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.
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
pro's CI - 7:20pm
I have a headache (just took some migraine meds), and I'm also feeling down today. I don't think I'm going to be able to do anything else.
pro's CI - 6:15pm
I'm going to take another break now.
pro's CI - 5:10pm
Norm's 9.15 pm BE (Except it's now 9.20 pm)
I just did one of the tasks I blew off yesterday - took me less than 15 mins. I did another one earlier in the day, so at least I'm catching up with as many as I'm procrastinating on ;)
It's too late to start watching a film now, is it? How long's the film? OK it's 80 mins, if I do my BBR now then watch the film I'll be finished by 10.50 and ready for bed. OK, I'm going to go for it. Puter will autoshutdown before then so I'll say goodnight now.
(Hey, I think this may be the first time I've got to the end of my list! Mind you I did blow a couple of things off today. Not bad going though ;) )
sleep well, Normy!
Congratulations on a productive day!! :)
pro's CI - 4:15pm
I'm not going to the bank today. It's raining too much.
I want to read my book for a little while before going back to my to-do list.
you and normy
Both dodging rain. I'll take it!!!
Norm's 9pm BE
OK I cheated - I rang and no answer, so I just left a message.
How is that cheating?
What more could you do?
More more could I do?
Could've rung her on her mobile. I hate ringing people on their mobiles because so many people leave them on even when they don't want to be interrupted.
OK, I'll be honest, ~I~ don't like people ringing me on ~my~ mobile (I often have it switched off, and people complain - why would they want to ring me when I don't want to hear from them? That's only going to make me want to protect my time even ~more~! I can't have it on when I'm working anyway, so I tend to leave it off so I don't make a mistake). I don't like it unless I'm expecting a call, and I don't like doing it. So I didn't. (Better check my messages in case she replied).
9.15 pm BE
Mis-posted
Norm's 8.30 pm BE
Hi Gwen! Good to see you again, but so sorry to hear about your troubles.
Hi pro. Are you setting a timer for the book? I'm just concerned about you because you said you wanted a sense of completion, then set yourself a task you haven't started yet. Just think how good you'll feel if you get it done - the sooner you start the sooner you'll get that sense of satisfaction! :)
Slider You're sounding much happier today - there's a stark contrast between how you are after you've been very productive and after you've felt like you've not met your goals.
And waving to Rise In Flames. Welcome!
Well, I keep becoming conscious of an important phone call I've been putting off since Friday (I think it was Friday), so while I'm in the mood for getting things done I'm going to eat that frog next.
I just looked at what's left of my list after that and it's all nice stuff! Yay! And it's only half past eight. Even more yay!
*Lie in and date morning
*Morning Routine
*Lunch
*Net surfing - I love doing this and rarely do it anymore (I've a tendency to overdo it)
*BE & CUOP
*DDog walk - 1hr 10 mins. Lovely day. Feeling a bit playful/giddy though and ended up running the last bit.
*More BE and CUOP
*Review borrowed books reading list (new one to add)and added some others I didn't realise I'd missed - oops
*Registered 17 books with Bookcrossing put off from yesterday
*Daytime Routine
*Evening meal prep/meal/clear up
*Also prepped meals for tomorrow: Chickpea stew is in the crockpot, and chopped the veggies for Celeriac and Cashew soup
*More BE and CUOP
*Phone call
*More BE and CUOP
*Me time (film?)
*BBR
*Bed/Read/Lights out by 11.00 pm
~~~Blew Off~~~
*Household Tasks: Put foil behind radiators
If I'd have been in the mood this morning that I am now, I would have had this done by now, but I wasn't and it isn't. It started throwing it down with rain so I had to rush out and get the laundry off the line, and it's gone cold so I put the radiators on and put the laundry on the radiators to finish drying. So now the radiators are hot and I can't mess with them. Hey ho.
Thanks, Normy!
For your nice greeting. I was off to my appointment, and was late after all, so I missed your posting.
I love that you got to the end of your list!
Yay!
Gwen
radiators
I spent a week at higher latitudes in July, but it still really amuses me to think of using the radiator in August. Send that weather to Texas! I'm so tired of baking and boiling in this heat, and we ~really~ need the rain (I'm rooting for Hurricane Ernesto to arrive, but I hope it will be mild!).
I know!
Autumn is here is already! It's early! We had ~lots~ of rain last night - you're welcome to pop over and collect some ;)
little reward
I didn't get lost in the book. I read a few pages, played a game of Tetris, and then dusted my apartment. I'm going to vacuum now.
Good for you Pro
It's a danger zone for me - book reading - it can easily turn into a binge, so I tend not to do it unless I have free time (which means I don't read as much as I'd like to).
pro's CI - 3:15pm
I'm not going to the bank today. It's raining too much.
I want to read my book for a little while before going back to my to-do list.
Gwen D TD 11:15am
I must confess to be suffering from a somewhat exhausting and unnerving relationship-related thing that went on (on the telephone) until 3 in the morning last night. I popped out of bed this morning at 8 and have spent the last three hours trying to come to some sort of terms with that stuff. But I actually have things to do. I'm going to try.
at 1:30 pm I have a massage scheduled
Before then, I want to
To Do
eat my leftovers (yeah, all I've done is have a cup of tea)
continue to develop a simple and somewhat foolproof stylesheet for my web client
resolve how the page will deal with quotes cut and pasted from Microsoft Word. half and hour now, then tweak as I go forth with these tasks
get the rollovers working 20 min
Create a template page for all the other artists. A matter of saving As.
Make pages for each artist from the new Template.
Create banners for the other artists (find the five photos and adjust add text and save as png) 1 hr
Put them and some place holder text from the word docs into the template
Leave for massage at 1. Maybe ride my bike!
after, I am going to buy a new sponge and wash my dishes 20 min
It would be really nice if I could
do some laundry and make progress on laundry things. Put away, wash, take to dry cleaners, mend, do something..
I feel wiped out and weird.
I also want to take a bath and do my nails and watch a movie or something before Monday starts. I'm afraid I'll be on the telephone again later. Ugh. Can't think about that now.
Gwen CI
Okay. I wasn't too active on my design project, but at least I've done my laundry, vacuumed and done my dishes. I made my appointment after a long quick walk, ate all the meals and settled down a little from this morning--phone calls were fine. Talked to friends too. So the day is not a bad one.
These check-ins really make a difference though. I wanted to stop, but, I had to Bookend my day for you all. I was unable to post this until I'd at least done my dishes, then I couldn't do it until I'd done my laundry. Etc. I just kept going rather than post nothing or post that I hadn't done things. Who'd 'a thunk?
Now it's nearly time for bed!
Thanks.
Keep bookending!
Hi Gwen, I'm here. I'll be watching your posts if you need to chat at all :)
Don't try to do too much if you're tired, just do what you can manage.
Norm's 6.30 pm BE
Hi Slider! :)
pro It looks like you're using housework to put off dealing with the PayPal backlog - the cleaning will still be there after you've worked on the backlog for a while - how about you just work on it for half an hour?
*Lie in and date morning
*Morning Routine
*Lunch
*Net surfing - I love doing this and rarely do it anymore (I've a tendency to overdo it)
*BE & CUOP
*DDog walk - 1hr 10 mins. Lovely day. Feeling a bit playful/giddy though and ended up running the last bit.
*More BE and CUOP
*Review borrowed books reading list (new one to add)and added some others I didn't realise I'd missed - oops
*Registered 17 books with Bookcrossing put off from yesterday
*Daytime Routine
*Evening meal prep/meal/clear up
*Household Tasks: Put foil behind radiators
*More BE and CUOP
*Me time (film?)
*BBR
*Bed/Read/Lights out by 11.00 pm
Greetings, everyone! slider's 12:30 pm CI
The morning is completed, and I have NO PROFESSIONAL DUTIES THE REST OF THE DAY!!!!! I am tired and drained and my back and feet hurt, like always after church. But the rest of today is mine. I can play or I can work for me. I like the idea of working for me--I have some mulch to put out, for one thing (but I have to be careful of my back, too). I think I will spend some time thinking about my schedule, working on a master task list, and ordering GTD and fine-tuning my planner. And I think I will go ahead and order that Palm Treo 650 smart phone!!! I'll decide what work for me and my home I value enought to put on my schedule, do a little of that work, and also have some kind of fun--maybe go to a movie with the kids or some such.
pro's CI - 12:30pm
pro's CI - 11:40am
pro's CI - 11:10am
Adding a few things to my day plan as I think of them...
Norm's 3.45 pm BE
pro if you've got a 'big box of accounting crap' it's unlikely you'll get through it all in one day. If you're seeking a sense of completion why don't you decide on one task associated with it and focus just on that for today? Something realistic and achievable.
*Lie in and date morning
*Morning Routine
*Lunch
*Net surfing - I love doing this and rarely do it anymore (I've a tendency to overdo it)
*BE & CUOP
*DDog walk - 1hr 10 mins. Lovely day. Feeling a bit playful/giddy though and ended up running the last bit.
*More BE and CUOP
*Household Tasks: Put foil behind radiators
*Review borrowed books reading list (new one to add)
*Evening meal prep/meal/clear up
*Daytime Routine
*More BE and CUOP
*Me time (film?)
*BBR
*Bed/Read/Lights out by 11.00 pm
~~~Blew Off~~~
*Take shredded paper to animal shelter
We can't remember how to get there and neither of us can be bothered at the moment. Definitely procrastination, but it's not an issue at the moment (if we had ~several~ sacks of shredding it would be a different story!).
pro's CI - 10:30am
When I was meditating this morning, I realized that I feel unable to finish anything. It's bogging me down that the same stuff is on my to-do list day after day. So today I'm going to devote to my backlog - get through as much of it as I can. I really need this to go away. Besides the little problem of not having filed my tax returns in a few years, I have a big box of accounting crap on the floor of my tiny apartment, and I'd really like to get rid of that.
pro's CI - 9:30am
pro's CI - 8:45am
I can get stuck in the "eating breakfast" step. I don't get up from the table when I'm done - I keep on the computer, etc. So I'm now GETTING UP!! :)
BTDT
It's that transition thing again!
I'm stuck on the computer - still haven't been for walk with DDog. Time to get that Butt Glue Remover out!
what does the "5" mean?
:?
5
It says '5, 4, 3, 2, 1 go'
Norm's 1.15 pm BE
We decided not to go to the folk festival today as we both just want to do something more relaxing, so it's won us some messing about at home time. (I'm trying to keep myself from working because I'm trying to give myself clearer boundaries - it's very tempting though!). So here's today's bookending:
*Lie in and canoodling (didn't get up till about 9 am)
*Morning Routine
*Lunch
*Net surfing - I love doing this and rarely do it anymore (I've a tendency to overdo it)
*BE & CUOP
*Take shredded paper to animal shelter
*DDog walk
*Household Tasks: Put foil behind radiators
*Review borrowed books reading list (new one to add)
*Evening meal prep/meal/clear up
*Daytime Routine
*More BE and CUOP
*Me time (film?)
*BBR
*Bed/Read/Lights out by 11.00 pm
it's okay to relax
You don't have to be working and being productive every minute of every day. Sometimes you need to relax - do things you enjoy like surf or whatever.
The reason I wasn't too happy with myself yesterday in fooling around all day is because it wasn't a conscious decision. I didn't do my morning routine, never got dressed, never checked my to-do list, and just basically checked out of life. That's not a good way to approach it, but if you truly have free time, why not enjoy it?
committing to relaxing
Yesterday was an objectively dumb day for me too. I had work to do on the computer, so I knew I shouldn't legitimately plan to get out of the house or do shopping or other errands. I stayed at the computer, but, instead of working on it, I fell into a strange online "shopping" time binge that was utterly conceptual. As if it were as important as my job, I just created shopping carts full of preposterous quantities of clothes and shoes. Then I got stuck trying figure out just which thing I could afford and what item would best complement every other thing I own and serve the magical purpose of tying my outfits together so that I would be dressed PERFECTLY. This time binge lasted from 11 to 4 in the afternoon. And what's weird is that I did not torture myself about it at the time. I hardly felt guilt. I basically turned off all consciousness of the tasks that had to get done (didn't look at my day planner). It was strangely calm and relaxing. Ultimately, I am not going to feel really guilty. This is weird, I know. ButI think I've learned that if I spend any time beating myself up about it, that that's its own version of a time binge. I could have hauled myself all over town for five hours and actually spent money on things I didn't need. That would have been a socially acceptable activity. I was relaxing. I was engaging in imagination. In some way, it was productive because I think I will actually budget some money for these clothes and maybe buy a jacket and some shirts that I really need! I was also being influenced by other factors. Number one, I had reached a technical impasse on my job, and I was also confused by what my work priorities should be. Also, I was in a holding pattern waiting for a friend to come back from a week away.... and sure enough, when he came back to town, we got to a café and I put in three hours of good work before the day was out. But that's another story altogether. Okay -- today is a new day. Lemme join the check in.
Guilt free play
Because I still have lots of things to do! It's getting easier though - I'm experiencing more 'guilt-free play' as (I think) Mark Forster calls it. I'm hoping that making clearer boundaries between work and not-work will give me more opportunity to work on household and personal tasks, and also make me more focused on the work tasks so I don't drag them out endlessly.
pro's CI - 9:15am
Norm's BE 1.05 pm BST
Well, after asking people to talk to me yesterday, I disappeared for the day. I ~was~ out of the house a lot of the time, then I got autoshutdown before I realised what time it was.
So here's my update on yesterday, as I don't always do the 'end' bit of the 'bookend':
*Breakfast
*CUOP
*Get dressed and go out
*Met DSO in juice bar (Bookcrossing Zone - caught a book)
*Shopping (in three different towns, sigh)
*Had lunch out (checked out another Bookcrossing Zone - the book I wanted to catch had gone)
*Washed car
*Put shopping away
*Sorted out clothes for wedding
*Finished Morning Routine
*Daytime Routine inc DDog walk
*Meal prep/meal/clear up
*Talked to DSO re festival or yoga day
*Me time! (Reading magazine)
*BBR
*Bed by 11.00 pm (actually 11.30 pm)
~~~Blew Off~~~
*Bookcrossing
*PDA - reinstall software
*Contact J&C re Treasure Hunt
*Read English Heritage Emails
I'm not going to give myself a hard time over these - they're all supposed to be 'fun' things that I do for pleasure, so if I decided to something more pleasurable at that point in time instead (in this case reading a magazine) so be it. I've a habit of making 'tasks' out of things that should be fun.
pro's CI - 7:35am EDT US