I am stuck in a long-time vicious "no panic, no work" cycle -- meaning that I can't concentrate on what I am really supposed to do. I always postpone deadlines, spend time mailing friends and surfing on the 'Net, move/print documents, jump from one task to another, or whatever I can do to fill my day. I am aware of it, but don't know what to do to straighten up. I (almost) only get stuff done when I really panic and realize that something has to be done by tomorrow. How can I learn good working habits?
jmsilber: Learn to schedule your time. Set up a routine where you spend, perhaps, the first hour of the day taking care of mail and the hour after lunch surfing, etc. Then, when you get an assignment, schedule
blocks of time each day during which you will work on it, increasing the scheduled blocks
as the deadline approaches. This way you can still have a lot going on in a day so you're
not bored -- and you can be effective as well!
PhoenixElaine: jmsilber's response is good. Yet from my perspective -- one of nearly nonfunctioning behavior during the worst period -- I want to point out a few other things to consider.
My procrastination was/is a way I'm dealing with a lot of anger and disappointment in my graduate student experience. It's been a heavy investment (years away from spouse, meager finances, living in a environment that forces one to encounter crime day and night), and I'm definitely not getting what I want out of it.
I realized the procrastination was not just bad work habits when I found I replaced one bad habit with another. I removed my .newsrc so I'd just read USENET at home, I replaced it with reading papers on-line. I swore I wouldn't start Netscape at work, so I began reading the campus paper. I spent a great deal of time and energy not working. I've had to realize I'm very depressed and very angry. Sometimes I think my procrastination was so that I might provoke my advisor into showing some sort of emotion. Fortunately, my advisor is beyond reasonable and has been very understanding.
Now that I understand the why of the procrastination, I do better at the scheduling process described above.
artist3d: Hey, I had a job like this for three months not too long ago. It SUCKED! The tediousness of doing the same things over and over again every day, not having any challenging projects, and working in a very quiet office almost drove me to insanity. The benefits were good, and so was the salary. In fact, my job could have even have been described as "cushy". But I quit. For someone to better themself, they have to know when to move on. If you can't challenge yourself, then what's the damn point of life?!
caffine: Well, if your going to waste time, let's start by "wasting" it reading something to get you through this hurdle. May I strongly suggest: "Getting it Done" by Andrew J.DuBrin, PhD.
Second, make yourself a diary and track your day for a week. That ought to
shock some reality into you.
Then, write done 2 things:
1. Where do you want to be in 5 years.
2. What do you want to accomplish this upcoming
year. Read it over and over. Establish a game plan.
3. Surf the net and read about people who are terminally ill
and have "real" deadlines. I find when I am feeling "woe"
for me, it's the best medicine.
Life is very short. Live each day, so that you have
no regrets.
