Procrastination in Language Learning

[Speakeasy]

Procrastination in Language Learning
When I came across this article in the New York Times last year. I was going to ask the members about their thoughts on the matter, how this problem affects their language studies, what the causes might be, their approaches to dealing with the phenomenon and the like. And then, well, time passed ... and passed ... and passed ...

We Finally Got Around to Learning at the Procrastination Center -- New York Times -- 21 July 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/science/procrastination-research-conference.html

Sorry about the delay! Perhaps we should form a committee, hold a round table, establish a new sub-form, a study group, or a support group. I dunno, something that might serve as a catalyst for discussion? Let me know whenever you get around to it.

By the way, smallwhite provided the inspiration for this post. I've simply got to find the time to thank her for this. I'm usually pretty good about these things, but I'm pretty busy right now, I'll get around to it.

[rdearman]

Interesting, although there is some research that procrastinators tend to be more inventive and have better solutions to problems simply because they had more time to think about whatever it was. I should try to find the artcle I read. It was something to do with college students who procrastinated had more original ideas. Then again University students are the most studied group of people in the world.

[Ani]

I've spend like the last 10 years trying to stop being such a horrible procrastinator. I made some progress but not a huge amount.

The good news is, for me and language learning, I procrastinate BY language learning And in fact it's I've of the only things I feel successful at in general. But if you really asked me, at any time I could give your a list of 5-10 super important and necessary things that I'm procrastinating on to the point of being very uncomfortable, embarrassing or expensive.

I sometimes regret not having had the chance to learn more languages, or a modern language to a higher level during my school years, but I probably just would have procrastinated away from learning it and it would have become miserable so.. oh well

Side story on procrastination: I picked up the book "The Now Habit" a few years ago. After reading a few pages I was sure it was going to solve all my troubles. I told one friend how great it was and how much it was going to help me. I said that it was such a good book, I was going to send it to my best friend who is an even worse procrastinator then I am. Friend #1 said "oh I guess we can test how well the book works based on how long it takes you to send it" .... She was right.. never sent it.

[garyb]

Side story on procrastination: I picked up the book "The Now Habit" a few years ago. After reading a few pages I was sure it was going to solve all my troubles. I told one friend how great it was and how much it was going to help me. I said that it was such a good book, I was going to send it to my best friend who is an even worse procrastinator then I am. Friend #1 said "oh I guess we can test how well the book works based on how long it takes you to send it" .... She was right.. never sent it.

You're as bad as me! Years ago I bought a book called "Getting Things Done", and I never finished it.

[aravinda]

I picked up a thrown away copy of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People from my previous local library. Usually, I'm wary of self-improvement books, especially the ones with numbers in the title. However, this one looked okay, so I started reading it.
One year later, I'm still at Habit 3.

[reineke]

I learned my languages while procrastinating from other things.

[Speakeasy]

I picked up a thrown away copy of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People from my previous local library. Usually, I'm wary of self-improvement books, especially the ones with numbers in the title. However, this one looked okay, so I started reading it. One year later, I'm still at Habit 3.

Hmm, according to the Wikipedia article on this book, Habit 2 is "Begin with the End in Mind: Envision what you want in the future so you can work and plan towards it." At first, the thought occured to me that your being stuck at Habet 3 might not bode well for your prospective status of Superhero. And then, I noticed that Habit 6 is "Synergize", a matter which brought back some very bad memories from the 1980's (BTW in the 1990's, the buzzword was "Paradigm" which, of course, was used as a cudgel). As you correctly surmised, there is no rush to finish the thrown away "Ode to the Me Generation."

[cathrynm]

Interesting, although there is some research that procrastinators tend to be more inventive and have better solutions to problems simply because they had more time to think about whatever it was.

I've already tried this. Don't think it works.

[Ingaræð]

• Why Procrastinators Procrastinate
  
• How to Beat Procrastination
  
• The Procrastination Matrix
  
• Your Life in Weeks

It's taken me two days to get through those not-particularly-long blog posts, because I'm a chronic procrastinator. They're really good, though, and the advice on how to change things is the best (and easiest?) I've read so far in terms of actually being to implement it and effecting a long-term, positive change.

Also, according to the 'Learning How to Learn' course, procrastinating (or even just looking at something you don't want to do) activates the areas of your brain associated with pain.

Interesting, although there is some research that procrastinators tend to be more inventive and have better solutions to problems simply because they had more time to think about whatever it was.

To paraphrase the article in the OP, that sounds like delaying, not procrastinating. Procrastinators also try to avoid thinking about the thing they're trying to avoid doing.

[renaissancemedici]

I've also been struggling with procrastination, and my best method to beat it is with the opposite: always have a schedule in your mind beforehand, always know your next move, and keep working. That's it for me. Nothing else works.