I work for people with “developmental disabilities” as it’s known in the biz, and a part of my duties includes finishing online training to get registered properly in my position. I’ve been working at my current place for a few months, and I have a lot of overdue courses I need to finish but I keep pushing it off and pushing it off.
I have 30 lessons that need to be completed, they’re over two weeks past due. Every time I look at my computer screen my eyes start to get blurry and I sort of start to disassociate. Instead of doing this shit I’d rather get high and play video games, even though I know I need to finish it if I want to keep my job and get registered with the state.
Idk. Just so burnt out from the work proper that the paperwork starts to seem insurmountable on my days off. I’ve been doing this kind of work for over 2 and a half years, closer to 3, but since I crossed state lines I’m deemed unqualified and have to redo a lot of the shit I’ve already done, and take lesson after lesson detailing shit I already know intimately. It’s so frustrating. I even get paid for it! As if affording rent isn’t enough of a motivation!
I know what you’re saying, and this has worked for me.
However – and I don’t always convince myself at the time – I’m often more productive when I make myself do it when I don’t have time. Like, I’ll have five minutes before a meeting and I’ll start a task knowing it won’t get done. Something about only having five minutes – putting a natural limit on how painful it will be – somehow makes it easier. But then it’s open and on my mind, so I’ll want the meeting to finish ASAP so I can finish what I started.
The same works with a half-hour or hour gap. You’ll be surprised at how many 2+ hour jobs can be more or less wrapped up in 30 minutes when the time pressure is there. Might have something to do with Pareto’s principle (80% of the work takes 20% of the time).
Edit: fixed typos
I wish I had a solution, but I’m literally the same way. Like I’ll similarly wait till the last hour to complete my tasks knowing I’ll be so stressed and sad if I don’t start any bit.
I hear people say how you need to do something for 60 days to make it routine, so I’m honestly just banking on catching a random burst of motivation one day and hoping for the best :'). Try doing your tasks with other people if applicable. I find doing things with peers helps me stay motivated and keeps me accountable.
There are some good techniques in John Perry, The Art of Procrastination.
Procrastination means putting off the most important tasks. The trick is to convince yourself that a task you need to complete is less important (paperwork like in the OP often is rather important, in the grand scheme of things, anyway). Then, to avoid the most important task on the list, you’ll happily procrastinate by completing tasks 2, 3, 4, etc (which now includes the task that you were originally avoiding by procrastinating).
Ironically, for me (I agree that working with others adds its own pressure), I’ll usually have a group task at the top of my list because, to avoid it, I’ll whizz through the other items. This might be why starting things around meetings is useful.