I am a procrastinator. I am the best at giving myself excuses to not do things and finding things far more interesting (even when they're not). I also have a lot to do. So, I have a method for getting stuff done despite my foibles. It's called the procrastination method.
I have a large writing project I'm working on right now. I need to get it done to a deadline and it involves a lot of maths and thinking and working stuff out. I have spent hours on social media trying to pretend this isn't happening. But sadly, it is.
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I have a two pronged approach. I start by writing everything I need to do down. But I don't limit it to this project. I'll write down everything I could feasibly do instead of this. It includes, ringing the doctor’s for a flu jab, ordering a food delivery, cutting out prototypes, emptying the bins. But I STOP, when I hit 6 or 7 things. I don't let that huge list overwhelm me. But I always find a few surprises on there. Silly little jobs I can still do from my office, but haven't got around to doing. Ringing the electricity company with a meter reading, cleaning some dice for a new prototype, making sure my calendar on Google and Facebook are in sync...
…providing a convenient platform for a dog to look out of a window…
I then always give myself the choice: procrastinate and get the little bits done, or get on with the main job. I always start with the easiest stuff first, but after a couple I feel good that I've got stuff off my list. I then use that burst of pride to drive through into the main job. Once my enthusiasm leaves me, back to the choice. Procrastinate or get stuff done. BOTH are jobs of course, but my brain hasn't seemed to catch on quite yet.
Of course I still occasionally lose hours to social media or spider-related dramas. But, I have found I have become more productive. Even if I still avoid getting my main job done, I have got lots of little things done. Each one is removed from the long list of 'should'ves' in my brain. I feel like I've got this. Maybe, just maybe, there is such a thing as a productive procrastinator...