Tuesday Tidbit: Practice Stopping

PRACTICE STOPPING

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"All the best work is done the way the ants do things - by tiny but untiring and regular additions."

                                                             -- Lafcadio Hearn

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All the procrastinators I know (myself included!) nag ourselves relentlessly about our difficulty starting.

"I should begin RIGHT NOW!" we tell ourselves.

"But I don't want to!" counters our inner whiner.

And so the cycle goes....

We are painfully conscious of our difficiulty getting started. 

However, few of the procrastinators I work with realize that they also have difficulty STOPPING.

Whenever we finally manage to get ourselves to begin writing, or any other anxiety-producing task, we don't dare stop.  We try to take advantage of our momentum and push ourselves to continue as long as possible.  We end our binges only when stuck, depleted, or burnt ot a crisp.

There's a reason we don't stop until we can't go on: We don't trust ourselves to begin again.

In the long run, however, our tendency to binge fuels our procrastination.  Because we associate work periods with fatigue and frustration, we feel greater dread about beginning tasks.  Once we finally get ourselves to sit down and start, we know that we're in for a protracted haul.

It may be counter-intuitive, but to tackle the habit of procrastination, we need to practice stopping.

This is why I recommend regular, short periods of work.  Sure, some days you will be on a roll and find it gratifying to extend a planned work session in order to reach a specific goal.  But most of the time, it is important to stop while the ideas are still flowing, and before you're tired or discouraged, so that you'll remember the work session as rewarding rather than grueling.  If your work sessions are less painful, you'll be more likely to begin again.

You want to be able to say to yourself: "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Then you'll be able to answer: "Guess I can handle it again tomorrow."

So... start stopping today!

Comments

[stewgad]

Hey, Mary -- thanks for this great advice! I just posted about knowing when to stop before you goof yourself up again. It's nice to get some reinforcement!

SG

[Beth]

Very thought provoking. I hadn't really thought of this before, but it totally makes sense... I am afraid to stop once I've started (knowing how hard it is to start again), and I usually keep going until I either completely burn out or hit such a road block that I just don't know what to do (meaning it will be even harder to make myself start up again!)

[Zhenia]

You just described my work habits perfectly. I stopped writing before I was exhausted yeaterday and it was so much easier to get going today. Thanks!

[Dr. Delaney Kirk]

Great advice! As one who can't start the day without a To Do list and then is overwhelmed by the sheer number of things on the list, I found your suggestion to put a cap on the work day a great one! Thanks.

[joanna]

For me, it's not so much a question of being afraid to stop as it is not wanting to stop but having to stop at a certain time because of other obligations.

[Tiruncula]

"We don't trust ourselves to begin again."

Oh, this is SO TRUE! Thank you for articulating it.

[Billie]

Have you been looking over my shoulder as I've tried to sto-- work? ;-)

[Twirly]

I have been having a 2 week work stoppage due to results/advisor depression...your post was very well timed for me....I'm going to try really hard to get back in the swing...if anyone has any specific advice for me I'd love for you to check out my issues on my blog!!

[ellocin1]

Very well articulated discussion of what may well be one of my main problems! It's hard to pin down the root cause of procrastination, so it is helpful to read other people's takes on the subject. I'll try to take your advice with job searching/resume writing!

[Ancrene Wiseass]

That's is so true, and it isn't something I'd realized before. Recognizing this pattern may go a long way toward helping me stop being so obsessive in my work habits. Thanks!