Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.

What do you think is the most important thing(s) you need to overcoming procrastination?

12 June, 2008 - 12:23pm - kpoet
Building up your self confidence
4% (5 votes)
Strengthening your willpower
11% (13 votes)
Remove distractions around you
2% (2 votes)
Letting go of control (be less controlling)
3% (3 votes)
Overcoming a fear (failure, success)
11% (13 votes)
Counselling or therapy
1% (1 vote)
Making yourself start a task
16% (19 votes)
Involvement with a program (e.g. twelve-step)
6% (7 votes)
Changing your attitudes toward the task you're delaying
12% (14 votes)
More effective time management and scheduling techniques
3% (4 votes)
Acceptance you have a procrastination problem
5% (6 votes)
Combination of the above (please comment)
22% (26 votes)
Other(s) (please comment)
3% (4 votes)
Total votes: 117

Comments

My scrolling addiction has

hjf2bme - 11 Dec 2022 - 11:06pm

My scrolling addiction has gone off the charts. I have that sick nauseas feeling like it's a drug that I can't stop. Do we now need a scrollers anonymous?

Shawna's picture

Joining a P.A. 12-step

Shawna - 14 Oct 2020 - 3:16pm

Joining a P.A. 12-step program, overcoming fear, greed, jealousy, etc., keep working on my Internet & Technology addiction.

Same. We're in it together to

hjf2bme - 11 Dec 2022 - 10:58pm

Same. We're in it together to win it. 

OK, so I plan to get better

alfreda - 30 Aug 2012 - 12:09pm

OK, so I plan to get better at starting tasks, and also to downsize the list of tasks I set myself each day. I realise I have been setting myself up for failure. Also I recognise that I allow myself to procrastinate as a kind oif reward....what for, I'm not certain!

In my opinion, distractions

admitthenimprove - 28 Aug 2012 - 11:49pm

In my opinion, distractions are always there. if there is none, a procrastinator tends to create one. 

I wold say changing your attitude towards the task and Accepting that one has a procrastination problem is main.. but i still wonder why i cant get myself to do this.. :(

anything and everything

theanonomous - 23 Jul 2012 - 7:10pm

I don't mean to imply that my problem is any more severe than than anyone else's or anything like that, but I think I need to use every tool I can.  I think more will power is the main thing, but most of the other things would either help me get more will power or need less of it.

If I am more self-confidence and a better attitude I think that gives me more will power and I wouldn't need as much will power to overcome the negative emotions that keep me from doing tasks because I would have fewer negative emotions.  Working a 12 step program and going to counciling help with all these things, so I think they are important as well. 

the answer to the above is

MD - 20 Jun 2010 - 10:14pm

the answer to the above is YES: all of the above.

It depends, truly, on whether one is trying to just get over the anxiety of the ailment overall or to clean up old papers/files or face family/friend who has been hurt or delayed by us or to just get the next phone bill paid before this coming week's deadline. 

I know "it depends" is a cliche but thinking that I need one magic bullet or pill from the above list is IN ITSELF procrastinating by diverting my attention to any ONE 'cure'. I realize I need it all -- perhaps differing degrees at different times with different difficulties.

Combination

lennon - 20 Jun 2010 - 9:42pm

I believe that I need outside help, the 12-Step Program, this website, other books, and other tools online to help me procrastinate and be in recovery.

Combination

hidden_motives - 20 Jun 2010 - 4:09pm
  • Removing distractions around me
  • Overcoming a fear, failure success
People are born hedonistic. As babies they cry only for milk and pleasure. It is part of human nature to want to seek pleasure, perhaps man needed to conserve energy in the past to survive. Since it is against human nature to pick work over pleasure, one will fail to achieve the expectation to do work unless they grow bored of all the pleasure around them, they gain more pleasure from relieving the anxiety of not doing anything, or they don't have any pleasures to distract them. (Other exceptions include not procrastinating to eat: survival).
 
 
Everyone Procrastinates. The reason we've come here is that we want to procrastinate less. I am a firm beleiver that the reason people procrastinate is to escape a fear, my own fear is my fear of failure. If I do not do the task, I can not fail it... hehe... (except when I procrastinate so much that I don't have enough time and then I fail it Frown). To overcome this fear is to treat the cause of procrastination, and without this fear I won't need to escape by procrastinating.

Combination

LovingLife17 - 9 Apr 2010 - 1:34pm
  • Removing distractions around me 
  • Making myself start a task
  • Changing my attitude towards the task I'm delaying

I have a lot of trouble

LauraKLynn - 2 Apr 2009 - 10:46pm

I have a lot of trouble with anticipatory anxiety and often put things off because of that.  Low self esteem doesn't help either, nor does fear of failure (I am a perfectionist).  It's also way too easy to hop on the internet or turn on the tv, so I need to figure out a way to avoid such distractions.

 I really need more confidence and need to feel inspired, or at least like what I'm doing is worthwhile. 

 

"Freedom is not just a dream.  It's there on the other side of those fences we build all by ourselves”     -Instinct

For me, it's a combination:

jpkloppy - 1 Oct 2008 - 9:26am

For me, it's a combination: "Strengthening your willpower" is important, but since I have so far failed in this task on my own, I need "Involvement with a program". (Although 12-step sounds too religious for me)

 

I also believe "Remove distractions around you" is important, but I tend to create new distractions where I've removed others.

 

I've had too much counselling on the topic. None of it has helped. :(

welcome jpkloppy /will power

chickadee - 1 Oct 2008 - 10:03am

Welcome here--I hope you'll find strength and help here.

The whole question of will power: I've had an epiphany about this which I posted about--the divided will. Part of the will says 'do it, you should' the other part says 'I don't wanna'. The battle consumes energy and tempts one to sink into a habit of always thinking 'i'm bad, i'm lazy, i can't have a break'. Vicious cycle of more procrastination results.

For me the 12 steps are unfamiliar and challenging but have alos brought new hope. My first few steps towards turning to HP showed me a way beyond this battle of the divided will. It cannot be won with willpower. A few steps forward came from HP and from recovering the real motivations.

welcome jpkloppy

journey - 1 Oct 2008 - 9:34am

It's not necesssary to do the 12 steps to participate in this wonderful forum, but the information is there if you choose to use it.  Glad to have you on board!

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

e's reasons

tenacious e - 13 Jun 2008 - 1:43am

I think that there are three major components for me in terms of overcoming my procrastination: involvement with a 12 step program, putting myself first so that my needs get met so I can meet others needs, and overcoming fears. The other concepts are also necessary, but more of tools than the deeper reasons why I procrastinate.

Starts with acceptance

kpoet - 12 Jun 2008 - 12:42pm

I believe it always starts with acknowledgement and acceptance that one has a problem. This is the first step to recovery. But, acceptance without action is useless so I think one also needs to remove oneself from distractions (if it is a problem), a bit of self confidence and will power, and finally changing one's attitude towards the task. Rather than saying "I must do this" one says "I choose to do this". Make the task important to you, and you will be motivated to start it, continue working at it, and finally completing it.