11
15 Comments

Is it just me that procrastinates? 🤔

Although I have this crazy dream of building something, and although I do put in hours and hours every single day. I still find myself procrastinating.

Am I alone?

  1. 3

    I find that the further I get into working on a project, the more I end up procrastinating. It gets very frustrating sometimes. I guess it's just human nature...

    1. 1

      This for me, 100%. I'm a serial starter. Most of my projects all hover around $2k MMR. Once I get to that point of having a dedicated user base and consistent income, I get bored pretty quickly.

      Everyone talks about growing their one thing to six figures, but could having a bunch of smaller projects making a little each month also be a good plan? Assuming I don't become a slave to my own ambition in the process, of course.

      1. 2

        I think that if you actually manage to get multiple projects to around that figure it technically works, but the effort of actually getting the project to make money (meaning going from 0 to $2k) is more difficult than going from $2k to $10k.

  2. 2

    Everyone procrastinates. I'd read Atomic Habits if you haven't. It can be quite helpful.

    One of the biggest issues I have is that there can be so many things to do that it makes it hard to get started and moving on anything. Another issue is not having a clear goal which is probably my biggest cause of procrastination in the short term.

  3. 2

    I am too. Even after I built my project to 18k MRR and had to pause for few months. I resumed but now I don’t feel the same energy and drive that I had before. Maybe because I’m working alone or because I work from home. Unfortunately can’t give an answer since I’m struggling with this too.

  4. 2

    I'd say everybody is to some degree, for me for example I catch myself working on things that are nr.2 or nr.3 priority sometimes if I just can't get a grip on the nr.1 priority.

    I think someone that is telling you they never do this either lies or is some productivity guru that wants to sell you something and admitting this would make them look "weak".

    So TL;DR, don't worry too much I think what helps the most is trying to break down the "big" thing you want to accomplish into baby steps that you can take one at a time.

  5. 2

    Your not alone. I struggle with this too. Jumping from idea to idea. I started a small free mastermind group for people pre launch that want some social accountability to get a move on and also have some support discussing ideas. It’s been really positive so far.

    If your interested you can join here

    https://www.indiehackers.com/post/not-sure-where-to-start-187dac783e

    Good luck with your IH journey.

  6. 1

    I think I might have a thing to help you: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/simple-hack-to-always-feel-good-about-your-days-and-constantly-improve-your-productivity-31a13846eb. The trick is to plan something and then do it, with a simple habit loop built in the technique.

    I had a similar problem where I was procrastinating in the face of big tasks and opting in to do things that are "near". Coding instead of sales. Landing page instead of talking to customers. Planning ahead helps escape that as you can consciously decide what's important and then show up and do your best.

    Happy to chat more if you need a follow-up!

  7. 1

    Hahaha, me too. I shift one idea to another in the middle of one. One looks boring after some time.

  8. 1

    no! this is unfortunately a trap MANY of us (or maybe it is just me too 🤔) fall into. We don't mean too, and we WANT to finish our projects, but I think it's fear or lack of focus. It's difficult to overcome, and I continue to struggle with it daily (for YEARS).

    You are not alone, and having someone (even this community) to hold you accountable will go a long way to helping you buckle down and push forward. I find that

    1. having someone ask me daily how I have progressed. and

    2. giving myself a 'penalty' if i don't progress, is helping me move the needle forward slowly.

    Also, actually seeing that needle move (no matter how slightly) is a big motivator. So track your progress and share it with the world and those closet to you.

    I'm still working on overcoming this, but it's gotten better recently.

  9. 1

    Why do you procrastinate? Did you actually go down the rabbit hole?

    Do you have lots of projects on hand or maybe you are jsut confused in which direction to go?

    But yeah, i definitely struggled in the past. Right now, not so much but i have everything defined on what i do daily.

  10. 1

    I find procrastination to be a good trigger for some self-reflection.

    Some reasons I've noticed why I'm procrastinating:

    1. I don't actually know what the next step is.

    2. I don't believe in what I'm currently doing.

    3. What I feel I "should" do, what I "need" to do, and what I "want" to do are misaligned or at odds.

    4. I've been neglecting my sleep or fitness and I just don't have the brainpower to be productive.

    The brain can be impulsive and distractible, and I think that's what people focus on around procrastination. But, I think there can often be a lot more to it.

  11. 1

    Stay focused on one thing and then move on to the next.

    A lot of people get excited about a project or idea and get started but never finish because the excitement and that "honey moon" phase is gone. Get your product or service going and then the real excitement comes when you start making money. And hopefully by that point you're like me and never satisfied of where you're at and you'll continue to grow. You celebrate the milestones and then continue to push forward.

    So get going... drop the social media crap and "researching" and make it happen!

  12. 1

    You are not alone - of course. It's different for everyone and there are a lot of things that influence your actions.

    It has to do with behavior. An event or action triggers you to do something/or it triggers you to do nothing(be passive/procrastinate). Behavior is for a large part driven by consequence. If the consequence of not doing something is the same as the consequence of doing something it will not motivate or move you. See if you can change the consequence of your actions in a positive way.

    Trigger/Antecedent → Behavior → Consequence
    A→B→C

    Do you want to change your behavior? If so, see if you can change the consequence of your behavior. Use positive reinforcement which has more effect than punishment.

    For example: when you work on something show it to someone. The positive feedback/compliments/attention can be a new trigger for you to put in the work for the next phase.

    Also look at your environment, does you environment support the desired behavior?

    I hope this helps you in someway. Good luck on your journey.

Trending on Indie Hackers
How I grew a side project to 100k Unique Visitors in 7 days with 0 audience 49 comments Competing with Product Hunt: a month later 33 comments Why do you hate marketing? 29 comments My Top 20 Free Tools That I Use Everyday as an Indie Hacker 16 comments $15k revenues in <4 months as a solopreneur 14 comments Use Your Product 13 comments