Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.
Procrastination through over-focus on unimportant details?
academicgirl | May 19 2006
I tend to get very absorbed in small details of papers I read, or things I write. It's almost a compulsion, and it keeps me from getting anything done even if I spend a lot of time working. For example, suppose I'm reading a book on a technical subject and find an aspect of a proof I don't understand. I can spend hours on it, to the detriment of my understanding of the rest of the book (which I have to rush through later) and of my other projects. But when I try to switch to something else, the nagging question about the technical detail pulls me back. Basically, I am not comfortable with skipping something that may be important and coming back to it later. Has anyone else experienced this problem? 2 Comments
POSTED IN:
 Similar issueSubmitted by MikeGreene on May 22, 2006 - 10:22am.
I've got a similar issue, though mine crosses from sorting into next actions: as soon as I decide to tackle a quick bit from my inbox, I find myself taking it past the Next Step. Unfortunately, I often don't catch myself until I'm 6 steps (and 45 minutes) in, doing things which are not all that important for the moment. Case in point: this morning, I sent an email to register for a conference next month. The next thing I knew, it was an hour later and I had mpas of the area and a list of hotels and potential flight times. Since they haven't issued the requisite letter with lodging details, agendas, etc. I'm jumping the gun by a few weeks. And I've wasted time that could have been spent hammering out some work on projects that are falling behind. » POSTED IN:
|
|
| EXPLORE 43Folders | THE GOOD STUFF |
