Sunday, April 03, 2011
Use Side 'Procrastination Projects' to Become More Productive
LIfehacker: "Overcoming procrastination is a favorite topic on Lifehacker. The more tips and tricks in our arsenal, the better our chances of beating procrastination and getting things done. One strategy is to have a side project that helps you procrastinate more productively.
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I definitely use this method to get through my homework list. Sometimes even individual assignments (like long papers or reading books). It's helpful because pausing the need-to-do in order to do something I want to do is like rewarding myself for completing stages of my to-do list. Even within the to-do list, I try to move between homework that's dreadful and homework that's not bad (or even enjoyable, like reading plays). It stops me from going crazy. I mean, I have a lot of reading for history classes, and some of it's dry. If I don't pause and do something else, I stop concentrating and miss a lot of information. So having side projects helps me concentrate on the larger ones.
I feel like I just read the flipside to this on this blog a few weeks ago. That article said that sometimes people fool themselves out of thinking they're procrastinating by doing something 'useful' like washing dishes or making dinner. I tend to do that. I'll do some homework, load the dishwasher, do more homework, move my laundry, do more homework, put water up to boil. I find it helpful to have a handful of other tasks that are important and quick on standby.
This is great way for me to be productive. When I have side projects or tasks hat I can work on or that give me a break I tend to accomplish more on my larger project, and the smaller tasks I need to finish. Its like having a to-do list and switching between it, but the side projects are much smaller and allow you to focus on the larger projects still. This is a great way to be more productive.
I agree with Elize in that an article i commented on earlier this semester produced opposite advice to their readers. it happens all the time that scours very in opinions but this is blatantly opposite. its interesting then too see which one is more productive and which one is more realistically applied in life. the general idea of this article makes sense as i do this more often than the application of the opposite article. i find myself commonly applying this articles points in my life and find this article to be a little more realistic for people like me however people vary greatly in the way they function. this article i feel would work for some but do far more damage to others than the opposite article.
I think this is a good idea but I feel that it could also be hard to find the motivation to work on these side projects. I have a few things on the back burner that fit this description perfectly but it's hard just to jump on those. As Joe Pino taught us in one of his lectures is that it is good to break down large tasks into conceivable chunks and that way it is easier to get started on the project.
I like the idea of having projects that involve skills you may need to use in the future. I don't know that this is always practical, but I think it's a creative way to help yourself learn, stay productive, and relax (in the sense that the project isn't required work). I think what's more practical is switching off between mentally taxing tasks and other important, but less challenging tasks like doing laundry. Elize said that she does this. I do it as well and find it pretty useful. I think that staying productive is the key here. If you stay more productive throughout the day, your chances of being able to relax at night and get enough sleep are so much greater.
This is one of the biggest helps for me in overcoming procrastination. Unless it is absolutely necessary, I prefer to take a lot of breaks when working on a longer project. And for me, watching an episode of a TV show I have been working through isn't simply procrastinating; it's another project that is important to me and to the industry I am working in. Therefore, I will often take breaks to do things like this. This is especially helpful for projects that require a lot of thought or creativity, because it allows your brain to stop focusing on the one task constantly, and may lead to a great idea.
New take on an old tactic. I have never thought of working on something for me that could be useful later. I have a huge list of those kinds of items. I have always just switched to another task on my list that is unrelated. However, I do not understand why the suggested kind of tasks increase motivation.
I will have to try this one out. What learning task will I chose first. Maybe that can be my first mental break... wait, that sounds like more procrastination.
The only time that I have 8 continuous hours to dedicate to a project are from midnight to 8am. (not the best time for someone who needs at least 3.5 hours of sleep a night to function the next day). This advice was not the best for me. I need to find a way to be productive on large assignments when I only have 45 minute chunks to dedicate to it at a time. My key to success would be the ability to get into the zone quickly.
My other key to non-procrastination would be to start early on a project. Anytime I do that it brings about great success.
Finally, with the pace of grad school, I can not relax. Anytime I think that I am caught up and on pace I let up for a few days and I fall behind.
this is a good solution, to procrastination problems, and seems to help with mental fatigue. i find that it is particularly helpful to use side projects from a completely different discipline. last night i did drafting homework for hours, and then wrote a philosophy paper. i knew early in the afternoon that i would not be able to focus on the paper, so i did a project which is interesting, and also productive to get myself into the mindset to do work.
I feel like one of two things will happen. Either I'll feel like I need a break from my "side project" and start procrastinating on a whole new level. Or get so involved in this second project that I loose all motivation to switch gears and focus.
This is seems like an excuse to keep yourself distracted but with a twist that cleverly justifies it. Just do something else that will help with what you should be doing later. So can I bake cookies, and eat them later when I work? Can I sleep? That would certainly help me when I try to do my actual project later.
I usually need to clean a little bit to get me into my work mode. But usually i procrastinate because i think a project is going to be long, hard, and boring and i make into this big impossible task, when in reality its not that bad. Having side projects could just add to your procrastination and give you an excuse to not work on what you should be working on.
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