I have always had trouble with procrastination. Lately, though, it has really been getting a hold on me. I just can't seem to get started on a project until the last possible moment. As a result, I have missed some deadlines and eroded a lot of trust from my clients. I am in a profession where missing a deadline by even 15 minutes is unacceptable.

So I've been thinking about it a lot. Looking back, I think my big procrastination woes started when I started trying to shift my career into a holding pattern.

Several years ago, when I became a full-time translator, I decided that if I was going to be a translator I was going to be a good one. I worked very hard, and by all accounts was successful. My income kept going up each year, I was getting all the work I could handle and then some, and I had the respect of my peers.

But the time came when I had all the money I wanted. Instead of chasing more money, I wanted to spend more time with my family, and slow my life down. So I made it my new goal to hold my income steady, earning the same amount with less work, and doing more work that I found interesting.

That sounds good in theory, but in practice I found it very hard. When I tried to slow down, instead of hovering like a helicopter I stalled like an airplane, and started to plummet. It's like without those goals to drive me, I had no drive.

A wrinkle is that I started exercising regularly about a month ago, after nearly 2 years of sporadic exercise at best. Over the past week or so, I have felt more motivated to work than I have for a while. I have started turning in jobs an hour early unstead of right on time. ;)

Do I procrastinate because I don't have ambitious goals in my career any more? Or could it be that I just need some exercise to get myself motivated again?

Actually it would seem that if exercising increased blood flow to all areas of the body that would include the brain. A more awake alert brian tend to be easier to access "executive functions" ......makes prefect scense to me!!!!!!!

Well, excercise is often a recommended part of an ADD treatment program.

HMMMM makes sense think I should get back into that. I use to do a mornning exercise tape before kids were up. been thinking I should get a good exercise tape that is good for kids as well as adults. I mean easy enough for kids to follow as well as effective enough for an adult. If anybody knows of any good ones out there let me kinow. My kids are 3,4,7. oldest started school today but lil ones still home all day w/ me.

Some of the things I do is set my bedroom clocks 20mins fast so I have plenty of time to wake up and get motivated. Recently I am trying out my PC alarms and have them set 5mins before the time needed. Think I should reset them for 15mins and then some how a 5min alarma as well LOL!!! the more warnings the better.

Exercise is great great great. I've heard it referred to as being as good as a dose of Ritalin in terms of keeping your concentration and motivation up.

My career has followed an arc similar to yours! I was working at a company in NYC, then moved in with my then-boyfriend, and decided to go free-lance. I ended up free-lancing for my former company and customers, and was able to up my rates within a month! I got so much work without really trying that--yep--I never really tried to drum up any more.

And the boyfriend was very enabling--err, encouraging. If I didn't bring in money every month, he'd pay the bills.

So when things dried up a bit, I'd make half-hearted attempts to find other stuff, but then an old client would call, so I'd just take that job...hmmm, what's on TV tonite? Complacency set in.

The thing is, in our profession, deadlines are a constant issue. I don't know about you, but I can't get moving w/out a fire under my rear. So I think I've chosen a career that forces me to work hard, because I can't seem to force myself.

And when even the specter of deadlines fails to spur me on to work, it means that pesky depression has kicked in.

I'm not saying that you are depressed, of course. Maybe because you've spent so much time and effort lately looking into your symptoms and those of your son, and are dealing with the (wait for it) poo-poo heads at your son's school, you're more acutely aware and so more troubled by these symptoms than you were before? And faced with the sad lack of resources here, it's easy to feel like things are hopeless.

So! May I suggest you not be so hard on yourself--just knowing all you do now puts you so far ahead of where you were before--and keep up that exercise? I don't know you or your situation, but given your posts, and your cool wife, I have a feeling that you've got food on the table, the bills are getting paid, things are okay down there.

Sorry for long-winded armchair analysis. American chick thing, y'know. Feel free to ignore!

And when even the specter of deadlines fails to spur me on to work, it means that pesky depression has kicked in.
I think that's very astute of you. This ADD thing really hit me like a ton of bricks. Things started looking very bleak. I stupidly told two of my biggest clients to take a hike, I couldn't handle working with them any more.

One said, I don't know where this came from but OK. The other actually apologized and said they would try to be more accomodating in the future! (people who work with translators are used to dealing with weirdos)

The procrastination problems and missed deadlines started before I learned of the ADD, though. I think I'm mostly over the depression part. Luckily, on the other side of that craziness I still have more work than I can handle.

And I will definitely keep up the exercise! I realize now how much I need it.

Well, excercise is often a recommended part of an ADD treatment program.
Yeah, all the books say it. I know that I need to exercise, but I find most types of exercise, like running or lifting weights, boring. I love judo, but after moving out here to the sticks the nearest dojo was over an hour away by car. But I just readjusted my priorities, and decided that the long drive was worth it. And it is!

Good thread. Constitutional procrastination has wrecked my career.

This ADD thing really hit me like a ton of bricks. Things started looking very bleak. I stupidly told two of my biggest clients to take a hike, I couldn't handle working with them any more.
Finding out I had ADD was a boon at first. A great explanation for lots of the problems I had. But, change doesn't happen quickly, and I grew frustrated.

I almost trashed my career once again. But was given good advice, so I refrained from impulse and am now biding my time and getting things accomplished in preparation for a change.

Yes, excersize helps squelch the frustration. Meds help, too. Meditation, also.

Cheers,

Thanks for starting this thread, Uminchu - it's given me a lot to think about - along with the other post'ers comments