Issue 022 - Procrastination and Perfectionism
records weekly insights and observations, focusing on front-end development, AI, indie development, open-source tools, etc. Published every Saturday/weekend. You're welcome to --
This is a trending topic recently discussed on Hacker News. Here are some selected comments:
The self holds such a high opinion of itself that it can only do great work. This makes it incapable of doing anything at all. It's a way to avoid failure because failure would shatter the beautiful idea of oneself.
I recently realized while gaming that I default to looking up guides. Before I even try out the game, I'm already following someone else's idea of best practices. Taking the less optimal path is scary, even in a game without real-world consequences. I might consider this next time.
There's no past memory to distract you from experiencing the present.
Everyone usually has a perceived "advantage" that makes them feel special, unique, and superior in some way. The nerd looks at the athlete and says, "They're athletic, but I'm the smart one." The blue-collar worker looks at the rich and says, "They have money, but I know hard work and principles." Everyone has some inner psychological defense explaining why those outperforming them aren't really "better" because, hey, we're the main characters!
I feel like I'm always deceiving myself—steering myself to become who I want to be. -> We become what we pretend to be, so we must be very careful about what we pretend to be.
I think deep down, the feeling of contentment—not necessarily happiness—is what we are all pursuing. Many designs of modern life are to cultivate a sense of dissatisfaction. Advertising and social media are obvious examples. These things are best avoided. Even things that provide convenience can interfere with contentment because they prevent you from doing things that bring a sense of fulfillment.
I believe the key is to aim for a small enough goal so as not to feel overwhelming. A new app or blog post feels so heavy in the moment that my body and mind will do everything possible to avoid it (procrastination).
My techniques for overcoming procrastination are:
Allowing myself to do a terrible job.
Procrastinating "just a little."
Always asking myself, "What's the smallest thing I can do right now?" and then doing it.
Recognize that anxiety is a physical phenomenon, therefore it needs to be addressed physically. That means: breathing techniques, exercise, etc.
Perfectionism is a problem that many of us have, and it stops us from failing enough times to perfection ourselves.
"The loudest voice comes from tranquility." - Zhuangzi
"The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind." - Albert Einstein
"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. It's as simple as that." - Stephen King
In other words, unplugging, making time to read, and allowing yourself to be bored are great ways to spark creativity.
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