Procrastination and Depression....

Ever wondered how to stay inspired and be happy day after day? Here's how to take procrastination, apathy, depression, all their toxic cousins, get rid of them, toss them in the trash, and never be bothered by them again. According to dictionary.com, inspired means: To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence. Hmm, divine influence? How does one stay inspired or "in the spirit?" Here's a few tricks I've learned along the way, and I hope you can put them to good use. Everything you do is infused by the energy with which you do it. If you feel lousy and are in a bad mood, it's going to come across in your writing. And it's the writing which is at the core of any web page, its ability to persuade, inform and communicate. Procrastination, apathy, listlessness, depression... sheesh, just writing those words makes me feel like carp ;-). But you know what? There's an easy way out. Here's a few simple things you can do, to put a smile on your face, and be happy once again. If you're feeling down, the worst thing you can do, is think about how you are feeling. The first thing you have to do is stop thinking about you. The second is to get your body in motion. The third is to do a selfless act. Let's get started shall we? I feel... most depressing thoughts start with "I feel" follow by tired, or lazy, or depressed... snap out of it by doing something. The easiest thing to do, and the easiest way to stop thinking about how you feel, is go for a walk. Doesn't matter rain or shine, 20 minutes later, you're going to feel very different. Same thing if you suddenly jump to your feet and do 25 jumping jacks. Your heart will be pounding, your breathing will be heavy, you'll have flushed all sorts of toxins out of you body and released all sorts of good hormones. Our blood is moved around our bodies by a circulatory system. But most of the fluid in our bodies is this yellowish stuff called the endocrine system. It's in charge of moving around all the hormones that get released into our bodies. Ones that make us feel bad... or great. Without exercise all that gunk just sits in there. That's why we feel good after exercise. We've essentially washed away the bad stuff. Trust me, you might be grumbling and cursing me for the first 10 minutes, but after walking for 15 you'll feel pretty good. Once you hit the 20 minute mark, you'll feel like walking for hours. See you're feeling better already. The first step to beating procrastination or depression, is to get into motion. You'll find that your emotion, will always follow in step with your motion. Simply get into action, even if it's just bouncing a ball for 10 minutes, and you'll suddenly "I feel..." a whole lot better. (And at the risk of sounding like your mom, you're probably sitting in front of the computer for hours and not eating right either. You're not getting enough raw, uncooked, unprocessed foods. If you take a multi vitamin with minerals on a daily basis, you'll probably feel a whole lot better too. Just being low on something like vitamin B5, zinc, potassium or iron can make a big difference in your mood.) With procrastination it's a very simple visual technique. Just image how much bigger the problem will be tomorrow. If you have a pile of dishes sitting in your sink and you don't do them today, the pile will only get bigger the next day... and the next. The trick to beating procrastination, is to not even let it get a foothold. Do what needs to be done immediately. That includes the dishes. If you clean as you go, you'll have a lot less dishes after the meal. And if you do the dishes immediately after eating, there will never be a pile in the first place. At the risk of sounding like mom again, this not only applies to dishes, but everything in life. It could be the monthly accounting for your business. Dealing with it a little at a time, instead of putting everything in a shoebox and having a disaster once a year. It could be paying the bills or taxes. It could be shopping for that wedding present... Whatever it is, do what needs to be done first. Then, and only then, will you have the freedom and peace of mind, to do what you want, including inspired writing or making new web pages. Speaking of web pages, the next time you're going to make a batch, don't think of it like work. If you wake up in the morning and think arrggg, I've got to make pages to make a living, that's a very weak beam to send into the universe. Instead, think of it as helping people. Sure, you may just be making a minisite about camping stoves, but if you approach it from the angle of service instead of sales, your attitude and your writing will be a whole lot different. If you really put your mind to it, you'll be helping people decide which camping stove is right for them. What are the differences between white gas, propane and butane? What's better, one or two burners? What accessories are available? Which performs better at high altitude? What's better for hiking. Which is the safest around kids? As you can see, if you truly set out to help people, it's easy to get inspired and it doesn't seem like work at all. Oh yea, see... we almost forgot. We get a commission in exchange for helping them decide which stove is right for them. Because it doesn't matter which one they choose, every link leaving our site generates affiliate revenue. In the words of Ernest Hemingway, "If you find yourself writing the story, as opposed to the story writing itself, it's time to stop for the day." Once you are writing though, don't stop. Keep going until you find yourself stuck. Tap into that momentum and let it take you for a sweet ride. Hours may pass before you even notice. And that my friend is true inspiration. So stop thinking about how you feel. Get up right now and go outside for a walk. Get the dishes done, clean the office, or whatever else it is you need to do. Come back home, sit down in front of your computer and start making web pages that help somebody else make a decision. Not only will you be more healthy and energetic, you'll feel happy inside. That's how you stay inspired. :-)

hey there, I too suffer from depression (have done for many many years) and it is my impression that the procrastination is exacerbated by the depression. The more down in the dumps I am the more and more I put things off. Probably not what you wanted to hear, hey? Staying on top of your medication and/or counselling is important as well as having people around you who will "kick you up the butt" when you need the impetus to get going.

I would say that they don't just go hand in hand they create a vortex that sucks you deeper that long you keep procrastinating and the longer it goes the more depressed you get and the more you just curl up and keep procrastinating. I make a list of things that need to be done and I do them. If I don't make a list I tend to get overwhelmed and then sad, then more sadness that it still isn't done and more things are piling up, so I have a list and keep it cleaned off so I don't get over-whelmed.

I think they're two different battles. Because I usually procrastinate, but I'm rarely depressed. If I ever do get depressed, I usually try to make myself motivated and to keep active so that I don't sit there and dwell on certain things. I think it also helps to talk to people when you're feeling like that, because I've found that for myself, talking to certain people makes me happy.

Depression & Procrastination is something everyone goes through in ones daily lives.Though it may differ to the extent of severity. Both go hand in hand usually when one is depressed one tends to procrastinate as one looses interest in everything around. The best way to beat depression is to have a completely new environment & be in new thoughts.One must come out of the pattern of thinking & seeing things. We all face difficult situations but need not surrender to it.Knowing ones state is the first step to come out of it as the problem is identified.This enables to work towards the solution. At the moment if you are experiencing procrastination problems realising it & working towards improvement is the solution.Do not over worry about it every one procrastinate things. dont worry .

Om Shanti.Depression and procrastination both r connected, usually go hand in hand, forms a vicious circle which promotes the other if one is not cured timely. Both r due to something wrong in mind i.e. negative attitude or thinking. To overcome both, one needs positive thinking, spiritual wisdom and firm determination to overcome the same, which calls need for self empowerment. I had been to this situation about 6 yrs back due to official n personal problems I had, then thru Rajyoga Meditation of Brahmakumaris (at local centre available at my doorstep) for 1 month, I could overcome the depression n procrastination. Now meditation is continued n I feel quite self empowered. My 5 yr old Son recently diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, Its very difficult in India to manage with it, but still my state of mind remained cool calm, positive and always striving for the best even after going thru the dreadful experiences of chiarians in USA. This was not 6 yrs ago prior to the Meditation Practice. I have details on scientific studies where neuroscientists have verified the Power of Meditation to correct Depression n so the Porcrastination too. The nearest address of Brahmakumaris Centre to help u can b searched on internet. Otherwise online telecaller can be available to ur help. No magic pill can help u as it is a psychosomatic disorder which can b corrected by reversing the cause, i.e. negative thoughts.Om Shanti. Ur Divine Brother-Ashu

I really believe they do. I suffer from depression and even with the change of medications, I still struggle with procrastination. I have found that the only way to get past it is to make a list of the things I need to do and then do them in the order of priority. It isn't always easy to get up and get started but I have to do it. There is no one else in my home to help me get through it. I actually find that if I do what has worn on my mind the most that I feel much better and then I can reward myself. Now, can you find a solution for broken heart?

well omg...ya know I never ever thought about it until now and I have to say that for me yes they definately went hand in hand! and the degree to which I would procrastinate would solely depend on the severity of my depression without a doubt! Thats so interesting....ANYWAY..that being said I would have to suggest that getting your depression under control is key...once you get a better handle on that (I realize you have a handle on it now of course but you did say you are 'battling' it so try and get a better handle on it)....once you do that, the procrastination along iwht other things will slowly fall into place and right themselves or you'll be better equiped to deal with them....make sense? Sorry but thtas the best I have for ya..hopefully someone can help out better than that but like I said, until reading your post I had NEVER put two and two together

I think you should just take small steps one at time and it will solve your problem. I dred ironing, but I like to see my clothes nicely press. I had two baskets full of clothes for weeks. I set a goal of doing 6 pieces a day and in no time my basket was empty now I set a goal of 12 pieces a week and my basket never gets full.

I postpone everything all the time... Not only in the day, but also in weeks, months.... Every day I have this idea like "today I am going to do this or that, clean my desk, my wardrobe, whatever..." never do it! I am behind with everything I ought to do, my husband is despairing over it. I have learned to live with it. So no succes story from me, I am afraid. My advice: learn to live with your self and anything you succeed to do in a day or a week: applaud yourself. Also, divide "big tasks" into small portions... every day a portion, that helps. It keeps you going and doesn't get you even more depressed!

My excuse for procrastination is that I don't want to tackle the task at hand. I just tell myself I work better under pressure LOL. Right now I should be working on our taxes, but it is not as much fun as MyLot. I will end up in a Tax time pressure cooker as usual. When I am done I always wonder why I do this to myself. The monkey is off my back. It could have been off my back weeks ago, but??????? EEE SCHMEEE What ever!!!!

I think it does sometimes. If you're depressed, you're most likely not in the mood to do anything. I do hope you get out of your depression soon. I don't like being depressed. Being depressed for me one night is enough, no matter what happened. I have kids so it helps. I gotta get up for them. I know someone who was depressed and never wanted to get out of bed, her kids were already complaining that they were hungry but she was too depressed to get up. Find a reason to stop being depressed. I'm a single mom of 3, no job, just stopped nursing school this sem because of finances but I want to live my life to the fullest. And I found the energy to lose a lot of weight, for myself, for my health. Just an example. I hope you feel better soon!

Depression is an illness and like any other illness should be treated in one way or another. Procrastination on the other hand can be controled regardless if it is a symptom of the depression, a side effect of depression or the person is simply a procrastinator by nature. I am not by nature a procrastinator, but there are times when I just can't get out of my own way and will put off putting a new roll of TP on the holder cause it's to much work, if ya know what I mean. When I get like this I may or may not be clinicaly depressed at the moment, but I do know that if I force myself to put the foolish TP on the holder I feel better about myself. So technicaly they do not go hand in hand, but controling the procrastination factor can help the depression. Keep in mind I am not a doctor, this is just my educated opinion. :)))

Maybe if you can deal with the depression you'll be more able to get the things accomplished that you're procrastinating about? I can see why being depressed would make doing things, blah.. If you're not feeling well, why would you want to do anything? Maybe you should try yoga, reading, meditating, or talking to your doctor to help with the depression?

I honestly have to say that procrastination and depression do not go hand in hand i have depression and i know others with depression but we do not procrastinate. I think that you should do whatever it is that your putting off. Just remember that sometimes the longer you wait to do something the worse it gets depending on the situation. Good Luck! =0)

The two are definately connected. I am also battling depression and sometimes I procrasinate alot.

To get over the procrastination state, find something meaningful to you and tie it in with homework. In this state of mind: without doing homework, this can lead to a bad occurance to that which is meaninful to you

Absolutly. But that doesn't mean that it's exclusive. You can be a procrastinator without being depressed but I have never heard of being depressed without being a procratinator. Now here's another little ray of sunshine for you... other friends that like to come over and visit when depression is in town are anger, anxiety, restlessness and crying. So who has time to do anything at all when you have all that company to entertain?

I don't think they go hand in hand, and I don't think pills solve either problem. It's all about an attitude change. I used to procrastinate everything, but I wasn't depressed. Just go one step at a time.

I myself battled with depression for years and can now say that I have overcome it, so be VERY proud of yourself for being on the winning side, and I hope you stay there! As for procrastination, it does go with depression. I'd put off things until I just couldn't anymore, and more often than not, it got me in trouble. If you'd like to start getting better at not procrastination, set goals for youself. Say you have something to do that needs done by the 15th of the month and it's not only the 1st, try setting a goal in the back of your mind that it needs done by the 10th. If you have most of it done by then, it still gives you 5 days to finish it instead of cramming it all in in 1 day. This helped out a lot for me, and I wish the same to you!