Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.
Thursday, June 19th, 08
"Don't just stand there, Let's Get to it!
Strike a pose, there's nothing to it..." -Madonna
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G - CI and freaking out about timesheets...
Gotta do timesheets or I don't get paid for the month. o_O
Can't stay late, because I'm due for something (and I'm unprepared) at 6.45pm. Ok, it's Winter solstice carolling.
Why do I volunteer for these things? How'm I supposed to get mulled wine together, and find and printing some carols, and get timesheets and work done in the next 3 hours? This is ridiculous! Argh!
Dammit. I did really well for the last two days at work, too.
But I'm bewildered by my timesheets. I either sucked entirely, or sucked less and failed to use my timetracking software. I'm sure it used to list the application title as well as the application before, so I could have guessed at what I was working on, but now it's not. And I've got a month of timesheets to do. Argh!
Does anyone else have to do timesheets?
How do you cope? I wish I had something that would automatically do it - say, if I associated a particular file with a task, so it would always fill in that time with that task at least. I could add and edit the rest of the time. :P
And see, designing timesheet software in my head is not helping. Cup of tea did not help either.
Not being paid for the month will DEFINATELY not help.
All I gotta do is fill in the little boxes, and then they'll give me money.
But, I can't CAN'T can't fudge it or do it inaccurately. I'd rather sit here and potentially not get paid for the month than get my timesheets down wrong because I didn't record what I was doing, when I was doing it - last month.
Dammit. Next job I get, won't have timesheets. At least not project-specific ones. Keeping track of when I'm on or off task would be more manageable for me than keeping timesheets for all the different projects.
i hate time logs
even tho they are good for me. It's always so hard to figure out where that 4hours went. Often, it went to procrastination. If i could DO the timelog, i would be focusing on my task, and i would NOT be procrastinating!
In fact, perhaps i better start to get to work right now...
sympathy on timesheets
I *hate* timesheets. (And I don't even have it that bad...I just have to record times I'm working for 2 different projects. But for some reason I just put it off for ages).
I figured out that I'll put them off as long as I can (ie if I have to enter every week to get paid, that's what I'll do...if I can enter every 4 months I'll do that, and totally forget what hours I worked (which means I have to fudge...and, since I don't want to cheat my boss, I end up underestimating when I worked). So I asked my supervisor to hold me to doing it every week, and put up lots of big reminder signs telling me to fill out my timesheets :) When I'm organized I keep a spreadsheet of my time everyday, but if I fill it out every week I'm at least reasonably accurate.
re: sympathy for the devil, I mean, timesheets...
It's usually like - 6-8 projects in a month. Usually 2-4 in one day. Which means I have almost no hope of guessing at what I was working on at a later time.
I've spent hours patiently reconstructing how I've spent my time, based on chatlogs and emails sent - one time I carefully pieced together the bits of time for two projects in one day, and got 4hrs 10 for one, and 3hrs 50 for the other. Argh!
Turns out the feature I thought was in my program was there - it just loses the application title data at the end of each session. Dammit! Well, I guess that might help me keep track of my timesheets on a *daily* basis.
timesheets
Grail, I have been there. I recognize this pattern as perfectionism: I eventually found that was not worth the agony of accounting for each moment , but instead to aproximate the hours per day for each project, or even the hours per week. When I was able to accept the purpose of timesheets is for billing purposes, not to track each individual moment of my life, I finally became willing to do it in percentages. If I knew the lion's share of my day went towards one project, I would allow myself with impunity to say: 60% or something like that. Part of the difficulty of this for me as a procrastinator is that I did not feel it was fair to be working for 12 hours in order to put in what I felt was an honest 8 hours work (if that).
This fellowship helps me with that. I may put in an extra day of work and not bill it to make amends for my behavior. That allows me to move on. I know, however, that my not giving myself time to have real breaks makes me feel like I am working all the time, but I realize that my weekend creeps into my work days if I don't. Positive reinforcement helps: bargaining to give myself PLANNED breaktime, ie solstice caroling (what a great idea), helps me to cut to the chase with my timesheets: stop polishing the polish, as it were.
Have a good time!
RitaE checking in
Meant to check in this morning but did not even know where to begin and didn't want to just sit here online thinking about it. So I started a new master list of everything that needs to be done, with the intent of sorting and prioritizing. But all I got to, was the point of realizing some things were quite urgent!
Just about the time I listed the real knot-in-the-stomach stuff (financial chaos that MUST be addressed and soon), my contract manager called in crisis: more urgent things needed to be done, right then. So I did them, and then found in my email Inbox yet more urgent things, and on and on.
It seems this is a day for just reacting, and I hate that. Responsive feels good; reactive feels lousy. Is it like this in the beginning for everyone recovering from procrastination?
The only thing all day that feels really productive is write an encouraging email to a cousin whose husband is dying. Everything else feels like it was fingernails on a blackboard. I kept wanting to scrunch up my eyes, ears and shoulders against the day.
responsive, reactive
hi rita
good work reinventing yourself not once, but twice today. That's inspiring to me.
I'm not sure i totally get the difference between responsive and reactive. I can report that when i have a day like that, and i have them every couple weeks, i usually feel relief because i dont get the chance to procrastinate. So i feel productive.
I'm trying to understand, maybe the negative part is that you're not in control of your time? If that's it, then I know how that feels, for sure. It doesnt happen to me that often with that type of reactive/responsive day, tho.
I do get an out of control feeling when i follow a schedule. Even one i made up. I feel like it rules me. I rebel against that, sometimes. But lately i've been trying to submit myself to it, because i know it's right. I can usually do that, but it makes me feel tired and empty. But i do get the things done. But sometimes i can get myself to remember that i'm really surrendering myself to HP. That is a delicious feeling. When i'm lucky enuf to be in that space, i can submit and get my things done, and the whole process refreshes me. I wish it were that way all the time.
But, i'm not sure if i've understood exactly what you were getting at.
RitaE - startin' a new 24 hours right here
Enough with my stuff! I can start a new 24 hours anytime, and so I am, right now. Here's the plan:
RitaE final check-in
The travel bookings took so much longer than expected, that I'm needing to break for dinner. Also I feel guilty that Husband has not seen much of me since I got home.
So, I am amending my plan:
Recycler CI 6pm EST
Hi Dancing Pro Buddies!
Today: walked, stretched, work, mailed event registration, at lunchtime had to download software instead of doing the project I had planned. Something didn't go well, however I have my therapist tomorrow night with whom to talk about it.
Tonight: go to a symphony performance.
Have a great night everyone! :)
Recycler
Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)
been too distracted to study
I've only gotten about 20 minutes of studying done in the last two days. It's pretty silly because what I did was skim the material to find stuff I don't understand and then asked people on the internet how to do it. This is reasonable but now I keep telling myself that I'll review the stuff I DO understand once I understand the stuff I don't. Real productive!
So yeah, I feel pretty bummed out about falling into that trap.
Hopefully I can snap out of it and get some work done tonight and then get back on track tomorrow...
I just finished about 20
I just finished about 20 minutes of review so I feel a bit better now. Still need to find some help though, which is a huge drag because getting math help online is like getting lost in a country that doesn't speak english! Rarely are the instructions explained well enough for the person who needs help and then when you ask a follow up question the "helper" figures out how little you know, which in most cases = you're on your own pal! That's pretty much life though isn't it?
Well if my higher power is reading this here's the deal: if I make it I promise to help out the little guy as much as possible. Here's an idea, if I ever get rich I'll build the best math website on the internet. While taking this course I've probably come up with 100 ways of teaching that would go LIGHTYEARS in helping the average person understand complex math, I'd love to put them into practice somehow.
good to hear...
...you feeling chipper again, plo. Congrats on pushing through. I've gotta tackle statistics in the fall so maybe I'll be in touch for some of those ez-learning tips you're creating!
9:23am for Lark
Good morning all. Seems there's a big gap between what needs done, can be done, and will be done today. I've been trying to save gas by making one trip to town count but I'm out of supplies for work. I did other tasks yesterday, which was okay, and combined several things into one trip later, only to have the main business closed when I arrived! Ugh. Does anyone here need anything from town? He he. For now I'm going to tie up loose ends, tend to a salesman, and tidy up. When I get a gameplan I'll be back. Take care.
11:44am and confused Lark
It's really off center here this morning. People who were supposed to come didn't, and lots who didn't need to come, did. I'm waiting for a prospective employee to arrive at 9:30--it"s now past 11:40! Lookin' good on that front, huh? I also need supplies, and should go shortly. People, humph.
Ta da:
morning things
one hour on main project
sort of turn pile into just clutter on table
fix real food (not snacks)
To do:
get supplies
return movie
sweep out workshop
half hour on project B (use timer)
weed whack around house Check in here
Journey 8:30
Busy day, gotta get coffee, set my MITs and get to work! Been doing well at keeping at it and staying busy, thanks to this forum. Now I'm working on good planning and using my time wisely. I worked really hard yesterday but not all of it was on the most important things. I also didn't take the time to plan my day. So, although I'm busy, I'm taking the next half hour to plan.
Have a productive and enjoyable day everyone!
Jo
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
c ci
my next task is drudgery...
2pm: completed my 2 drudgery tasks for today. Now look at those other MITs and (ugh) check back.
2:05pm: short admin task. feeling really empty and sad...
2:30pm: so that led to another short task. They're both done, and writing that makes me feel empty. I'm no longer sad, because i'm listening to music that contains the message that God's in charge. Note, i feel empty, but i have the power to "just do my tasks." Today agian, it appears the answer is either self, or power, but not both.
back to setting MITs.
2:40pm: 10 min--that's not bad at all. Have next MIT. Now do it. Check back in 10-20 min of preparation.
2:45pm: not 5 min into it and got reminded of something i have to do by 4pm. I will switch to the MIT w/ the deadline. VERY hard to transition. feels empty. But i will do it anyway. Because i have no self to object.
3:45pm: wow that took 1hr? Actually had about 10-15 min of interruptions of various sorts in there.
5:20pm: productive on MITs (or, only choice) last 1.5 hrs. Next MIT is easy.
c ci 2
well i did that MIT. And i went to my meeting, and chatted w/ wife.
And now, quite frankly my good friends, i am procrastinating. I think i'm going to read some of the PA Meeting Materials. This next task i have to do tonight. I'm also tired.
oops, i must have never hit 'post'. This was written at 11:30pm 19 jun.
kromer 7:55 CI
I have a meeting with my supervisor at 11:30, so I need to get a lot done this morning.
Specifically, I want to:
*Tidy my room (15 min) DONE
*Check connections to NCOAs and NCORs (30 min) DONE
*Walk to campus DONE
*Call my friend (15 min) POSTPONED
*spend 45 min brainstorming DID 30 MIN, STARTING another 15
*do 1 hr more research on how coregulators are recruited and how they recruit histone modifiers. DID ABOUT 50 MIN
After the meeting, I'll take notes on what was discussed, then check back in
kromer 12:15 CI
OK, finished all of the above except calling my friend, went to mtg and took notes on what was discussed. Next I'm going to:
*Call my friend
*Talk to BE office about getting an ID card for the summer
*Read paper
*Make a plan for what I want to accomplish at work today-Monday
*Check back in
kromer 3:15 CI
All of the above are done (it's been slow going, but my concentration has been pretty good).
I'm going to stay at work until 4:30, then take a walk, go to Harambee celebration, and get some more work done in the evening.
While I'm at work, here's what I need to get done:
*Pick up ID from card office (20 min)
*Talk to Carol (after first spending 15 min figuring out exactly what information I need from her)
*Gather THEME scripts/doc for LR, email her/talk to her
Back after I'm home from Harambee
kromer 9:55 CI
Thanks for the encouragement, c!
Unfortunately the late afternoon didn't go so well..picking up ID took forever, so all I had time to do before leaving was to start gathering THEME stuff for LR. Then I took a walk, went to Harambee celebration, called a friend and my parents, found my social security card (I need to make sure to bringit to work tomorrow), and went home. Now I'd like to get a couple of good hours of work done tonight.
I won't get through everything I wanted, so here's a (at least semi-)realistic plan:
*Finish gathering scripts/docs for LR, email her (30 min)
*Count emails about WM and make a schedule for answering them (I've gotten way behind) (20 min) DONE
*Try to find LC and talk to her about treasurer stuff...if I can't find her, send her an email before I go to bed (10 min)
*Email KM about CBP binding locations (5 min)
*Look at types of modifiers that interact with coregulators (30 min)
*Shower and bed!
OK, I'm going to start with stuff for LR, update when that's done
kromer 12 CI
OK, gathered stuff for LR and recorded WM emails.
I don't think I have time to look at modifiers. but I can get my other tasks done and still get to bed at a reasonable hour. I'll email KM, then email LC, then take a shower and go to bed.
kromer 12:30 CI
All done, to bed now.
Tomorrow morning I want to be up before 7, have a healthy breakfast, and check in before 7:30
kromer's done
> All of the above are done
you rock!
e's Thursday
Today I am going to cancel an appointment that I made for my ego. Or maybe not.
hmmmmm.
To do or not to do...
Indecision can be a formidable foe, huh?
indecision....
is my middle name. I chose to cancel the appointment and reschedule, which was a good idea. It has been a sem-hemi-demi productive day, which translates into 7 parts procrastination and one part productivity. Actully, it might be a bit better than that, but I must say I have not been inspired. Soon I will be packing up the computers and when that happens I won't have access to some of the videos I like to watch, so perhaps I will be a bit more motiviated.