One time during a bout of depression a friend motivated me with a sentence I think about all the time: “half-assed is better than no-assed”. Doing half of the laundry is better than having no clean laundry. Doing half the dishes is better than having no clean dishes. Getting a D on a project is better than failing.
When I worked in bookstores, I'd discover people that never actually made it through any books...couldn't find the time, or couldn't stay interested...so I always told them, "just commit to read one page every day." Almost no-one stops at just one page, but even if you do, you at least get in a book or two a year.
this is what I tell my daughter when she's really struggling with her homework, I'm not sure I'm always encouraging the right thing cuz I do want her to put in her best, but also, sometimes it's just such a struggle that we just power through it and it is what it is.
Agreed! Definitely something I’ve been trying to live by lately! My perfectionism has caused me to give up on so many art projects in the past cause they just weren’t perfect enough 😵💫
Along the lines of perfectionism preventing starting a task, my procrastination comes from needing things set up in a certain way to be "motivated/ready" such as, making sure I have my coffee, clean desk, the right music, etc. and if something is missing, I use it as an excuse to not start. THEN the worst part, distractions once I'm ready to work.
This is me trying to make myself dinner constantly. I inevitably have to clean up from the previous meal before I start dinner, which often means emptying the dishwasher then loading it again with dirty dishes then washing any delicate dishes (especially ones I'll probably need to use again immediately like the knife), then wiping down the counters and sink so they're at least passably clean. And THEN I can start cooking. I'm not so sure that it's actually perfectionism so much as it is that there's at least 4 steps to making dinner before the actual making of dinner starts, and if I'm already hungry that feels kind of overwhelming
I've got executive dysfunction, so "just get started" for me is like taking stairs when other people get to take the elevator. It does work most of the time, but the amount of energy it takes is higher. And not knowing where to start is a BIG one for me, too. I'll put something off for weeks or months because I haven't thought about how to actually start and I don't even realize that the problem is that I don't know the first step, or that the first step is too big. I've gotten better with those two things over time, though. My biggest struggle is still with longer stuff that has no deadline, because internally set deadlines don't work and never have for me. My brain knows they're arbitrary and that there's no consequence for missing them, so it just ignores them. Which is extremely unhelpful and how I wrote every single final paper the night before it was due
Same. Though I do also experience moments of deep flow once I actually start, so long as it’s something I enjoy doing. 100% of my attention is either in 100 different places, or in 1 place only at the expense of everything (and everyone) else around me.
I found keeping a very specific agenda to-do list helps me motivate getting things checked off the list, and if I start with simple tasks first, it helps get the ball rolling.
@@mrbrazina3128 This is what I do for my day-to-day at work! I make the list in the morning and can add items if they come up throughout the day, but it takes all the thinking out of "what do I do next, guess I'm just going to putz around on my phone" - which I still do, but it's way less than it would be if I didn't have a list
I'm diagnosed with ADHD (without the hyperactivity) and also have this problem. Hesitantly used medication which seemed to help somewhat. Tried all sorts of other ways to improve my symptoms. But after 10 years I developed a depression out of the frustration around the mostly-not-doing-the-things-I-want part. The psychiatrist advised me to increase medication until the symptoms would subside (without troubling side-effects), and then something clicked: with the right amount of medication I now just do stuff I want to do. It was like "oh, this is how other people feel!", no more stairs for me, elevator it is! No more depression. Still I get distracted more then other people, and difficulty with organizing stuff, but no longer with execution of the tasks themselves. I use lisdexamphetamin. Also did some therapy, but I think the medication part was most important.
Who else is procrastinating by watching youtube and saw a video on procrastinating and clicked. Now I can use the guise of learning how not to procrastinate as a procrastinating technique itself 🙃 how very meta
I really like the quote, “Today is yesterday’s tomorrow, what have you done?” Doesn’t perfectly fit into a part of your video but I keep a note of it and wanted to share it just in case
One of my favorite things I’ve ever heard to combat perfectionism was along the lines of “aim for _70%_ of perfect” which just feels so much more attainable and less intimidating. Edit: Found it! It was a struthless video, “Advice for Perfectionists and Procrastinators”
I really like this, because of how _specific_ it is. The open-ended "it doesn't have to be perfect" is less useful because, while it removes a bad goal, it doesn't replace it with anything. Better *or* worse. It's too easy for the brain to default back to "perfect or nothing" in the absence of alternatives, and I think that's something that contributes to perfectionism more than most realize.
god it is so surreal watching your videos again. i started watching u when i was about 13 or so? now i'm 20 and in college. seeing you go from "sad chicagoan funnyman making weird videos in his bedroom" to "happily married man with child still making videos in his bedroom" was a trip.
I have a trick I use when I don't want to do something: I get up and begin doing it, while I'm thinking about whether I actually want to do it or not. This is possible because you can differentiate what you do with your body, from what your brain is trying to decide. So if you're thinking about whether or not you want to go running, begin changing into your running cloth and put on your running shoes. By the time you're done, going out the door and start running will seem like less effort than changing back into your everyday cloth. Often it's just about getting past the 'getting ready' phase that can nudge you into doing something.
I used to get to a point where I would procrastinate til the last minute and then anxiety push through everything, but now my chronic illnesses have put a damper on that method. It's always been hard to self-motivate, now it's doubly hard being fatigued all the time. I think I genuinely never learned how to evaluate what was important.
I rarely ever write comments. I think the last comment I’ve written was back in 2017 and I can’t remember the last time I have written a comment before then. I was sitting at my desk with all my work arranged, it helps in getting me going. I was going through my subscription feed though because I just didn’t feel motivated and thought, “I’ll just wait for inspiration to hit me.” Little did I know that it would through this video. I have always thought about the “what” first, I think about all the work that I need to do and just think about how boring and trivial it is to me. When you brought about thinking the “why” part first though, it struck intensely with me. It felt so obvious. A lot of the things that I enjoy doing all remotely come back to my want to help others. I have always felt more accomplished helping my peers complete something rather then do the work myself. I want to write stories for example that are worth reading and beneficial to someone. Asides from that though, I’m not sure if this comment will get any traction, but I do hope you, Mr. Wheezy, see that you are accomplishing your “why.” Your reason to make these videos is a beautiful one and you deserve to be commended for it. And for the others who have read this far, thank you for taking the time to read my comment, but you should get started on your “why.” Your reasons and purposes matter.
Wheezy, I’ve been watching you for forever, like a decade almost. And I got to say, thank you for being so consistent, and hilarious, you’ve provided me with SO much comfort, advice, and motivation. I’m forever grateful for your impact on my life. Thank you. Love you bro bro.
Absolutely agree. Whenever I'm procrastinating I usually also feel a sense of dread and now I'm training myself to go plan things and break them down into chunks when I feel that dread. This can happen iteratively on the same project too.
This was so useful. Purpose doesn't have to be complicated, sophisticated, or permanent. It just needs you to have an idea of how and what you're doing next. Thanks so much WW
I'd recommend the book Four Thousand Weeks related to this topic! I found it a great exploration of common ideas about productivity and helped me think differently about how i want to use my time
I needed this more than you know! I just paused the video to write, "Done is better than Perfect. -Wheezy Waiter" on my whiteboard. This will absolutely be my new mantra. Thanks for the video!
My 8 year old is now singing the “I don’t want to do it” song and it’s actually really motivating. Thanks for your videos, Craig. They are funny, entertaining to 8 year olds (and 38 year olds, like myself) but I won’t let him watch too much and learn to say “shirt”.
I appreciate that you've been incorporating more traditional WheezyLore into your most recent videos :) a nod to those of us that have been here for a while. Love the video as usual!! You are a cool and inspiring person in the internet, i think your "why" really comes through in what you produce.
Perfectionism is definitely my hardest problem. Why would I do it if I can't even do it to my own standards? Well, because you'll never get to your standards if you don't PRACTICE DOING IT MARIE! (Definitely talk to myself like I'm my own disappointed grandma. lololol)
This video was so important to me because I've been putting off a project I really wanted to do for almost a year and this video was the first time I stopped and thought about WHY - so far I've been trying to guilt and shame myself into doing it and that didn't accomplish anything (obviously). If anything, it made me less motivated. I still didn't figure out the why, but know at least I know where to start searching. It makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you so much!
If you can, please make a video with tips on how to find our why. I know it's very personal, but maybe you can help us becoming the all seeing all knowing space baby at the center of the universe
This video made me realize something really deep about the way I make connections with other people. Thank you. I would say you are knocking your why out of the park.
Its only been 2 days and the "I don't wanna do it! LET'S GO!" has been really useful to me😆. I'll have to watch again to remind myself of all these mantras people are talking about.
I get myself going by reminding myself that I am not owed anything, my feelings at a given moment are irrelevant to what I have to do, I have no inherent worth, my existence has been an impost on others, the thing I am avoiding is not just about me, but making the world better for others, doing it is the absolute minimum I must to do to justify continuing to be fed and watered, and not doing it literally harms other people. I can't just tick a few boxes and call it a day either. I need to be better than good and constantly striving to be better still because the problems I have to solve are constantly changing and evolving, often in response to the very solutions I put in place. If I ever stop, things break, lives get disrupted, people get hurt, so I need to suck it the f#%k up and deliver.
With the fear of failure especially with creating things is we have to realize while some of our very creative ideas wont be seen by thousands, we will have sooo many more amazing and creative ideas that will be seen by many. We just think in the moment “oh no this might be the best thing I ever make and if millions dont see it its a waste of time!” Lets make everything for ourselves and eventually that audience of ME will turn into WE
I think this is the most accurate explanation about procrastination that I have ever heard, I have been struggling with this lately and I really had to step back for a couple weeks and figure out my “why?”
Feeling better after cleaning is totally a thing. It's also in the category of Peak 40s. I have a friend who is very social and regularly has lots of people at her house where we stay up exceptionally late playing cards and yakking each other's ears off. Once everyone else has given in to sleep, she gets up and cleans the kitchen. I've helped her a few times, even though it baffled me at first. Everyone would have been happy to help her clean in the morning. But she told me she can't stand getting up to a dirty kitchen in the morning and that it sucks the energy out of her day if that's what she wakes up to. And so, the kitchen gets cleaned at 3am. I thought this was nuts, but I do notice it in my own home. When the sink is empty and the counters are clear, my mood is vastly improved. Now, if only I could actually convince myself to make it a regular thing...
So I struggle to make routines due to adhd. So I have lists that I can check off with a dry erase marker and reuse daily. (And they often still crumble to pieces and I fail to do something everyone else seems to do easily, like brush my teeth. So take this with a bit of salt I guess) But start with one habit every day. Don’t go crazy; you will burn out. Start with doing a two minute tidy. Literally set an alarm and have everyone in the family put away as much as they can in two minutes. Every night. But be careful. You must stop when the timer goes off. “That’s good enough for tonight. And good enough is good enough.” Once this gets routinized (see:different from easy), add in loading and running your dishwasher (if you have one) every night. Two minute tidy, run the dishwasher. Two minute tidy, run the dishwasher, wipe the counters and sink, put on pjs, floss and brush your teeth. It helps me unwind for sleep too when I successfully manage the whole night routine. Humans are really only good at sustaining 1% changes day to day. Start tiny. It will come.
@@azlizzie I agree about the building of a routine, but I have yet to manage a daily pattern. I do, however, have a weekly one that works pretty well. I'm a music teacher, and though most days I travel to the communities where I teach, one day a week, I have students come to my home studio. Since I'm home all day on Wednesdays, and there will be people coming into my house, I have a solid weekly cleaning routine built around it. It's the day I clean the bathroom, vacuum the floors, do laundry and clear away the things that accumulate on my counters of the course of a week. But on weeks when I don't have lessons, it's a struggle to keep with the habit. Something about the pressure of someone else seeing my house puts it firmly in the essential category. Over the summer when students are on break, my tidiness threshold decreases dramatically.
Whenever I am feeling lazy I always tell myself "something is better than nothing." I do the work, perhaps lazily, but it gets done. Could it have been better? Yes, but not given my laziness.
Cleaning puts me in a better mood and I’m 19. I hate cleaning but the act of tasking my mind helps me a lot in the moment and then I can say I’ve done something productive. I also find that surrounding yourself with a neatly put together space creates a space where your brain can be neatly put together as well.
I just wanted to say thank you for making videos, your content has really brightened my life & you make me laugh out loud more times than I can count. I really love your content & you have a beautiful family. Thank you for what you do.
"work expands to fill the time available for its completion" (Parkinson’s Law, 10:44) but Done Is Better Than Perfect (11:30) first time someone actually used my name like this in a video 1:45
cleaning gives a sense of control. it's the reason why many controlling people are also clean freaks or have a borderline obsesssion with keeping whatever area spotless. souce: psychology
why = the thing is meaningful -- as a teacher, I always try to find a meaningful task for my students... and yes, sometimes it does mean a class when we do nothing because RESTING is more meaningful and more useful than conjugating verbs!
Thanks Wheezy! I am feeling down about my career decisions since forever and I think that thinking about the why instead of the what will help me out. I need to start watching your videos again for the great life advice!
Loved this! glad this was recommended. I had viewed one of your videos in the past and enjoyed it but forgot to subscribe. Didn't forget this time!! Now to go back through the archives.
Ive been procrastinating for three weeks on a research essay. It is now due in 3hrs. Thank you for this video. Perhaps I will not procrastinate for the remainder.
a) I'm 100% watching this as I'm procrastinating on a school assignment b) this is the first WheezyWaiter video I've watched in... years? And I'm thrilled to find that all the classic WheezyWaiter things are still consistent through the videos.
I suffer from anhedonia, and chronic depression. I want to watch anime, I want to play video games. But I don't want to do anything. This is very distinct from "wanting to do nothing," which is rest. I just lack the desire to do anything, even if mentally, I want to do it, and I know I should enjoy it (but due to my anhedonia, don't actually enjoy it these days much). You can think, "Well, procrastination isn't about pleasure anyway, so it's not like it is any different for you!" Wrong. I don't get the pleasure of something being done, I don't get the dopamine hit, I don't get the pre-work dopamine hit to get me motivated. If you think it's the same, we'll talk when you can't enjoy the things you enjoy, because getting over procrastination does require you to get some reward, including tricking your mind into thinking the reward is bigger than the reward for not doing the work. Which, well, requires reward, or the perception thereof - doesn't work if your brain can't parse the notion of rewards. P.S. The quote I know is "Perfect is the enemy of done."
This was a really good video. Now that I’m retired, I have unlimited time to do an unlimited amount of work. Ha ha. Plus, I can no longer put it off because I might not finish before I die. Ugh! I cannot understand how other retired people are bored or have nothing to do. BTW…I think you are far too creative to run out of stuff to talk about. One request, can you sit very still and draw some hair styles on yourself with your magic info pens? I think it would be a great way to end the video. Or your wife could draw it. 🥸⭐️🥳🥇🎤from David in Houston, Texas.
Tuesbetter Newbsletter? Seriously though, love your videos, and how they help me reflect on my own life/choices/brain/caffeine-consumption without as much angst
I don't know how I discovered WW.... well actually yes I can probably guess that it's because I can spend endless hours thinking, researching and being silly about a subject. Which is exactly why I must have searched for a "how to" or "why do I" video and gathered 10 videos to watch on a subject and happened upon this amazing guy. ........ sigh He is my brain, out loud. 💚 I can't stop watching whatever he puts out.
Okay two things in this video I feel don't work on me. Finding a purpose and setting a dead line. I have really bad executive function and having those two things has never helped. There was a time where I was unemployed for years and lived with my parents. I had a clear purpose to look for a job and fill in applications, I wanted money, I wanted disposable income, not having to ask my parents for money. It was also generally a really bad time, it felt like many days my parents would always be angry at me, constantly judging me. I didn't want to live like that, I hated my life and was always depressed but it still wasn't enough to get me to fill job applications. The only reason I work now is because some else found me a job and did all the work basically. And with deadlines I'm just reminded why I was so bad at school. Homework have hard deadlines, but I would always put them of to the last minute. I would pull all nighters in the last day before it was due but was paralyzed by my procrastination. "Oh I have 10 hours, one video won't hurt." "Oh I still have 9 hours" "Still have 8" And it keeps going until I literally ran out of time and can not finish my work at all, pulled that all nighter for nothing.
As per usge, you go really fast so I'll probably watch this again later, but thank you. And thank you for not trying to pretend you have it all figured out. You're just a guy who's curious and throws stuff up in a video in the hopes that it'll help someone out, and I think you do, and that's why I'm still here.
Personally, I say to myself "Just get on with it!". I saw this from a video about a female rowing team that rowed across the ocean, and they had to work 2 hours on 2 hours off for more than a month. That's how she forced herself to wake up and row when it was tough.
Dang it, Craig. Why do you keep being so kind and encouraging and positive?!? It’s like you want to make the world (or at least the internet world) a better place or something. Sheesh. You no-good do-gooder… 😉
Of the procrastinating I'm doing today, watching YT videos... at least this one was helpful. Perfectionism is one of my worst qualities. Lately I've been writing a script for a video that I keep tweaking to try to make it sound more organic, as well as shorten it since I'm constantly worried about retention, where I just need to put it out there, learn from it and move on to the next one. BTW... you should do a video on your secrets to getting clone bits out of pants.
Solo game dev here. Beauty of the game development is that you can create worlds for players to live and play in and adjust every aspect of them, your only absolute boundaries are the hardwares limitations... Oh no, it's a trap 😲⏳😄
....how the heck did you know that I've been listening to that song from Firebringer nearly every morning this week?! Yeah, this has definitely been one of _those_ weeks. Putting numerous things off out of fear of not doing them well enough.
Procrastination is the story about my life. While in University I would wait until the night before to study for exams, even hours or minutes before any exams to try to cram everything in. This resulted in me failing first year and always coming close to failing the next few years but somehow I graduated and got my degree. I waited until the night before to complete my 4th year University Thesis report. I had 4 months to do it but did nothing until the night before it was due. I had all the books, notes, etc. laid out sitting on my table for months but couldn't get myself to actually start and type out the thesis and create the report, it wasn't until I had no choice but to start and complete it otherwise I would have failed 4th year University if I did not submit it the next day. I was supposed to regularly check in with my thesis professor throughout the term to give him status updates but because I had nothing to show him I never did. This was 25 years ago and nothing has changed now that I work fulltime. I always leave work projects to the last minute, not sure how to change this as I've been doing this all my life. I am working on a project right now that was actually due a few days ago, spent my whole week just watching RU-vid videos and Netflix.
@@theeternalseason3890 I don't have any symptoms of that (from what I saw on the internet, haha). Happy to consider it, just doesn't seem related. To add to my specific story, the last minute pressure is my driver/motivator. The "harder" my life is, the "better" I am. The more struggles I have, or lack of time, or need to multi-task, I crush it. If I have time and freedom I will not get anything done. Even if I choose to get stuff done ahead of time it's still slow going and far from my best work. My husband says I am better when I'm backed into a corner. He is the complete opposite. Just wondering if it's more of a personality trait or something. It's not the worst thing in the world since I absolutely deliver, but waiting til the last minute often causes stress for my family, and if anything else arises I then have no wiggle room for error.
@@kanderson513 What your describing is in line with the experience of many people with ADHD. The last minute pressure you're describing to get things done is common in ADHD. A sense of urgency is one of our main motivators. Out of curiosity, what are the symptoms from what you've seen on the internet? There are many common misconceptions about it. I only ask because I didn't get diagnosed until I was 23 and have experienced what you're describing. If not, executive dysfunction might be of interest to you too. Either way, I hope you're able to find something helps you.
@@theeternalseason3890 Thank you so much for sharing this!! I did another search on it with some words you used, and did find additional symptoms that I do have. I will absolutely look more into this!! Really appreciate it. To answer your question- the symptoms I saw the most were inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, none of which I have or have ever had. But like I said, I found a lot more when I dug further at your recommendation. Interesting!!!
