Stop Procrastination Article - a Critique

Okay, so I found the following article on beating procrastination. It happened to be from the site I recommended a few days ago, Additude Magazine. Unfortunately, it does not start off well. The very first suggestion for beating procrastination was to "do something pleasant first." That is exactly how I get lost in my ADHD in the first place! When faced with trying to decide what to do first, I invariably opt for doing something totally unrelated, like surfing the internet. True, the article suggests setting a timer to limit the activity, but if I were able to do that, I wouldn't be looking for articles on beating procrastination to begin with.

The article next suggests creating a proper work environment. It does mention that the "proper" environment might be an unconventional one, such as having music play while you are working. I myself have found that sometimes white noise from a TV on a non-channel helps drown out the scattered thoughts running through my head. However, the article also suggests setting your own deadlines on projects to help those that function best under pressure. I am one of those people, and I can tell you that an artificial deadline never works. My mind knows the difference between a deadline I have imposed and a real deadline, and only the real deadline ever creates the hyperfocus necessary to stop my procrastination.

The article then says to eliminate negative self-talk. This is much easier said than done. Of course, eliminating this should be part of every ADHD sufferer's routine, but after years of conditioning, I am just used to talking down to myself. Unfortunately, the article spends no time discussing how to eliminate the negativity.

The last two steps - just get started and take one step at a time - are both good tips, but they don't go quite far enough. It is true (for me at least) that the best way to beat procrastination is just to take one small step on the project. But how do you do that? My suggestion is to take a sheet of paper and begin writing a list of the things you need to do on the project. Then break each item down into rediculously small tasks. For example, when I am stuck trying to clean a room, I write a list that includes "throw out trash." I then break it down into "throw out popsicle stick," "throw out old receipt," etc. That usually cures my procrastination.

To this list I would add one last suggestion. Once you have started, go only so far as the momentum carries you. Once you hit a stall, move on to another task and come back to this one later. You will have an easier time starting again with new momentum than you will trying to get momentum back now. In fact, I started writing this post right after doing some cleaning and hitting that stall. Now that I am finished writing, I will have dinner and get back to the cleanup. I have found I am more productive dividing my time like this than by doing it in one stretch.

As always, thoughts and opinions are welcome.