NationStates Jolt Archive

I have been procrastinating a lot lately.

I think for some people the reason why they keep putting work off is because they are perfectionists. If it won't turn out superb they won't even start.

Or they just keep tweaking and tweaking so the work never gets done.

I am surprised to see that this behavior is so well known. Voltaire said that "the perfect is the enemy of the good".

Many people have written on this - here is my summary (http://freshbrainz.blogspot.com/2006/09/perfectionist-procrastinator.html) of it.

For me though I've not been much of a perfectionist lately. I guess I am procrastinating because I get distracted too easily - ending up in this forum for example. :D

What about you?

No, I procrastinate because I'm lazy. :)

i procrastinate because i'm scared of what might come after, so if i can string out what i'm doing now then at least i know what i'm doing and it can't get any worse for the time-being.

i also procrastinate because i'm lazy AND a perfectionist. i'm often scared i won't know what i'm doing or won't understand correctly and end up doing it wrong... i suppose fear of failure is in there as well. if i do nothing or expect nothing of myself then i can't fail can i?


all that together does not bode well for me doing things :( ;)

guilty.

I tend to get overwhelmed with all the work that it would take for me to get the job done to my standards and then think "a job worth doing is worth doing well" and talk myself into a corner about how if I can't do it right I shouldn't do it at all.

In fact a half assed job is more of an annoyance to me than one that isn't done at all.

I procrastinate because conception is soooo much cooler than execution.

I'd be happy if someone else did all my ideas and just gave me sandwiches for them.

No, I procrastinate because I'm lazy. :)

Is that a general sort of laziness? You seem to work pretty hard in this forum. ;)

I procrastinate because conception is soooo much cooler than execution.


damn bloody right!

Is that a general sort of laziness? You seem to work pretty hard in this forum. ;)

General laziness. See, I should be prepping for tomorrow's classes, since I'm starting my students on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," but instead I'm fucking around on the internet. I should also start grading the papers my comp students turned in yesterday, and looking at the poems from my Creative Writing students, not to mention putting a manuscript together for book contests.

But here I am on NS General, because I'm lazy.

Fuck, now I feel guilty.

i procrastinate because i'm scared of what might come after, so if i can string out what i'm doing now then at least i know what i'm doing and it can't get any worse for the time-being.

i also procrastinate because i'm lazy AND a perfectionist. i'm often scared i won't know what i'm doing or won't understand correctly and end up doing it wrong... i suppose fear of failure is in there as well. if i do nothing or expect nothing of myself then i can't fail can i?


all that together does not bode well for me doing things :( ;)

:eek:

Oh my God.

You're me.

It must be that birthday. Dammit. I bet on the 18th we would have come out self-assured over-achievers... :(

General laziness. See, I should be prepping for tomorrow's classes, since I'm starting my students on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," but instead I'm fucking around on the internet. I should also start grading the papers my comp students turned in yesterday, and looking at the poems from my Creative Writing students, not to mention putting a manuscript together for book contests.

But here I am on NS General, because I'm lazy.

Fuck, now I feel guilty.

Tee hee I know what you mean.

Actually guilt has driven me to do more work than almost any other motivator. :D

I'm a perfectionist, but that's not why I procrastinate. Mostly it's because there are always more fun things to do then whatever task/chore is at hand. :p

General laziness. See, I should be prepping for tomorrow's classes, since I'm starting my students on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," but instead I'm fucking around on the internet. I should also start grading the papers my comp students turned in yesterday, and looking at the poems from my Creative Writing students, not to mention putting a manuscript together for book contests.

But here I am on NS General, because I'm lazy.

Fuck, now I feel guilty.

Shhhh! You'll remind the rest of us of the things we should be doing instead of this...

Tee hee I know what you mean.

Actually guilt has driven me to do more work than almost any other motivator. :D

For me it's I've accidently told someone I would, so now I have to or I'll look like an ass.

For me it's I've accidently told someone I would, so now I have to or I'll look like an ass.
Yeah. That still doesn't stop me from waiting until the last minute and then killing myself to get it done.

For me it's I've accidently told someone I would, so now I have to or I'll look like an ass.

Ha ha ha I've tried that too. Doesn't always work though.

I'll go "see you in the lab tomorrow"...

and conveniently sneak out to play.

Oh how I SUCK! :p

:eek:

Oh my God.

You're me.

It must be that birthday. Dammit. I bet on the 18th we would have come out self-assured over-achievers... :(

damn our collective birthday!! :mad:
i'm guessing not all taurus' are like us then?

Yeah. That still doesn't stop me from waiting until the last minute and then killing myself to get it done.

I've always held that giving me a week or a night to do something is more or less the same, becuase I'm only going to do it the night before anyway.

damn our collective birthday!! :mad:
i'm guessing not all taurus' are like us then?
Well, I certainly wouldn't wish it on them. :(

(Do I have to add that, right this very moment, I'm procrastinating up a storm? No? Yeah, I didn't think so. >.<)

i procrastinate because i'm scared of what might come after, so if i can string out what i'm doing now then at least i know what i'm doing and it can't get any worse for the time-being.

i also procrastinate because i'm lazy AND a perfectionist. i'm often scared i won't know what i'm doing or won't understand correctly and end up doing it wrong... i suppose fear of failure is in there as well. if i do nothing or expect nothing of myself then i can't fail can i?


all that together does not bode well for me doing things :( ;)

Sounds familiar...

Kate Veatch: I'm curious, is it strictly apathy, or do you really not have a goal in life?

Peter La Fleur: I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya... it feels phenomenal.

Kate Veatch: Well I guess that makes sense, in a really sad way.

That came right out of the movies.:p

Well, I certainly wouldn't wish it on them. :(

(Do I have to add that, right this very moment, I'm procrastinating up a storm? No? Yeah, I didn't think so. >.<)

Aren't we all, dude.

Aren't we all.

Sounds familiar...

Kate Veatch: I'm curious, is it strictly apathy, or do you really not have a goal in life?

Peter La Fleur: I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya... it feels phenomenal.

Kate Veatch: Well I guess that makes sense, in a really sad way.

That came right out of the movies.:p

hehe it is sad but true, indeed :(


(Do I have to add that, right this very moment, I'm procrastinating up a storm? No? Yeah, I didn't think so. >.<)

guess what i've been doing all day ;)

I let everything go to hell, then I organize. :)

Yes, I'm afraid that i will screw up.

I let everything go to hell, then I organize. :)

Not quite a perfectionist then, eh Ruffy? :)

I have been procrastinating a lot lately.

I think for some people the reason why they keep putting work off is because they are perfectionists. If it won't turn out superb they won't even start.

Or they just keep tweaking and tweaking so the work never gets done.

I am surprised to see that this behavior is so well known. Voltaire said that "the perfect is the enemy of the good".

Many people have written on this - here is my summary (http://freshbrainz.blogspot.com/2006/09/perfectionist-procrastinator.html) of it.

For me though I've not been much of a perfectionist lately. I guess I am procrastinating because I get distracted too easily - ending up in this forum for example. :D

What about you?
i procrastinate because i'm scared of what might come after, so if i can string out what i'm doing now then at least i know what i'm doing and it can't get any worse for the time-being.

i also procrastinate because i'm lazy AND a perfectionist. i'm often scared i won't know what i'm doing or won't understand correctly and end up doing it wrong... i suppose fear of failure is in there as well. if i do nothing or expect nothing of myself then i can't fail can i?


all that together does not bode well for me doing things :( ;)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/c3.gif

Okay, I openly admit it: I'm scared.
Not because I totally agree with you guys, for I believe that's a good thing, but because that is exactly how I feel. (Get out of my head... Please?)

I've started a couple of term papers and never finished them because I didn't feel they were developing the way I had envisioned them (and then, of course, they were due some time and I never managed to get them finished.) Maybe I have to lower my expectations, you know, maybe downsize it to a manageable level?

Gee, on the one hand I feel a great relief because apparently I'm not the only one who ticks that way.
Then again, none of you guys has actually offered a way out of that dilemma.

What should I (we) do about it?

(And yes, I had to look up procastration or whatever the term was)

Not quite a perfectionist then, eh Ruffy? :)

:) <-- you before you see my photo collection.
:eek: <-- you after seeing all the folders and sub-folder and sub-sub-folders.

This thread nicely reminded me how stupid it is that I'm here at 1.48 in the morning with an essay due at 4pm. Screw you guys, I'm going to do some work.... possibly.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/c3.gif

Okay, I openly admit it: I'm scared.
Not because I totally agree with you guys, for I believe that's a good thing, but because that is exactly how I feel. (Get out of my head... Please?)

I've started a couple of term papers and never finished them because I didn't feel they were developing the way I had envisioned them (and then, of course, they were due some time and I never managed to get them finished.) Maybe I have to lower my expectations, you know, maybe downsize it to a manageable level?

Gee, on the one hand I feel a great relief because apparently I'm not the only one who ticks that way.
Then again, none of you guys has actually offered a way out of that dilemma.

What should I (we) do about it?

(And yes, I had to look up procastration or whatever the term was)

Oh Steve Pavlina (http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/overcoming-procrastination.htm) apparently has a treatment for this.

"Procastration" ? I know it's a typo but...

LOLLerzZZZ1111ELEVEN!!!!!! :p

I procrastinate because I enjoy the rush of writing a 6 to 8 page essay the night before. Writing is just no fun without an abusive deadline.

I procrastinate because I'd rather play video games than do work :D

I procrastinate because I'd rather play video games than do work :D

I honestly think that I can hear them call to me.

I procrastinate because I'm lazy, because I usually have better things to do, because I'm not motivated, because I work better under pressure, because I know that if I've something finished early I'll poke at bits of it without revising the whole thing and eventually it won't make any sense......

Lots of reasons.

Unless it's something I really want to do. Then it gets done.

I procrastinate because I don't like doing unpleasant things ... like housework, paying bills, going to work.

I procrastinate because I have Asperger Syndrome; we Aspies are ultra-procrastinators.

Oh Steve Pavlina (http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/overcoming-procrastination.htm) apparently has a treatment for this.

"Procastration" ? I know it's a typo but...

LOLLerzZZZ1111ELEVEN!!!!!! :p
Hehe, I thought that this "typo" would be appreciated ;)

Thank you for the link you've provided - that is useful reading material. Although most of that is (simply put) common sense. The hard part is adhering to my own set of rules...

i procrastinate because i'm scared of what might come after, so if i can string out what i'm doing now then at least i know what i'm doing and it can't get any worse for the time-being.

i also procrastinate because i'm lazy AND a perfectionist. i'm often scared i won't know what i'm doing or won't understand correctly and end up doing it wrong... i suppose fear of failure is in there as well. if i do nothing or expect nothing of myself then i can't fail can i?


all that together does not bode well for me doing things :( ;)
:eek: ZOMG!
:eek:

Oh my God.

You're me.

It must be that birthday. Dammit. I bet on the 18th we would have come out self-assured over-achievers... :(
:eek: Another one!
damn our collective birthday!! :mad:
i'm guessing not all taurus' are like us then?
Collective birthday, eh? I'm a Capricorn and I turned out this way....curious....
I procrastinate because I'm lazy, because I usually have better things to do, because I'm not motivated, because I work better under pressure, because I know that if I've something finished early I'll poke at bits of it without revising the whole thing and eventually it won't make any sense......

Lots of reasons.

Unless it's something I really want to do. Then it gets done.

I don't work better under pressure. I work under pressure.:D:p

No, I procrastinate because I'm lazy. :)

We may be related.

We may be related.

You're both human, aren't you? Humans generally have that property....

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/c3.gif

Okay, I openly admit it: I'm scared.
Not because I totally agree with you guys, for I believe that's a good thing, but because that is exactly how I feel. (Get out of my head... Please?)

I've started a couple of term papers and never finished them because I didn't feel they were developing the way I had envisioned them (and then, of course, they were due some time and I never managed to get them finished.) Maybe I have to lower my expectations, you know, maybe downsize it to a manageable level?

Gee, on the one hand I feel a great relief because apparently I'm not the only one who ticks that way.
Then again, none of you guys has actually offered a way out of that dilemma.

What should I (we) do about it?

(And yes, I had to look up procastration or whatever the term was)

i've got a good answer for you: run right into the next room and yell "LEEEROOY JEEEEEENKINS!!!" at the top of your voice :p :p


(actually i have no answer for you :()

You're both human, aren't you? Humans generally have that property....

I cant speak for the Nazz but Ive never actually been tested for being human but I assume that I am. Have they tested you for humanity?

I cant speak for the Nazz but Ive never actually been tested for being human but I assume that I am. Have they tested you for humanity?

Yes, and they found me strangely lacking...:eek:

What about you?

Well, the reason I do not post more here is - it would take me way too much time to write a good post. And I hate it when my arguments aren't fail-proof. That's also be one of the reasons I don't like talking in groups: Until I the perfect comment is done, the subject has usually changed...

Apart from those few things, the reason I don't do stuff is that I'm down-to-earth lazy. And I'm rather skilled at being lazy.

Well, the reason I do not post more here is - it would take me way too much time to write a good post. And I hate it when my arguments aren't fail-proof. That's also be one of the reasons I don't like talking in groups: Until I the perfect comment is done, the subject has usually changed...

Apart from those few things, the reason I don't do stuff is that I'm down-to-earth lazy. And I'm rather skilled at being lazy.

Ha ha ha... I should write another post about perfectionism and laziness then. Wonder what the response would be? :D

Ha ha ha... I should write another post about perfectionism and laziness then. Wonder what the response would be? :D

You won't. You're too lazy.:p

I'm procrastinating right now!

I'm procrastinating right now!

:eek: I've been chatting with my girlfriend so much I haven't gotten anything done since Thursday.:p

You won't. You're too lazy.:p

:eek:

You... can read my mind!?!!

Hello everyone.

Procrastination is a mental illness. It is very common in the most capable, the most intelligent and most well educated.
It is the ego holding itself above fate. It is the spoilt personality, deluded in the belief of its ultimate power, defying time, and defying it's own judgement (the only judgement in which it believes) ... delaying the horrible realization that in the real world, it's actions are as fallible, as misunderstood, and as ill-concieved as that of other egos.

It's not always wrong, though. Not doing a stupid thing which seemed like a good idea at the time can be very gratifying ...

:eek:

You... can read my mind!?!!
;) My girlfriend says the same thing.:p
Hello everyone.

Procrastination is a mental illness. It is very common in the most capable, the most intelligent and most well educated.
It is the ego holding itself above fate. It is the spoilt personality, deluded in the belief of its ultimate power, defying time, and defying it's own judgement (the only judgement in which it believes) ... delaying the horrible realization that in the real world, it's actions are as fallible, as misunderstood, and as ill-concieved as that of other egos.

It's not always wrong, though. Not doing a stupid thing which seemed like a good idea at the time can be very gratifying ...

:eek: You just said everything we were too lazy to say!:D:p

If i wasn't here i would be in my room catching up on some reading and the News...
Though i am meant to ring up about Cricket...
Why do i Procrastinate?
Probably because it fills in time...

I tried to break my procrastination habit, but I haven't got around to it yet.

I tried to break my procrastination habit, but I haven't got around to it yet.

Yeah, I've been meaning to do that, too....It'll just have to wait....

I procrastinate two or three times a day!

Whoops I read it wrong.

I still procrastinate. I know its not because I am a perfectionist. It's just because I spend all my damn time on online forums answering a lot of useless things.

i procrastinate because if i didn't i'd end up doing work

Yes, and they found me strangely lacking...:eek:

I took an aptitude test once and it turned out negative

I took an aptitude test once and it turned out negative

Yeah, I've been meaning to take one of those.:p