I don't buy the whole "deadlines help against procrastination and increase productivity " argument

Most procrastination is the result of lack in sufficient conviction about the importance of your actions.

Conviction requires more efforts and time. So of course, a system that is profit ~oriented would take a moral shortcut.

I think every person has an individual approach that works for them best to increase their own productivity. Not everyone has the resources to find it and establish it in their lives. And most environments won't permit it even after you figured out your own needs, inclinations and rhythms.

In a world where stress is increasingly a dominant variable in the development of chronic illnesses, the initial argument is more of an enablement of extreme objectification than a solution.

Life quality should take precedence over profit defined productivity.

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Gibbon · 70-79, M

This is one of the reasons I'm glad I'm retired. On the job was every day stress of scheduling and prioritizing. My personal work ethic was conviction of being thorough, effective and efficient. I worked Quality control/Assurance my entire real job career. In all companies that department is between a rock and hard place.
Off the clock that conviction is tossed to the curb. I am one of the biggest procrastinaters to exist. Even more so now living all alone. The only stress I have now comes from myself and the big hole in my life. I'm getting better at dealing with it but I have no sense of urgency about anything.

Miram · 31-35, F

@Gibbon

I work in emergency settings so it is normal to always meet shedules and run against time, yet also do things as close to perfection as possible.

But in my farms and everything else, I try to tame that sense and instead slow down to meet the pace of natural seasons. Not obsess about details and not stress people working under me. I can find purpose in both.

There is too much stress in every field. Too many angry people that take out their own sense of failure on others and too much greed and fear. It should be better than that.

Gibbon · 70-79, M

@Miram It's nice to here you intentionally make that change. In my work I wouldn't have survived without my anger which I had a reputation for. It kept me working. It however was doing my job fighting upper management and program managers trying to ship product that wasn't properly processed or didn't meet specifications.
The president of a company could override me but paid the price if they did and the customer discovered what I had documented and refused to sign off. Needless to say I was two different people inside and outside of work.
But while I said I no longer have that stress I occasionally have bizarre dreams involving work but in places and with people I've never seen.

jehova · 31-35, M

I agree deadlines are artificial and counterintuitive. Indeed when i was a government employee. Deadlines were really just submission deadlines. A step in a process; it got to the boss (was postmarked on\by the deadline. It still needed to be proofread, for typos, clarity, and compared with current regulations (for compliance). Even after all of that three signatures and additional adherance guidlines (protocols) had to be followed prior to going to the head of the department just to receive their stamp of approval and final signature.
I worked in the state education department!
Any mistake in that process it goes back to me (at the beginning of the proccess) to be restarted and examined for adherence.

sstronaut

If you mean deadlines for everyone, then I could agree with you...

But for me personally, deadlines do help me with procrastination, as I won't do it until I have to.

So I guess you would say I lack conviction... including in feeding myself.

basilfawlty89 · 36-40, M

I can only speak for myself here, but:

My own procrastination has always been a combination of lack of motion, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism.

If the probability is high something will work and there's traction, I'll be motivated even if I have to wait a bit before results come in.

It took me a while to learn that something doesn't have to be perfect as long as it works well.

Yourwildestdreams · 51-55, M

I agree ☝

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