Autism and procrastination

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How many of you with autism tend to procrastinate? I, myself, get that tendency a lot. When I should be doing homework, I get that urge to check my Facebook or surf the net. I don't know if it's just me or if it's an autism thing? I have scholarship stuff I'm going to be working on, and I'm sitting here typing this. I'm that bad.

I have an econ test tomorrow at 10.

I try to postpone enjoyable tasks until less favorable jobs are done. As I said, I try, but it doesn't usually work out that way. I just end up putting off everything.

I am a huge procrastinator, but I am undiagnosed and I know quite a few NTs that are even worse than I am, so I doubt it is an autism thing.

"It's a mistake to think that things will take care of themselves"
- Heard somewhere in a tv show.

More than procrastination, people having AS/autism have poor organizational skills, for example you could possibly shine in math or art, but have a truckload of dirty dishes and dirty laundry at home... plus an empty fridge with only a rotten carrot...

You NEED to: get a notebook, a calendar, a whiteboard and a PDA (iPhone, blackberry, etc), and actively write down Everything that you need to do.
And follow it.


btw found this:
and

Code:

BEHAVIORS:
* Very dependent on order and routine
* Becomes _frustrated with changes in schedules_

taken from here: http://addadhd.suite101.com/article.cfm ... d__part_11

So, there you go, it's definitely part of AS, and you'll have to fight it for life.
Every hour try to think "is this the best thing that I could be doing with my life?
And plan, every day when you wake up, take 5 minutes to plan what you need to do in the day. 18 minutes of your day: link

UPDATE: I posted the previous text at 10pm, now it's midnight and I did:
* Cooked enough food for 4 days (and damn! I could be a chef, that good is the food I made LOL)
* Did laundry
* Took out the garbage
* Washed everything I used for cooking
* Called my parents about some pending stuff.
Phew! I'm tired and off to bed

Last edited by computerlove on 17 Mar 2010, 9:51 am, edited 2 times in total.

use lists.
in later childhood and teens my procrastination was FEROCIOUS. It lasted all the way into my 30's and then I got a handle on how to manage it.

first half of my life - the fridge when I had one - usually had just some milk in it, for coffee. still have trouble organising myself but it has improved with age because I learned some skills in rehab that helped me and I consciously work them into my life on a daily basis. USE LISTS! write down what you need to do at the beginning of each day and tick these off. We can learn to stick to this and we can benefit enormously. Prior to my AS dx I had used lists sporadically and they had worked really well in rehab and just after, but basically, my whole life as chaotic except for the special interest realm which was always ok.

Lists actually calm me down a lot and help me to have a sense of completion in my day. Otherwise I can feel like a scrambled AS/ADHD/severely sensory challenged nutcase.

I cannot cope with anything like a normal load or routine - a balanced routine that involves keeping abreast of a life and all its facets. I don't even bother trying anymore. But I do live a good life and one that I am happy with for the most part......it took a while to get to this place.

I have set routines and approaches to my day and function well within these. I have problems however when they are disrupted.
BIG MELTDOWNS ensue and I get really overwhelmed.

I procrastinate all the time, I can't help it. A lot of times I've procrastinated about going to sleep for so long that I'm still stuck awake *still* online at 6 in the morning! It's not even that I was really interested in researching something, I just get stuck even though I want to go to sleep. Is this just me being really strange or do any of you get like this?

I do this too but it doesn't always work out, especially if the task requires a lot of brain power.

I tend to procrastinate a fair bit.

I am slow. AND i procrastinate.

1. X is too hard, I cannot face it, I do Y as "comfort food"

2. To do X I need first to dio Y, but I don't know how so I let it go.

3. I am really involved in XS, and cannot make myself stop to do the very important Y.

All of these and more all the time - but I meet most deadlines.

Deadlines are great motivation.

As millie says, use lists,
* I have lists for the supermarket in my iPhone, very very handy.
* I also store lots of stuff and data in it, things I need to remember/do.
* I even have some useful apps for my day job in it, even a dictionary.
* And a calendar in it which I constantly update.
* Also some GOOD routine is useful, like going to bed early. BTW i'm off to bed, need to wake up early and work on some personal projects

AS is not a crutch, one can live by fine, but it needs work and putting some honest effort

I do this. In fact, I'm doing it currently.

i over procrastinate, I am terrible.

I know this pisses me off when people do it but I am guilty of doing it myself. Things I find hard or stressful I tend to put aside. I used to wait till towards the due date for taxes to get them done. I did the same for bills. If something is very important I do it.
I also procrastinate to do simple things like the dishes or laundry. Then I finally do them after a while.

or as douglas adams puts it: I like deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make when they go by.

Oh, great, now I bet when I finish my econ test today I'm going to think "WHOOSH!" and crack up in the middle of the lecture hall.