[shakespeare47]

My biggest issue these days is just with motivation. I have a habit of procrastinating.

But, there have been times in my life when I was determined and motivated.... it's just that I try so hard, I get burned out.

The last 20-30 years or so have been a roller coaster of trying too hard, or not trying hard enough.

Anyone else been there?

Has psychotherapy helped?

[stopdog]

I don't mind procrastination. I have come to think of it as my incubation period.
I am not easily motivated, and especially not by external factors.

[Lauliza]

I've always had a problem with procrastination and motivation. Anxiety tends to be my biggest motivator. I was diagnosed with adult ADD and take Adderral now, which really helps my motivation to get things done. Otherwise I have trouble organizing my thoughts so I can get up and do what I need to. Things like cleaning the house, food shopping, sorting through clothes. I'm a parent of three kids, so it's pretty important to keep some sort of order in the house. It's not great, but definitely better than it was before I started my medication. Without it I needed a fire lit under me to get gonig on anything - the threat of being fired from work or of doing poorly in a class. Usually a confrontation of some kind, which I'd rather avoid.

[HazelGirl]

I second the ADD thing. It's the same for me, tons of motivation, then a crash and none. And I know for me, it's an ADHD thing.

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by HazelGirl

I second the ADD thing. It's the same for me, tons of motivation, then a crash and none. And I know for me, it's an ADHD thing.

Yup I see it in my son too, who also takes meds. I think it's especially difficult with ADD, where the hyperactivity part is absent. You don't see the details around you and I think processing time is slower. And if you are pretty intelligent it looks to others (and eventually to you) that you are just very spacey, lazy or both. I wish I had been diagnosed as a kid because I really think my life would have been very different.

[HazelGirl]

Originally Posted by Lauliza

Yup I see it in my son too, who also takes meds. I think it's especially difficult with ADD, where the hyperactivity part is absent. You don't see the details around you and I think processing time is slower. And if you are pretty intelligent it looks to others (and eventually to you) that you are just very spacey, lazy or both. I wish I had been diagnosed as a kid because I really think my life would have been very different.

I was diagnosed as a kid, but my parents didn't want to medicate me, and I was told I would "probably outgrow it", and I didn't. That was about 15 years ago, and they've come a long way in their understanding of ADD/ADHD, but yeah. I wish I had gotten real help much sooner.

[Insignificant other]

Yes , I recognized myself in here.
Procrastinator? I had 3 doors that needed to be painted 2 yrs ago .. I felt so guilty about it that just the other day .. the darn things were painted .. by me!
And I grumbled all the way thru it too .. I'm just lazy.

[angelene]

I procrastinate heavily and rarely have a good motivation level. I'm always so down that just about anything feels like a huge hurdle. Lacking motivation and struggling with procrastination has been a life-long battle.

[Perna]

Therapy helped me figure out better what I really wanted/valued. I think that has a lot to do with procrastination. You don't procrastinate doing things you really want to do?

[SnakeCharmer]

I posted this in response to Shakespeare's question in the Other Mental Health Discussions forum. Maybe a few folk here would be interested in the link, too.

I have a big problem with procrastination. I've received a lot of help by reading books and articles by Dr. Bill Knaus, who's helped a lot of people with motivation.

I have to read material on a regular basis or I slide backwards. Here's an article from his Psychology Today blog. You can probably find a lot more by doing an internet search on his name. This article is just a small sample of his work. I have several of his books that I dip into whenever I start sliding backwards. At the bottom of this article there's a list of other Psych Today articles by him.

Do This One Thing and Stop Procrastinating | Psychology Today

As a sidenote: After posting this for Shakespeare's benefit, I re-read the article and today my house sparkles, my hiking boots are cleaned and waterproofed, my summer clothes are put away and my winter clothes have been inspected and are ready to wear. I'd been avoiding these necessary chores for days. I feel a thousand pounds lighter. Once I finally started, it was easy. So, Dr. Knaus, wherever you are -- Thank You!

[stopdog]

What is it about procrastination that others find problematic? Frankly I have never thought it something I wanted to change.
I certainly would not let a therapist try to change me about it.

Here is an article on how it can be positive:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...102008/?no-ist

or this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-e...b_1324026.html

or this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/op...time.html?_r=0

[pbutton]

I am easily motivated but get overwhelmed quickly due to ADD. I just started Adderall and it is helping. Yesterday I told T that after the meds get under control that I need to do some CBT to work on old patterns and habits that lead to procrastination

[shakespeare47]

Originally Posted by stopdog

What is it about procrastination that others find problematic? Frankly I have never thought it something I wanted to change.
I certainly would not let a therapist try to change me about it.

Here is an article on how it can be positive:
Why Procrastination is Good for You | Science | Smithsonian

or this:
Why Procrastination Is Good for You: 5 Ways to Make it Work | Lisa Earle McLeod

or this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/op...time.html?_r=0

Wow. Thank you for those articles.

[ScarletPimpernel]

I find I procrastinate because I tend to be a perfectionist. If I don't think I can put 100% effort into something, I just don't do it.

And then there's self-sabotaging. I excel at this. If I'm in the process of doing something, I tend to quit if it gets too much. I've quit big things like college or little things like crafts. And once I quit, I put off the idea of re-starting for a long time.

But there is also prioritizing. Some things I just put off because there are more important things to do. Because of my depression, some times things like sleep or eating breakfast or feeding the dogs are the biggest victories of my day. Things like cleaning, reading a book my T suggested, etc. just aren't that important.

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by shakespeare47

Wow. Thank you for those articles.

To me procrastination and motivation are not the same thing. A lot of very successful and productive people are procrastinators. It's when the motivation is so low that even small basic tasks are overwhelming that there is a problem, in my opinion. If someone has poor time management skills (which I have have along with motivation issues) then procrastination only makes it worse. I just know now that it's motivation that is the root of the problem and what my meds help with.

[stopdog]

I am not motivated to not procrastinate. I have been told I am difficult for others to motivate. I believe that is true. If something must get done, it does. But at times of low energy for me, all of the non-mandatory things are put off. I always make work deadlines and take care of my pets. Everything else is elective and of little consequence if or when it gets done.

[shakespeare47]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I am not motivated to not procrastinate. I have been told I am difficult for others to motivate. I believe that is true. If something must get done, it does. But at times of low energy for me, all of the non-mandatory things are put off. I always make work deadlines and take care of my pets. Everything else is elective and of little consequence if or when it gets done.

That's pretty much how I am... except that I'm getting further into debt because I work for myself by myself... and am having trouble motivating myself from day to day.

[stopdog]

Perhaps changing or adding to what would be considered necessary for you could help.

[pbutton]

My anxiety is a lot lower when I do not procrastinate. Less things hanging over my head, I feel more productive, and my life is much more organized.

[QuagmireTrekker]

I think the procrastination doesn't necessarily result from lack of motivation. If it indeed results from lack of motivation, then there must be some tricky difficulty hindering the swift achievement, such as some unanticipated factor which can't be controlled by myself or overburden. Otherwise, if you are well-motivated, why don't you progress swiftly? Besides the tricky difficulty, I think my procrastination mostly results from reluctance or lack of energy.
I usually do the things I like first and procrastinate those I dislike to the later. In elementary school I always finished my homework first after school before doing something else. In (junior) high school I always studied science prior to society for exams because I like the former more. But since undergraduate time, most of the subjects are what I like because it's me who chose the major. If I delay to study the subjects I like, it's usually because I can't understand some material, otherwise I would progress very fast unless there are other things taking my time. As for dining, if there are friends inviting me to eat together, I would go with them without procrastination; if there is no partner to eat together and I need to go to eat alone, I usually procrastinate until being very hungry. The same is true for travel. If there is no friend to travel together, I often even don't bother to plan to travel, not to mention to procrastination. Aside from these scenarios, I may procrastinate the things I like to do when I have a bad mood or lack of energy, such as due to not sleeping well the previous night. And for the things I am extremely disinclined to do but must do, I usually procrastinate to the final minute to do with annoyance.