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Comment by eldude | Hacker News Reader

Procrastination is a lack of motivation, which itself is a combination of self-interest + self-efficacy (expected probability of success).

I overcame procrastination / lack of motivation when I read this article[1], effectively summarizing the above through a study of the study habits of successful (non-procrastinating) children. Now, when I procrastinate, I ask myself, what is my selfish motivation for completing this, and do I believe I will be successful? If I don't have a self-interest, I create one. If I don't believe I will be successful, I find a way to ensure success or sufficiently increase my confidence in my ability to achieve success.

[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/201601/ill-d...

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Your ability to conjure self-interest & confidence seem uncommon (incredible) though. In my life, nothing has been so simple.

To be fair, sometimes self-interest merely means bribing myself, like for instance with a new Macbook Pro in exchange for seeing a contract through to completion, or maybe an expensive bottle of whiskey.

The self-efficacy portion is harder, but most of the failure of procrastinators is due to the self-created problem of not having enough time. Fortunately, focusing on increasing self-efficacy leads one to start making progress right away (i.e., not procrastinating).

Have you ever tried increasing your self-efficacy (belief in your potential for success)?

Eh, I have pretty harsh clinical depression, so I only really see horrible conclusions.

but, yeah, I have tried a few things. They only last up to a year before I conclude that it's not worth it.

I sincerely apologize for this post (because I know you are trying to spread positivity & encouragement), but I think I offer a different perspective where these simple changes do not offer much help.

Dude (or dudette) - don't apologize for your post. I've been a lurker/reader here for a long while now, never made a single comment or had an account. Your apology triggered something in me and I couldn't help but to respond.

Your perspective adds value and insight to the conversation. We all learn from eachother..thank you for offering your perspective.

The fact you can try something for a year is a big win. Strategies I come up with to get motivated, focused and implement are usually good for a week at best. Keep on trying!

i'm also a procrastinator with clinical depression (F33.2) and i think our set of issues is entirely different

Then you should look for micro-successes, and build upon them by ensuring they occur more. The goal here is to accumulate a momentum of success that spawns motivation, and avoid measuring success from an absolute perspective (e.g., small victories matter).

Honestly though, it sounds like maybe you're trapped in a lifestyle that may genuinely (rationally) not be worth it for you. The only way to solve it may be to fundamentally alter your lifestyle toward greater self-interest (not the same as selfishness) by pursuing what you actually care more about, or being honest with yourself that you don't care enough about what you're pursuing to succeed (fame for most people falls into this category).

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