Procastination

[New Tolerance]

Does anyone know what causes it and how to prevent it?

[Tiki Man]

Lazy people usually cause procrastination. It is caused by the thought that "I can do it later, so why do it now if it isn't hurting me now?"

I'd like to hear if there is a way of thought around it other than "Might as well get it over with".

It's just a thought pattern. "I can do it now or later." Later always seems better because they could be enjoying themselves now. I don't think it is programmed into the human brain at the start, it has to be thought about and then one adopts procrastination.

[left for dead]

Cause: Being Mexican. "Mañana, mañana..."

[New Tolerance]

What creates that thought pattern?

[Zanzibar]

Cause: Marijuana
Cure: Shut up

That concludes our lesson for the day

[Tiki Man]

I would guess an experience that embraces the "better later than now".

When someone doesn't lose anything and everything is okay when they wait to do something, that can enforce procrastination in their mind. Either that or they're lazy.

[Pete]

Well I am currently undergoing a unique case of procrastantion. You see I have been working on this 8-10 page Ethnography review for the past week or so, and I really couldn't care less about it at the moment, so I am putting it off (plus it is 9.30 pm on a Saturday, I can do it tomorrow :P ).

The strange part is that I am procrastanting yet still somehow it will be done about two weeks ahead of time. I have atleast two and half pages to go, and with my rough copy beside me I'll clearly blow through that. So my theory is 'get it done now, early, but hey maybe for monday instead of friday.'

Procrastantion comes when you don't want to do something. It isn't laziness, it is the lack of necessity. I could either work on an essay or eat my meal for the day. Obviously I went for eating. I could work on the essay or go to the drum circle. Obviously as the paper is not a necessity I did the drum circle. I could do it or I could come here and do something semi productive, and you can see which I chose.

I am not being lazy, will probaly go out for a skate later tonight on the canal which is not a lazy thing to do, but the paper is not a necessity so it gets pushed back. On the other hand me not studying for my Spanish test is not laziness either, it is 'well I have all day tomorrow lets work on that paper, it is more interesting.'

You see? :P

The cure is to do things you like and make them your responsiblity! Have fun man, thats the way around it.

[DarkAngel]

Guilty. When I wake up, I just sit there... looking at something...... completly blank....
..untill the last minute.
I don't know why, its hard to control it. But if theres something to be done, and its important I'll do it.

[New Tolerance]

Yes yes, laziness, but what creates laziness? Some kind of evolutionary trait? Or a social-psychological factor?

[Al Creed]

Sometimes, Complacency creates laziness.

"Well, I'm feeling good right now, I'm happy, I don't need this or that hassle, I'll do it when I want to."

If one is only happy with their own current state of life, there is no real motivation to consider the future, just living in the "here and now."

Complacency destroys self-motivation, thus creating laziness, thus creating
procrastination.

[Rastafari]

big words aren't always scientific.

[Elect Marx]

Originally posted by RavenFan84@Feb 2 2004, 03:43 AM
Complacency destroys self-motivation, thus creating laziness, thus creating
procrastination.

I was once a great procrastinator...and I am still to an extent. I was not lazy, in fact I was the opposite. At a point I just didn't care, that was a big factor and then there was the reason that I hated doing much of what I was engaged in. Having a purpose in life helps, if you can visualize your goals and such.

[LSD]

New Tolerance, correct me if I'm wrong, but basically your question is why are people lazy?

I would say that no one likes to work and that it is a natural condition to avoid it. Therefore the real question is why aren't MORE people lazy.

I think, utlimately, it's purely internal and it's about your view of reality. As Al Creed said if you're happy, why change? whereas if there is a problem, or more importantly if you percieve a problem then you will resist your natural tendencies and act.

Now, for some a perception that a problem exists is usually not based in reality, while for others a problem does exists but they don't percieve it. When and to what are you motivated to act is one of the fundamental questions of humanity. It is undoubtably based in upbringing and probably in genetics as well.

So how can you "prevent procrastination"?

Easy. Procrastination is the action a byproduct of internal attributes.
But "preventing" those attributes??
Probably impossible.

[Elect Marx]

Originally posted by Lysergic Acid Diethylamide@Feb 3 2004, 07:35 AM
New Tolerance, correct me if I'm wrong, but basically your question is why are people lazy?

I would say that no one likes to work and that it is a natural condition to avoid it. Therefore the real question is why aren't MORE people lazy.

I think, utlimately, it's purely internal and it's about your view of reality. As Al Creed said if you're happy, why change? whereas if there is a problem, or more importantly if you percieve a problem then you will resist your natural tendencies and act.

Now, for some a perception that a problem exists is usually not based in reality, while for others a problem does exists but they don't percieve it. When and to what are you motivated to act is one of the fundamental questions of humanity. It is undoubtably based in upbringing and probably in genetics as well.

So how can you "prevent procrastination"?

Easy. Procrastination is the action a byproduct of internal attributes.
But "preventing" those attributes??
Probably impossible.

This really depends on what you concider work. Many people like to work, that is why communism is possible, people desire to preform work that is productive and beneficial. If people can see their work helping to improve their environment then they will have confidence in what they do. If a society is malfunctional and people feel their effforts are a waste of time, they will not proform such tasks. All people aren't just lazy, you just can't motivate many people under systems such as capitalism, where they know they will just be doing the same pointsless task for years as they see unproductive capitalists succeed but under communism people know they will have a place in the community, will be rewarded with a fair amount of resourses and will improve their environment if they work. Laziness is a condition, a reaction to an environment, people want to work, it is how they survive, it is how they have always naturally lived, work naturally benefits your life, so it is naturually gratifying. Laziness would thereby be a disorder largely caused by social problems.

[New Tolerance]

What is the ethnics of genetically engineering human beings so that they are no longer lazy?

[Hegemonicretribution]

Originally posted by New Tolerance@Feb 3 2004, 10:00 PM
What is the ethnics of genetically engineering human beings so that they are no longer lazy?

That is a whole seperate issue. But I think what would be easier would be to engineer robots to do the work because effectively taht may well be what you are creating.

Lets face it humans will always work AND be lazy. We create machines to do less work so that when we do as much work we are in turn reducing work.

You have to ask your self al sorts of onotologica questions to decide on taht. Personal I don't think it is a good idea but this is not the philosophy forum.

[LSD]

This really depends on what you concider work. Many people like to work, that is why communism is possible, people desire to preform work that is productive and beneficial. If people can see their work helping to improve their environment then they will have confidence in what they do. If a society is malfunctional and people feel their effforts are a waste of time, they will not proform such tasks. All people aren't just lazy, you just can't motivate many people under systems such as capitalism, where they know they will just be doing the same pointsless task for years as they see unproductive capitalists succeed but under communism people know they will have a place in the community, will be rewarded with a fair amount of resourses and will improve their environment if they work. Laziness is a condition, a reaction to an environment, people want to work, it is how they survive, it is how they have always naturally lived, work naturally benefits your life, so it is naturually gratifying. Laziness would thereby be a disorder largely caused by social problems.

Well my point was that people will work if they " percieve a problem", that perception is, of course, based on socialization. In capitalism people are taught that the only problems they need to give a damn about are personal ones, a communist society would teach them that they need to care about society as well. Thereby they would still be lazy, but would work because they feel that society needs it.

I don't think you can eliminate laziness but you can redirect what is sociologically motivating.

[apathy maybe]

Procrastination is a "disorder". It goes like this, procrastinators know that they have to do something but they don't cause they can then say that (when the finally do the work), that it is crap because the left so little time to do it in, rather then it's crap 'cause they're crap.

In many cases the person procrastinating is not crap, they just have an irrational fear (and in most cases unconscious) that they are.