re: "mental imagery" (imagine yourself after the work has happened) - In my experience imagining myself after the work has happened is a net negative. Once I perform the act of imagining the task/project complete, I receive the dopamine reward of completing the project, and no longer have an interest in actually doing the work. I derive the most satisfaction in conquering a very complicated problem, and if I get it all figured out in my head, then I've got what I need out of it and doing all the actual implementation doesn't bring any new satisfaction to me, so I tend to then move on to the next complicated problem I can work through in my head. When I have a team of developers working for me, the project moves forward under their efforts and something really cool comes to fruition, but when I'm solo, the project stops once I've figured out the solution.
BTW - people are quick to preface with IANAL (109,000 google results), but I think it is equally important for people to start saying IANAP (I am not a psychiatrist, 633 google results). Offering armchair psychiatric advice seems like the risks are greater than armchair legal advice, because people's lives are on the line. See what /u/tamsaraas said in this thread, it is valuable. Time to normalize IANAP.
IANAP - but being exposed to all the discussion on HN about procrastination has helped me realize that I might suffer from executive dysfunction and have ADHD. But I'm seeking therapy to get a proper diagnosis and treatment for it. I appreciate people sharing their experiences, that is valuable, both for what they deal with and what works for them, but people should probably not try to fix themselves without professional help or tell other people what will fix them.
I like "IANAP." Folks should always try to engage professionals when they can. Articles on the internet help you to know what you don't know, but if you think something might be an issue for you, connect with experts on it.
Re: visualization — it's a problematic trope that imagining success helps. Apparently visualizing failure, and especially the consequences of failure, can be more motivating. Andrew Huberman provides a pretty good summary of recent research on the subject.[1]
BTW - people are quick to preface with IANAL (109,000 google results), but I think it is equally important for people to start saying IANAP (I am not a psychiatrist, 633 google results). Offering armchair psychiatric advice seems like the risks are greater than armchair legal advice, because people's lives are on the line. See what /u/tamsaraas said in this thread, it is valuable. Time to normalize IANAP.
IANAP - but being exposed to all the discussion on HN about procrastination has helped me realize that I might suffer from executive dysfunction and have ADHD. But I'm seeking therapy to get a proper diagnosis and treatment for it. I appreciate people sharing their experiences, that is valuable, both for what they deal with and what works for them, but people should probably not try to fix themselves without professional help or tell other people what will fix them.