10-Step Anti-Procrastination Checklist

Regarding the music: I found video game soundtracks to be especially perfect - after all, they're designed to be background music. But I think there's more to it than that. I've had years of conditioning such that when I hear the Warcraft II soundtrack I immediately get into a mindset of intense concentration and happiness.

Obviously it depends on your tastes and whether you have attachments to particular video games, but here are my favorites:

• Warcraft 2 Soundtrack: http://bit.ly/1081t8K
• Braid Soundtrack: http://bit.ly/11IFF6L (Fantastic music with a range of emotions.)
• Braid Music Mod by Schwab: http://bit.ly/10BNcN7 (Excellent fan-made music for the game Braid.)
• Might and Magic VI: Mandate of Heaven Soundtrack: http://bit.ly/W7CFan
• Heroes of Might and Magic IV: http://bit.ly/149y0vn
• Planescape Torment Soundtrack: http://bit.ly/10J2CQw

(non-video game music that go into the rotation)

• Any Ratatat playlist: http://bit.ly/10vLjW8
• Yo-Yo Ma Bach Cello Suites: http://bit.ly/IPl7h0 (Two hours of Yo Yo Ma cello.)
• Two Steps From Hell, Invincible: http://bit.ly/110Nehm (Epic.)

Geoff Anders' procrastination advice includes a mild extension to 5, namely sometimes you ask yourself why you're doing the task and you legitimately don't have a good reason. In that case, you should wholeheartedly abandon the task instead of procrastinating. This should also happen occasionally.

My own anti-procrastination technique is to tell my wife that I'm going to be working on X project, and that I'll talk to her about what I've been doing when I'm done. After that, I find that all it takes to put myself back on task is a gentle reminder to myself that my options are:

• Get some work done
• Admit that I didn't actually get much done
• Lie about my progress

My natural aversion to options two and three is usually enough to get me back on task.

Do you have something to drink? Get yourself some tea, coffee, or water.

Also: Is your work area bright enough? Turn on your desk lamp.

Feels like a free concentration boost to me.

I would add: Get those endorphins flowing! Set up for a positive success spiral or jump up and down and get your body moving, either way get the blood pumping and you will be more amendable to starting and finishing your task.

When I was in real procrastinational danger, I used Geoff Anders super duper complicated excel document for tracking my time, goals, commitments in 10 colors. Awesome two months those.

But more recently I needed something more like what the OP suggests, very low activation cost. So it is simple. I stand until I am doing the thing I have previously decided to be the most important thing I could be doing on the computer. If I have only the intention, it doesn't count. If I am about to open the relevant tab it doesn't count. If I am writing about it in a comment in lesswrong, it doesnt count, My legs shall only rest when the one and only tab open is (at this very moment) the cultural evolution paper that I'm Meta-kind-of-procrastinating here, and I have writen the first word about it. It helps that the chair is not right behind me, but turned around. The screen is also not at a good angle while standing.

Just this comment got me tired enough.

7: What are some ways to gamify the task? Try to have fun with it!

Does anyone actually regularly do this? I understand in theory why it makes sense to turn a boring task into a game, but I feel like it takes an inordinate amount of willpower to do so. When I'm procrastinating, I usually just feel way too lethargic to set up a bunch of self imposed rules and tell myself "okay instead of just processing one hundred widgets, I'm going to go really fast and try really hard to process two widgets every minute!" or whatever. Maybe I'm just thinking about it in the wrong way though.

Great post, by the way. I will probably end up using this at some point. Making a checklist like this is something I wanted to do eventually, now I don't have to. :)

Are distractions closed? Shut the door, quit Tweetdeck, close the Facebook and Gmail tabs, and set skype to "Do not disturb."

This is the most useful point for me. Generally when I "wake up" and realize that I drifted into procrastinating, at the beginning, I started focused and on task. But if I have easy access to the internet, my concentration will gradually lessen, and I drift off. Then I find myself looking at pictures of cats on Reddit.

Distractions on the internet are also a way that I prevent myself from ever even starting my tasks - I just start browsing and never begin the work. I've made a routine for myself, so that I am only allowed to visit the same things (email, APOD, Bloglines). The instant I'm done, I turn off the laptop and put it out of immediate reach, in a place that I would have to get up and walk to.

That's a good list ..how about having an honest intent? Why do we procrastinate? Need to do that thinking as well and having a plan to address them

Rewards might be good for short-term do-once tasks, but if it's a task you'll be repeating frequently, you may be reinforcing your procrastination behavior rather than eliminating it.

I use a very similar formula, and it works pretty well.. One thing i also do: spend 5 minutes clearing my mind before jumping into a 25-minute Pomodoro cycle. It helps shut down the feelings triggered by an Ugh field and I find myself more concentrated.

Additionally, lazy-me LOVES having an excuse to do nothing for 5 more minutes.

Regarding background music... I enjoy Classic Guitar Sky.fm on iTunes Radio (I don't know how to link to an iTunes station) which is mostly instrumental, but the songs that aren't are in a language I don't speak so it has the same effect.

I also listen to Coffitivity which is the background noise of a coffee shop.

Regarding distractions... I have a problem with focus. If I'm coding and have to wait 15-60 seconds for something to run, I have a hard time not switching to another task (ie checking the news, Facebook, personal e-mail) which is costly when returning to the original task.

I do use Leechblock and Chrome Nanny which help marginally. However, I recently purchased a used treadmill, set up a board across the handles and put my laptop on it. $200 treadmill desk. I set a Pomodoro timer and start working and walking. It helps me because it seems the walking satisfies the need that checking the news also does, but without the cost.

Also, it keeps me from sitting all day, which is correlated with bad health.

Thanks for sharing. How long have you been using this?

Does anyone know of a program that blocks the Entire internet for a set period of time, like the program Freedom? But for Linux, and preferably cheap/free

Yes, one could just take the cables away and put them in a drawer. Problem? Activation cost.

What music will you listen to inspire yourself to be productive or get in flow?

Anti-Procrastination Song by Stormtroopers of Death.

This looks like it might be helpful for me. I shall report back in a few days with some data points. Thanks for this!

Yeah, before I do any work I always make sure to focus on one thing at a time, then get some tea, shut the door, quit Tweetdeck, close the Facebook and Gmail tabs, set Skype to "Do not disturb," put on a video game soundtrack. Then I trace out the value until I feel the benefit (mmm), break things down until they're physical actions, have fun (!), contemplate smiling, throwing my arms up in the air, proclaiming victory, enjoying M&Ms, set goals, set a timer, and then start working.

lol you crazy man. Just do your work.