Cause of lack of motivation is overthinking things?

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Last night, I went and bought some new Romaine lettuce to replace my old shot Romaine lettuce still in the refrigerator. I then thought, OMG, I'm going to have run up the old lettuce to the trash bin. That preoccupied my thought as I went through the steps of buying the new lettuce. Finally, I said, enough! That is what I've gotta do! After that point, I felt better, though I had to keep telling myself that so I wouldn't forget.

Right now, I'm procrastinating my taking a shower, because I'm thinking about all I've gotta do. I've been procrastinating for hours. I've gotta not just shower and wash my hair, I've gotta shave (which I hate), and I've gotta do my hair. I've gotta do this before going over to my parents to spend 4th of July with them. Eventually, though, I'm going to think, this is just what I gotta do right now! and do it.

Does anyone else procrastinate and over-think things like this, too?

Yeah, I think these thought processes occur in most people, including me.

Eggspecially the shower eggsample.

Oh no, I've gotta shampoo my hair, then condition my hair, then the soap and the shaving, how tedious and boring and what a long process, yuck yuck yuck.

So I procrastinate at my computer until I've gotta do it.

Then I do it, and it's not that bad and over quickly.

Yes, me too.

I will sometimes procrastinate returning from my lunch break--I go home for lunch--and am often late returning. I'm dreading the stress of going to work and how I can't work from home and at the same time I'm thinking I'm going to get in trouble if I do this too long, and I just kinda lie back in bed while thinking all this and I can end up being up to 30 minutes late returning. I then feel guilty and worried about my job security.

I just dreaded taking out the trash, an easy task, until I told myself just do it!

Beneficii, I can relate to talking myself out of doing things since I do that too. For me, it's a matter of changing my thinking by breaking things down in small, manageable pieces.

I've never been a procrastinator though. What I've found is that the stress of putting things off to the last minute and having to work in crisis mode is more unpleasant than doing things right away. I try to avoid stressful situations as much as possible.

I'm procrastinating right now!

I've gotta go downstairs and get a soda, then write up my notes for the class that I teach this summer.

I want to take advantage of long weekend and being home to finish my notes for whole summer, so I can spend more time on research instead of teaching.

I'm gonna do it right now, instead of play Bejeweled Blitz.

OK, I got my soda.

Now, the notes.

So is this common among neurotypicals, too?

I wonder then if my problem is passivity? I took this test:

http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-te ... test.shtml

And I scored a 62 out of 100, which is high passivity, unhealthy behavior. Maybe I just need to hire a professional organizer to help whip me into shape.

I have this issue. I think difference between how it is for those of us with AS vs and NT who procrastinates is for stuff like showering or shaving or grocery shopping. I think with most NTs I know who procrastinate it's on starting a project or writing a paper or something like that.

Also some of my procrastinating or skipping stuff when I don't have to go out is because of sensory issues or now I don't have to worry about offending people or being judged so who cares if I shower today or if I haven't shaved my legs in 2 weeks or whatever. Other times I skip or avoid doing stuff because of anxiety from the task being overwhelming or too big to ever be solvable like my student loan debt. I avoid stuff that NTs see as a chore and might put off a little but still it isn't anxiety producing for them to do it.

Also sometimes I have a weird perception of time so I can feel as if only 5 minutes have passed but it's been an hour or more. This happens more on my days off when I don't have a strict schedule. I still have my weekend rituals and routines but they are more relaxed and based on my interests and not my work schedule. But I can get "lost" watching TV or in books or on social media. I know this can happen to NTs but I think it's less intense or doesn't impede on their social life or functioning in anyway whereas with me it does at times.

I read on a forum or blog for parents of children with Asperger's that their children just want to do what they want to do and it is so challenging for the parents to get them to do what the children should be doing. I know that is also an issue for NT children but they indicated it was so much more challenging for parents of children on the spectrum. I wondered how it was for adult people on the spectrum to do what they should but don't want to do.