Years ago, I was eating dinner at a restaurant one evening, at a table by myself, and overheard a conversation at another table. "It's my N - 1 theory of work," someone was saying. "You always do the second most important thing." It was so true I burst out laughing.
Another relevant article on procrastination: <a href="http://lesswrong.com/lw/9wr/my_algorithm_for_beating_procrastination/" rel="nofollow">http://lesswrong.com/lw/9wr/my_algorithm_for_beating_procras...</a><p>This is one of the original sources on structured procrastination: <a href="http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/</a>
I liked the advice:
First, don't listen to most of the advice offered to procrastinators.
Second, don't sit around feeling bad because you lack willpower.
Third, avoid perfectionism.<p>Sometimes procrastination happens because you are not prepared enough to do a specific task or achieve a goal. The article has some concrete suggestions to address those situations as well.
Love to know when I'm already ahead of the curve: <a href="http://www.lanceramoth.com/blog/2011/09/how-to-successfully-procrastinate" rel="nofollow">http://www.lanceramoth.com/blog/2011/09/how-to-successfully-...</a>
OK, good read.<p>Now, raise your hand if you've ever had a manager who responded to your N - 1 theory of work protocol by eliminating all tasks other than N.<p>And how did that work for you?
My thoughts on procrastination: <a href="http://quandyfactory.com/blog/1/productivity_and_procrastination" rel="nofollow">http://quandyfactory.com/blog/1/productivity_and_procrastina...</a>