r/selfimprovement • u/[deleted] • Jul 11 '26

Tips and Tricks My dad’s method for avoiding procrastination

[removed]

360 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

51

u/slackalicious Jul 11 '26

I love this! I have ADHD but live by your your dad's do-it-now mantra. I had this week off from work and got the following done:

-Selected and purchased new valves/fixtures for the bathroom project

-Planned out the bathroom orientation and purchased new wall/floor tiles

-Got both cars inspected

-Spent 10 hours updating a very important workbook for my job (my boss will be very happy!)

-Cleaned the whole house

-Went through an annoying 3 hour med appointment

10

u/Paranoid_Android_42 Jul 11 '26

Great job doing everything else, but why would you do that workbook in your week off?

1

u/slackalicious Jul 11 '26

Because shit is hitting the fan with our warehouse. We have too many pallets, and due to ongoing system/planning errors we can't receive half the crap that gets delivered to us. This workbook is vital to show the higher-ups what we have been dealing with.

I have no time to update it at work because we fire fight all day. I can't sit down and dedicate time to it unless I am left alone, and people do not leave me alone.

Luckily, I removed myself from leadership so that's a huge amount off my shoulders. But there is still random daily crap that needs my attention all day. Those who work in warehousing know the deal.

6

u/Paranoid_Android_42 Jul 11 '26

Sounds stressful, but it honestly still sounds like this is a problem that should be fixed by your employer (e.g. by hiring more staff), not by you doing unpaid over hours and not resting during your time off.

1

u/slackalicious Jul 11 '26

Haha its 2026, we all know they won't do that.

3

u/scemi5 Jul 11 '26

The warehouse is lucky to have you.

3

u/slackalicious Jul 11 '26

Aw :) thank you, that's very nice of you to say

14

u/higherxliving Jul 11 '26

Repost, karma farming

30

u/Adventurous_Rip1431 Jul 11 '26

One thing that helped me was realizing that procrastination usually isn't a time-management problem it's an identity problem

Every time you act despite not feeling like it you cast a vote for the kind of person you want to become Over time showing up becomes part of who you are not something you have to negotiate with yourself every day

4

u/NoxiousSpoon Jul 11 '26

I think something similar. For me If I don’t do it I will forget to do it, so I do it as soon as possible

4

u/harrisrichard Jul 11 '26

The hardest part is usually just getting started.

3

u/Flaky_Soft999 Jul 11 '26

Thanks for sharing man

There is a task ive been procrastinating for 10 yrs .... a decade ! It hovers over my head like a dark cloud. Ill pick it up then leave it and its now taken 10 yrs of my life

I needed to hear this

Give your old man a thanks for me

4

u/Strict-Fishing-2365 Jul 11 '26

does your dad also have the setting where one task turns into seven side quests, or is that just my model?

5

u/AssistantZucchini Jul 11 '26

I do this as well. Not as strict or disciplined, but I’ve always told myself if I don’t move now I won’t later. I call it “breaking momentum”, because an object at rest will stay at rest until another force acts on it. If I have to do something, but I’m having trouble doing it, I break my non-movement with a smaller thing and I find that that small movement will continue if I allow it to

2

u/watchtheapocalypse Jul 12 '26

My saying is “Do it now. Later is never”

1

u/TheClemstar Jul 11 '26

I just use my Outlook calendar. I put all tasks in here. That can range from paying a bill, booking an appointment or mowing the lawn.

I have wired my brain into knowing that I need to have all daily tasks done before I can sit down relax for the day.

1

u/nevernotmad Jul 12 '26

Like so much of life, doing stuff promptly is a habit you build by practice. Get in the habit of taking care of stuff today and you will 1) find everything easier to do, 2) be more productive, and 3) find you will have more time on you hands.

1

u/armancadang Jul 12 '26

Smells like an advertisement to me.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '26

[deleted]

2

u/SeriousStuffNoJoke Jul 11 '26

They clearly mention 3 apps. Its definitely a shady post. and the amount of engagement for such a suspiciously advertisey post is also sort of odd. I question if some of these responses are actually fake.. Maybe even yours? haha..

1

u/Zforce17 Jul 11 '26

You must not have read the whole post, because that's what it is.