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Cucurbita wrote on 2011-06-10 05:08
Guys, I've spent the last 3 years of my life being as unproductive as possible.I always have things I want to do, but I can never follow through on it. Of course, its a matter of being lazy, but that doesn't mean I can just say to myself "get a move on" and suddenly start going.
Some famous dude said somewhere "everyone has dreams, but not everyone takes the actions needed for the dream to become a reality". I seriously haven't done anything to improve myself or taken any steps to learn anything since I first went to college.
Here I keep saying I won't screw up the next time, but I'm afraid I will anyways. I've always been confident in my self before attempting something, but then turns out I never actually attempt it at all. I now have an incredibly huge to-do list that formed over the years. I've used every strategy taught in learning and management classes to organize my goals and take them step by step, yet thats as far as I can get.
I always say "today I'll do this" and then by the end of the day I haven't done any of it. I really don't know how I turned out like this... My parents blame the computer but I'll easily find something else to distract myself with. I can't stay fixed on the task at hand. It scares me. Even a simple task like "call someone" can end up being procrastinated day after day.
I really want to fix this part of me before I go back to college this fall. I want to clear some of my to do list before the summer ends. But I already know this is all talk. I'll end up telling myself every day "I really should... I really need to..." and next thing I know its september.
I already have inspirations. Motivations. But I always feel so heavy and chained up. I try to be optimistic but its only an act; I cant help but have millions of negative thoughts flow my head. To top it off, I now have a job I hate, and with the recent series of events all contributing to just bumming me out puts me in a state of mood that just makes me want to lay in bed for a few years and do nothing.
What am I to do really? I've read a dozen motivational books, listened to plenty of speeches, I've identified my own laziness, and I still cant find the energy and conviction to follow through with anything.
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Tatsu wrote on 2011-06-10 05:16
Personally, I'd just wait to get back in to college and work. Because quite frankly, you'll fail at life if you don't. Really, that should be something for you to stop being lazy.
Also, spend a day talking to someone like Caspar. Seriously.
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ThatNerd wrote on 2011-06-10 05:17
You should think about your assignments that you have to do, and ask yourself: "What would happen if I didn't do this? What benefits will I have? How can I do that in a way I'll enjoy?"
It works for me.... But if it's irrelevant then I'll just procrastinate some more.
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Hazeri wrote on 2011-06-10 05:17
You and me, on the same boat. Want to sing a song?
At least you have a job~
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Cucurbita wrote on 2011-06-10 05:21
Quote from Hazeri;474513:
You and me, on the same boat. Want to sing a song?
At least you have a job~
I'm the guy who would say I want a job but dont mean it. I really want to quit but I'm hanging on.
Well, I really promised myself I would never work food retail ever again, so thats a bit of an extra reason why I dislike my job so much.
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Hazeri wrote on 2011-06-10 05:24
Quote from Cucurbita;474518:
I'm the guy who would say I want a job but dont mean it. I really want to quit but I'm hanging on.
Well, I really promised myself I would never work food retail ever again, so thats a bit of an extra reason why I dislike my job so much.
It is a job man, a ****ty job but a job nonetheless.
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Ninjam wrote on 2011-06-10 05:24
Try the rewards system, every time you compleat an important task, play 1 hour of a game you really like or buy yourself an icecream.
If you want to be machosist about it, you can ban yourself from playing the game at all unless you compleat important tasks.
I also have problems with procrastination, i have problems with paying attention to one thing at a time. So i found the best way to focus on one thing was to turn on a show and daydream while doing the task. Works for everything from homework to writing out college applications to even exercising.
After your done be sure to reward yourself.
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Hazeri wrote on 2011-06-10 05:30
Quote from Ninjam;474528:
Try the rewards system, every time you compleat an important task, play 1 hour of a game you really like or buy yourself an icecream.
If you want to be machosist about it, you can ban yourself from playing the game at all unless you compleat important tasks.
I also have problems with procrastination, i have problems with paying attention to one thing at a time. So i found the best way to focus on one thing was to turn on a show and daydream while doing the task. Works for everything from homework to writing out college applications to even exercising.
After your done be sure to reward yourself.
Sounds ridiculous and aimed mainly for kiddos, but it works.
Or at least it did for me when my mom was in charge, good times (grinding all that homework for a month paid well when I could play at my local Discovery Zone's arcade, eat pizza and play inside all those games. damn now i want my childhood back ;_; )
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Cucurbita wrote on 2011-06-10 05:35
Would work until I realize I can treat myself to whatever I want regardless of the success of the task at hand.
Hell, even now I could be doing at least one or two things on my massive to do list. It is 12:34 though, so I suppose its appropriate to sleep for nown(see taht procrastination?) And I'll probably get called in to work tomorrow at an obscure time of day like I was yesterday and today.
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BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2011-06-10 05:36
For some people, studying requires actual practice or repetition.
Master studies about 2 hours per subject, and divide among days.
For example
Monday
2 hours: 3 chapters of U.S. History, read + notes, review
2 hours: 3 chapters of Biology, read +notes, review
2 hours: 3 chapters of chemistry, read + notes, review
Tuesday
2 hours: 3 chapters of Physics, Read +notes, review
2 hours: 2 chapters of Calculus, read + practice
2 hours: Literature: read book or lookup themes of book, write essay on theme
Wednesday
2 hours: 2 chapters of psychology, read+ notes, review
2 hours: 2 chapters of Calculus, read + practice
2 hours: Any subject she feels like
repeat
-Anyways, try other methods for assigning yourself
Lets say you go to library to study
okay, but you can't just study
there should be a specific command
"I'm going to read 3 chapters, and then review"
much better
-Also, if a certain activity (like a research paper) take an excessive amount of time to do, drop it
do something else that you can do at a much more productive rate and return to it later.
-Deadlines? Unless if the duedate is tommorow, finish a day early if time permits. There, deadline fear gone.
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Ninjam wrote on 2011-06-10 05:39
It does work, even for grownups.
Also, failure is good. It means you at least tried. If someone asks you "did exercise for the past year" and you said "yes, but i broke my leg twice" it still sounds a lot better than "nope".
From experience, when i was going through most of highschool i was incredibly shy. One day, i decided that nothing was going to change until i tried, so i joined the schools anime club, which i just learned about. I graduated from highschool less than a month ago, and realized that i actually have people i can talk to in my graduating class, and a girlfriend, which surprised even me.
All it takes to change is just that one decision of "im going to do it". As long as you have the willpower to keep at it, it works.
/end minipeptalk
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Cucurbita wrote on 2011-06-10 05:42
Cat, jus to be clear, I know study methods very well and when I get going I tend to nail everything I do.
The real issue is the following three.
1. I cant seem to START. Like, that trip to the library itself wont happen.
2. I cant stay focused. Staing on one topic very long is a challenge. I tend to multitask well because of it, but my mind easily slips out of the task at hand and day dream, wasting time.
3. Right now, I really really feel like **** and its not helping.
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Cucurbita wrote on 2011-06-10 05:45
Quote from Ninjam;474551:
It does work, even for grownups.
Also, failure is good. It means you at least tried. If someone asks you "did exercise for the past year" and you said "yes, but i broke my leg twice" it still sounds a lot better than "nope".
From experience, when i was going through most of highschool i was incredibly shy. One day, i decided that nothing was going to change until i tried, so i joined the schools anime club, which i just learned about. I graduated from highschool less than a month ago, and realized that i actually have people i can talk to in my graduating class, and a girlfriend, which surprised even me.
All it takes to change is just that one decision of "im going to do it". As long as you have the willpower to keep at it, it works.
/end minipeptalk
Well yeah. Sounds similar enough to my highschool life. Maybe identical.
No, rather, more importantly... its that "willpower". I already know what everyone told me so far. But I dont have the willpower.
I'd rank windmill but i dont have the willpower to grind through that either. /tastelessjoke
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Cucurbita wrote on 2011-06-10 05:48
I also think there might be an external factor in all this, though it could very well be my mind just trying to make excuses...
If I need professional guidance then I would like to get it before school starts again.
Sorry for multipost but I cant merge posts on mobile.
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Ninjam wrote on 2011-06-10 05:49
Well, everythings harder when your in a horrible mood. The "willpower" part is the hardest, just keep trying, im sure you can get it.