FabSwingers.com forum: Putting things off

By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago

London

Why is it our brains can build up tasks we have to do into insurmountable demonic nightmare energy-sapping blockades that we end up ruminating on from a place of frozen fear?

Bad brain!

How do you tackle your inability to start doing the things you’re dreading or putting off?

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By *erald 1999Man
over a year ago

carmarthen

Write a list ....

1 prioritise

2 start with most urgent/quickest to get done

3 cross off have a cup of tea and either lose the list or carry on ??

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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago

London

"Write a list ....

1 prioritise

2 start with most urgent/quickest to get done

3 cross off have a cup of tea and either lose the list or carry on ?? "

It’s only one thing I’m putting off!

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By *erald 1999Man
over a year ago

carmarthen

Oh decide to do or not to do ...over a cup of tea

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By *hawn ScottMan
over a year ago

london Brixton

I suffer from major Procrastination. Its usually a side effect of depression/anxiety.

Without more detail it's hard to give a simple easy answer

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By *iromancergirl1Woman
over a year ago

bolton

I make a list in order of importance or urgency to get it out of my head or it would drive me insane then I just go through it one by one I find this the easiest way or I’d just get stressed and do nothing.

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By *rpeggioCouple
over a year ago

Baughurst

"Write a list ....

1 prioritise

2 start with most urgent/quickest to get done

3 cross off have a cup of tea and either lose the list or carry on ??

It’s only one thing I’m putting off!

Every task, even one, had subtasks, so start partitioning it and checking what's the difficulty of each subpart and where's the real blockades

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

I don't tackle it, I am an Olympic standard procrastinator. Tasks that take as little as 15 minutes require several weeks of mentioning every now and again and a further several weeks of claiming I'll do it latee.

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By *ornyguyMan
over a year ago

Hillsborough, NI

I also suffer from major procrastination, and I think it's getting worse as I get older. Leaving things until last minute or beyond, such that it then causes problems and adds more stress.

The funny thing is, when I do get a burst of energy and do the things I need to, I feel good, but find I still revert to my usual ways again.

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By *arry monk40Man
over a year ago

Telford

So it's not just me.....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I can totally relate to this and more often than not it tends to be admin related, a task that will take perhaps 10 minutes at the most.

Rather than do them, I will allow them to build up and bother me instead.

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By *o_yeur_eyes_onlyMan
over a year ago

Londontown

Guilty brain too.....you won't be alone here

I always find once I've started it I think "why didn't I just do this earlier?".

Just take the first little step....

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By *stbury DavenportMan
over a year ago

Nottingham

"Why is it our brains can build up tasks we have to do into insurmountable demonic nightmare energy-sapping blockades that we end up ruminating on from a place of frozen fear?

Bad brain!

How do you tackle your inability to start doing the things you’re dreading or putting off?"

Generally because the tasks *are* a demonic energy-sapping blockade.

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By *ottom charlieMan
over a year ago

washington

"Why is it our brains can build up tasks we have to do into insurmountable demonic nightmare energy-sapping blockades that we end up ruminating on from a place of frozen fear?

Bad brain!

How do you tackle your inability to start doing the things you’re dreading or putting off?"
buy yourself some thing as a treat to have after you have done the job..e.g. cream cake,, bar of chocolate,, its a form of mental black mail

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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago

London

"I don't tackle it, I am an Olympic standard procrastinator. Tasks that take as little as 15 minutes require several weeks of mentioning every now and again and a further several weeks of claiming I'll do it latee.

I’ll tell you what though, thanks to your thread the other day I did get that GP appt booked - so thank you xx

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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago

London

I’m going to do it tomorrow.

Chill today because I’ve whipped myself up into a state, and then just go at in chunks tomorrow.

It’s a work related legal case statement so important and people counting on me. But there’s so much to put in and get the employment law clear on and it’s a toxic situation so it’s causing me immense anxiety.

I shall follow all of your advice…tomorrow!

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

I’ll tell you what though, thanks to your thread the other day I did get that GP appt booked - so thank you xx"

Ooo that's good

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By *ilk_and_SilverCouple
over a year ago

Oxford

Manana, manana!!

Both of us suffer from the same inability to push through that frozen wall of excuses in brain!!

Writing a list used to work, but now the effort of finding a pen to write the list causes delay in creating the list. At this moment in time the Double shot expresso and ‘get shit done’ before the coffee causes anx appears to work…..

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

realise if i don't get my ass in gear and get the work done in the next week then im going to be so far in debt with no pretty little letters after my name to show for it

adhd brain is so real, and knowing you can't work unless you're under pressure, but then the pressure being so overwhelming that you just put it off because it's unbearable, so you procrastinate and ignore it and then scramble to get it done and shed a few tears in the process.

and you tell yourself every time that it'll be different and you'll manage your time effectively... but you don't.

love a vicious cycle

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By *ommy2125Man
over a year ago

newport

I just give myself a good talking to. Usually out loud as well. Depending on what it is you are not doing, some stuff I have to run through a few what if scenarios before I do it.

My rule of thumb if I procrastinate is to ask what's the worst that can happen and that's enough to get me going

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Give yourself little wins to help motivate you.

Sometimes having 20 things to do can feel like 1 big thing as you arnt happy until they are all done.

Make a tick list of everything you need to do.

Work through them one by one.

Get through some of the quicker ones to get some early wins and build momentum.

It doesn't matter how small the task is, it's some shit that needs doing, now it's done.

Win.

If you have a big task that will take time, break it down into smaller goals.

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By *hunkyBuggaMan
over a year ago

Devon

We naturally put off the tasks that we don’t want to do either as they are too hard, too awkward or to boring!

We will always find a reason to not do it so o always make a list, rank them in order of hardest to easiest and tackle the hardest stuff first.

Mentally once you finish the hardest bit all the others seem less problematic and before you know it you’ll rattle through it!

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By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire

Mine are never as serious as yours Estelle but I did make two important phone calls I'd be

en putting off today

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Medication

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Seriously though I don’t. I have this issue

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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago

London

"Mine are never as serious as yours Estelle but I did make two important phone calls I'd be

en putting off today"

Yours are just as important, bloody well done - I hate phone calls - I dread them I mean, as I get anxious I’ll get tongue tied. So kudos to you!

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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago

Dubai & Nottingham

How do you tackle your inability to start doing the things you’re dreading or putting off?"

I just start without thinking too far ahead. The self-esteem you get from starting often gives you the energy you need. Try not to rely on feeling like it, motivation or rewards. The reward of building determination & tenacity is far more valuable than a treat.

Now just get on with it !

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By *hePerkyPumpkinTV/TS
over a year ago

Bristol

I leave it until I have no choice but to deal with it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Typed a whole response to this but backspaced it all due to judgement.

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By *panksspankedMan
over a year ago

Edinburgh

I can spend longer thinking about doing something than it takes to do the actual thing. I wish I didn't

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By *stella OP Woman
over a year ago

London

"Typed a whole response to this but backspaced it all due to judgement.

hope you’re ok xx

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By *arry monk40Man
over a year ago

Telford

Can you get proper help with this i struggle it's causing problems

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By *lueseasWoman
over a year ago

Leamington Spa

I have ADHD to starting a task is an immense challenge, especially if said task is dull or stressful.

Have you tried focusmate? It's a platform that allows you to book sessions of half an hour or an hour with another user: you agree on goals for the session then you mute your mic and set to work on your task, knowing the other person is doing the same, and at the end of the session you check in on one another.

I know it sounds daft, but it is actually super helpful, somehow it's easier to focus if you know you're connected to another person. It's called 'body doubling' and it works especially well for neurodivergent people, although everyone can find it helpful. You get 3 sessions a week free, but if you need more, the subscription is very cheap, less than a fiver a month, I think.

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By *irtydevil666Man
over a year ago

bristol

Why do today what you can do tomorrow serves me well.....

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By *r TriomanMan
over a year ago

Chippenham Malmesbury area

Sometimes it's about overcoming inertia, like a train pullout of a station, slow and ponderous at first then flying along at full speed (leads on the track permitting).

Go for a quick win, choose a small easy task first, build up speed, nail it and then do another slightly more challenging task next. Also, break large tasks down into manageable subtasks.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Parkinson's Law innit?

Work expands to fill the allotted time we set aside for its completion. Or in other words, if you set aside four hours for a task, it will take four hours. If you set aside four weeks for the same task, it will take four weeks.

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