlines. The key is having a good idea how long things take, appropriately padded for worst cases. Always leave enough time to do the job well.

Turn off the email. I get a lot of my best work done on the first class cabin on Alaska Airlines 737's. Why? No email, no wife, no kids. Just me, the headphones, and a PowerBook. The email is probably the biggest part. It's really hard for me to not check it when I get that beep, and it definitely throws off my thinking. So I quit Entourage when I'm working well. This goes for Slashdot too.

Need to do it. In school, it's hard to escape the fact that what you do doesn't really matter all that much. It's not like the teacher's job depends on you figuring out some new insights. So, find a question you feel you need to answer. This is easier in the real world. Mortgages and bills have a profound way of focusing your attention!

--

My video compression blog

Perfectionism by Froggy · 2003-07-27 12:26 · Score: 2, Insightful

When I was first at Uni, I used to have a lot of trouble starting anything. If I actually got started, I'd usually do pretty well, but I had so much trouble starting that I usually wound up pulling all-nighters, beginning so late I couldn't finish or proof what I'd done, or just pretending the homework didn't exist. Finally, after a pretty disastrous second year, I dropped out and got a job. This was in 1987.

In 1994 I came back to Uni as a part-time student, after seven years as a junior public servant. Much to my surprise, I handed pretty much everything in on time. In first year I got almost straight High Distinctions without really raising a sweat! I did well enough in my degree course that I'm now planning to begin a PhD in 2004.

So what happened in the meantime? I guess the main difference is that, after spending seven years in a job I couldn't give a stuff about, I lost the mental habit of tying my self-esteem so closely to the quality of my work. At Uni I had been so afraid of not excelling that I couldn't bear to start, especially because, for the first time, I was now finding the work difficult. I suspect that many Slashdotters will have had similar experiences, being almost completely unchallenged by their lowest-common-denominator secondary education and then hitting a brick wall in their tertiary study.

I was a fat, plain chick with buck teeth and glasses the first time round, but I'd always done well at school. I felt I had nothing else to hang my self-esteem on. The second time around I still looked about the same, but I'd gotten over the high-school programming that told me that I was primarily to be valued by my appearance (and, furthermore, that it was sensible to judge my own appearance on the basis of what some know-nothing moccie-wearing outer-suburban yobboes said about it!)

I guess the take-home lesson is that sometimes your psychological need for success is so strong that it stops you succeeding. If this happens to you, it can help to find something other than academic perfection to tie your self-esteem to -- perhaps sport or fitness, or a good relationship. (Seven years in the Public Service is also an option, but not one I recommend.)

--
It is a woman's prerogative to change other people's minds.

i had the same problem by laemas · 2003-07-27 12:48 · Score: 2, Insightful

i had the same problem at uni , i figured it out during my last year.
wrt assignments , i found the sooner i started them the better the result , so on the same day as i got the assignment , i would start , knowing that i am only going to do 1/2 - 1 hour work on it. Then do 1/2 - 1 hour the next day , and so on. 1/2 - 1 hour isnt a long time so you dopnt procrastinate , and it gets you into the assignments groove (for lack of a better word). Befor i was doing all nighters , and procrastiniting till 11 pm!!! when the assignment was due the next day :) Just do little bits at a time , i garrantee you produce better results....

(garrantee will not be honored)

Get yourself a kitchen timer... by jonadab · 2003-07-27 13:03 · Score: 3, Insightful

Get yourself a little timer. Set it for fifteen minutes and
discipline yourself to work the entire fifteen minutes. You
can take a short break then, but after a few moments you have
to make yourself set the timer and work again. If your short
breaks get to be too long, time them too.

Trying to work hour after hour on something that doesn't really
capture your mind is very hard work. It can be done, but it
requires a great deal of mental discipline. Most people won't
do it. But if you can get five fifteen-minute sessions every
two hours, that will add up to something. Most people can make
themselves work for fifteen minutes at a time on something if
they have a motivation to accomplish it, even if it isn't fun.

--
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.

Re:An easier solution by BrokenHalo · 2003-07-27 13:50 · Score: 2, Insightful

I know that's funny, but it's also true. I find I can waste an awful lot of time reading and posting on Slashdot when I could and should be doing something more productive.

I think it's called procrastination, and I guess the original poster might want to ask himself *why* he's putting off work. If he is procrastinating, maybe he should take a look at his motivation.

For instance, did he choose his course of study, or was that done for him? Or maybe he might want to consider deferring university study for a year or two, go and do something else (not sit at home reading Slashdot) then go back to Uni when he's more committed.

location, location, location by Gunark · 2003-07-27 14:10 · Score: 2, Insightful

Keep your place of work and your place of rest seperate. The whole "home office" thing is a horrible, horrible idea. Same goes for studying at home.

There was a time when I was able to get a lot done at home... but before long my brain learned to associate my living room-slash-office with relaxation and fun. It works the other way too -- the stress of doing stuff you'd rather not be doing gets associated with your home. As a result, I never feel quite relaxed here... there's always a sense of guilt in the back of my mind when I sit at home and do nothing.

Best advice I can give you --- find a nice spot in the library and always study there. Never bring your work and study back home.

Wife, by Vaughn+Anderson · 2003-07-27 16:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

Get married, you won't have trouble getting work done the rest of your life.

This may sound like a joke at first, but I am serious, having a wife around will eventually lead to kids and a person that will always expect more out of you than you feel like giving, eventually you just end of up changing out of your wife's sheer will.

Again, this may sound like a joke, but having mouths to feed makes you the best worker in the world. I was making minimum wage when I had my first child, and it got me to see college as something serious.

Then, while in college, I was the only one in 40 people in my group that took everything seriously, I had an internship my second semester, I took summer classes, I worked all night at learning to code and design, I got hired half way through school, my last year of school I started freelancing, now (aside from time spent on slashdot and reading news) am quite productive on a daily basis and have a growing business.

The real secret is being able to take the future seriously. First you take the first month seriously, as that is when rent is due, then you take a year seriously as you deal with taxes and find out how much you've made (or didn't make). Then you realize, "I am going to be 80 years old some day"

When you finally see that you will be 80, then you take your health seriously. Visit some old folks that are in constant pain, I have, they all wish they had taken better care of themselves. ( for a geek, it means stretching, good posture, no caffine and exercise).

When you really, really truly believe that your every day actions have a long term effect, then a light blinks on you and you see that the few extra hours you spent coding instead of surfing (there is a thing called information addiction...) actually do move you forward in life. And that the few hours you wasted, move you backwards.

Debt makes you realize this as well. I have business debt, my first year was not profitable at all, I spend $50 a month in interest on it, it will be paid off in 2 years, but now I see that $50 a month is $600 a year, and if I had saved that starting 20 years ago (at the age of 8) I would have $12,000 + interest in the bank, and that would have gotten me through the lean times in my business.

A real important lesson to learn is by accepting wise advice as much as you would experience. Experience is a bad way to learn. For example, an old man that has chronic back pain told me to take care of my back because "you don't want to have pain like I have" Well, if I didn't change my life around every day, without having the experince of pain pushing me to make those small decisions easier, then I will end up where he was, and feel like a total fool for it when it happens.

Just take a current or past experience of how you wasted your time and didn't apply your self, and extend it into the future. Then you will see where your failure to work will lead you.

I hope the best for you, I work hard, but it is always a struggle to continue working with games and news a click away. Also, 10 minutes of work is more than no work at all... do small bites at a time, don't expect the world right away, you may find that after a few small bites, you want to finish your meal.....

-v

yup.. need a life sucks thing by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 18:46 · Score: 1, Insightful

Absolutely right.

I'm 20, and have that old-man-what-the-hell-etc syndrome. And it's all due to an absolute independence (except on my last dentist bill that I got semi-bailed out of).

Now all I can think about doing is going to school and studying cool stuff and getting really good at it instead of fulfilling someone elses dividend margin.

School, Work and Home by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-27 18:51 · Score: 1, Insightful

I find that doing all my school work at school and not bringing any of it home is the best way to do things. If I try to bring work or school home I don't ever get it done and I feel really guilty about it which just weighs me down. If you've got homework to do grab a bite at the school cafeteria and then head to the library and do your work. Then, when you head home or to your dorm or wherever, you can relax. Keep the two completely seperated. This has always worked for me and I hope it can help you. Best of luck to you.

--Greg

Try an attitude change by Skim123 · 2003-07-27 19:20 · Score: 4, Insightful

Fortunately I do not suffer from the same complex that you shared, so my words may be quite hallow and without use to you. I find that I am able to get my shit done; I have done well for myself, and others have noted that I am quite productive, hard-working, and studious.

The "secret" is, IMHO, to be a gratification-delayer. Psychologists some time ago did studies on young children, asking them if they'd rather have a marshmellow now, or two after some time interval. Those who could delay gratification and wait for the two marshmellows, proved to be more productive and successful adults. In fact, these researchers found, IIRC, that this ability to delay gratification had the greatest affect on a person's adult success, more so than race, religion, socio-economic background, and so on.

From your comments, it appears as if you are not one who can delay gratification. I would encourage you to change this post haste. How does one do this? That, clearly, is the 64 thousand dollar question. While I don't know what will work for you, here are some suggestions you might want to give a try:

Practice delaying gratification on other things. For example, imagine it's 3:00 pm and you are hungry and want a snack. Make yourself wait until dinner. Say you know that you want to watch the Simpsons tonight. Don't allow yourself to do so. Move the TV to a neighbors if you have to, but make sure you deprive yourself of this pleasure. This may sound a bit masochistic, but I think it would be a step in the right direction.
Setup a system of rewards for delaying your gratification. By skipping that snack, treat yourself to a nicer dinner. In foregoing the Simpsons, allow yourself an hour of playing Doom, or whatever ultraviolent computer games kids these days play. One suggestion: don't always reward yourself for your discipline. Sometimes, give no reward; other times, reward yourself. Random reinforcement does wonders better than constant reinforcement. Ask any parent or psychologist.

Do not underestimate the importance of learning how to delay gratification. It can mean the difference between a successful, happy life and one where you are constantly burdened with deadlines, financially strapped, and constantly stressed.

In any event, best of luck, and I hope you find a solution to your problem.

--

I could not justify my existence if I were a turkey farmer. Would I terminate myself? Undoubtably, yes.

Attitude by Duck2Man · 2003-07-28 00:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

Exercise is good, (I run 5 miles a day). Good food is better. But the most important thing is attitude. If you are not grateful for your privilage to study then you should take a year off and work. I found I did a lot better in grad school because I was really grateful for the opportunity after working in a job I didn't like. If you don't believe me just really talk to any of the foreign students in your enviroment that had to work really hard to get to the position you are in.

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