Procrastinating

[juliet]

So, I was thinking today about procrastination.

At work, this is a major problem for me. I do get stuff done, in the end; but I find it very difficult to motivate myself.

At home, in contrast, whilst I'm still a little given to the tendency to hit F5 repeatedly, I'm much more likely to crack on with my List of Stuff.

The differences, as far as I can see, go like this:

1. At home, I actually have more stuff to do than I have time for (or at least, about the right amount of stuff for the time). So procrastinating has an immediate effect, viz that I won't get everything done. This tends not to be the case at work, from the nature of my job.
2. This seems also to be related to the fact that at home, I'll have a that-day list rather than an in-general list (or rather, the in-general list lives in my head or elsewhere, not on the same page as the that-day list); and the that-day list fits the time available. (I'm more likely to procrastinate when I have something on the list that is a Big Thing e.g. certain sorts of college work).
3. At home, if I get all the things on the list done, I can go do something else fun. Or just sit around & read. At work, this is not the case; I'm stuck to the desk, basically.
4. At home, I'm more directly interested in what I'm doing: it's all stuff I'm choosing to do (well, for various readings of "choose"; I wouldn't exactly choose to do the washing-up, but I get a direct payoff from it, viz, not having to look at a pile of dirty dishes).

This seems to indicate a couple of possibilities for minimising my procrastination at work:

• (from 2. above) Construct a proper that-day list every morning, rather than just using the big list; and make it specific (this is something I halfway do already; I shall endeavour to get better at it).
• (from 3. above) Think of fun things that I can reward myself with at work. This is a bit difficult as some of the fun things (knitting/sewing, reading) are not necessarily things that one should be seen doing at one's desk. Suggestions welcome. (thoughts so far include playing with mixing software, writing (but that generates its own procrastination!), er...)
• (from 4. above) I maybe need to think about ways to get myself more invested in what I'm doing at work. I'm starting to feel a bit bored again...

Thoughts welcome - I know it's not just me that struggles with this one...

More generally, this is causing me to think a bit about the way in which I want to be managing my life longer-term. I don't think that a job which involves "being paid to be present" (which sysadminnery obviously does involve) is actually something that suits me well. Psychology does at least have the advantage that the patient-facing chunk of it fills time correctly (you have a set of appointments, with a short breathing-space in between each) i.e. work time involves having to actually work. At least, that is my current understanding (there's also the research stuff, yes). The downside is the extent to which there is any free time during work; this is pushing me again towards my wish to work part-time; but that could be a whole nother post of its own.