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.

Saturday 2nd September 2006

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Wow! It's Saturday again! How are you going to spend your day? Are you working or are you taking time to pause? What's the best thing you can be doing for yourself today (~really~ the best thing, not just what you most want to do)? How can we nurture ourselves and give ourselves the nourishment we need for the coming week?

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What can we do today to ease our worries? What can we do to increase happiness and spread joy? What's the single biggest anticrastination thing you can do today? What would make you feel proud of yourself?

pro's CI - 1am (Sunday)

I feel kind of hot and sticky. I'm going to take a quick shower before going to bed. Good night!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Bedtime Routine
    • Put away computer stuff, collected dirty dishes.
    • Make up bed (convert futon from couch to bed).
    • Take last dose of pills.
    • Take out contacts.
    • Empty dish drain and wash any dirty dishes.
    • Brush teeth.
    • Put on jammies.

pro's CI - 12:30am (Sunday)

Sunday is my nieces birthday. I have to remember to call her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Bedtime Routine
    • Put away computer stuff, collected dirty dishes.
    • Make up bed (convert futon from couch to bed).
    • Take last dose of pills.
    • Put on jammies.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Bedtime Routine
    • Take out contacts.
    • Empty dish drain and wash any dirty dishes.
    • Brush teeth.

Bedtime thanks

Since normy is off at a wedding she won't be coming online and starting a new thread, and I haven't seen milo, either tonight, but I want ot say thanks to normy for the great day-opener! Excellent questions! And they helped break me out of a rut! Today was a good day for me. I really appreciate it. G'night!

Questions

I did do a post where I replied to my own questions too, but you know how I keep losing my posts Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

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good night, slider!

Sleep well.

pro's CI - midnight

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Bedtime Routine
    • Take out contacts.
    • Make up bed (convert futon from couch to bed).
    • Empty dish drain and wash any dirty dishes.
    • Take last dose of pills.
    • Put on jammies.
    • Brush teeth.

gotta make myself go to bed now

It's nearly midnight, and I'm still reading my Mac book and trying stuff. I'm knocked out by the Mac - I didn't know what I didn't know. It's capabilities are incredible. I've bought my last PC. When I finish familiarizing myself with it, I'll move over to it as my main computer.

But I must go to bed now!! I must force myself to begin my bedtime routine. I don't want to stay up late again tonight. When my hours get reversed, I get depressed (and much less functional).

Mac

My sister used to work for Apple and she had a T-shirt that said Windows 95=Apple (whatever year Apple came out with the application that Windows copied, a lot earlier than Windows!). Later she went to work in Seattle for you-know-who (she's now married to one of his early techs, a retired millionaire who used to be a beach bum and amateur thespian!). When she switched to He-who-shall-not-be-named, she always referred to it as having "switched over to the evil empire." She's got her own business now. I started on Apple products in college (used to have to put a disc in, then switch it out to put in another, then...). Switching to pc was confusing and hard. But now I've used them at work long enough I don't remember all the apple stuff. My dad, on the other hand, used to have a Tandy computer that used a cassette tape and a cassette player to play a mine game! Do your computer days go back that far? Anyhow, sweet dreams. See ya in the morning!

Computer days

I used to use a cassette tape :D The micro-computer (we didn't call them PCs back then) was also linked to the telly, not a VDU (when the 'new' thing of being able to link your PC to the telly came in I couldn't believe we'd come full circle!).

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Mac OS X is completely different

OS X (latest version of the Mac operating system) is a complete rewrite and departure from all that came before. They threw out everything and started again. I used a Mac years ago at a job I had, and it's nothing like it was. People upgrading from OS 8 and 9 are almost as disoriented as people coming over from Windows.

Previous versions of the Mac had serious problems, but OS X is truly better than Windows on every level. I think they could get serious market share now that Macs can run on Intel (my MacBook has an Intel chip). You can run Windows on Macs now.

I'm planning to switch over to the Mac as my main machine. I'll keep my other machines so I can take my time doing it, and really learn the Mac.

it's pouring

I was going to go to an 8pm meeting tonight, but it's pouring now - I can hear it - and it's still very windy. I don't want to go out in Hurricane Ernesto (however diminished).

On the other hand, it's been really good for me to go to meetings every day. I'm meeting people, and it's just in general a good thing.

On the third hand, how many people will be there when it's pouring?

On the fourth hand, it's a fairly large meeting, so even if only 25% of the people show up, there will still be enough people there for a meeting.

On the fifth hand, I'm really enjoying learning about the Mac - I've read about 100 pages of one of the books I bought, and I can't believe how much is in there that I didn't know about. It's incredibly cool. I do think I'm going to end up switching.

And finally, on the sixth hand, I haven't had dinner (a reason to stay home).

knowing enough to come in out of the rain

I'm not going anywhere. Yes, I wanted to go to a meeting every day, but it's absolutely pouring, and it makes no sense to go out in this.

I think I'll order in dinner - Chinese, maybe.

So have a good supper instead!

Honestly, I was picturing a New Yorker standing out in the rain, with an imac, and waving around 6 arms! (I actually wrote that to you, but I lost it--must've forgotten to hit the post button!)

Gwen D 4:10 lateness but it's not over

Excellent opener Normy. I'm starting my day late, but with that directive, here's my answer.
To Do:

The newsletter would be the thing.

To get there I want to at least do this:
My dishes
put away clothes
run the vacuum cleaner.

That's it. Don't time binge on housecleaning.

Then it's:
Find a workstation (cafe)
Create a new newsletter template
Check docs and import into existing place
Search for photos based on feature
optimize them bw 150 dpi
tweak and adjust all pages, lines and spacing.
print at home and proof
impose as booklet and print proof
create PDF and send to printer by email to turn around full sized proof
Done until client comes back.

I will turn my attention to the muddled and frustrating other client after that. I have two days of this weekend to do that and call him and present sketches and generally make some dent in that job.

This week is my big interview for ther permenant position at the university. I'm gonna have to get this self-esteem thing taken care of before Wednesday at 2:45 pm.

Let the Anti-cratination begin!

Gnothi Seauton ~ Know Thyself

Cheers to you!

Very best wishes to you in getting things done :) and in preparing for the big interview! :lol:

slider's 6 pm CI

Well, just doing what I have done has taken more time and involved more steps than I had recognized. But I've worked steadily and been firm and assertive with the family (without being too mean, I think), and we've accomplished this much:

Ta Da:
--got up, made coffee, ate breakfast cooked by DH, cooked egg yolks for dogs (we eat just the whites), had only slightly irritable and defensive discussion about where things go in the kitchen, and got DH to agree to help me haul more boxes to storage unit so I can show him where it is.
--cuop
--dress for chores, comb hair
--take recycling out to car, then to recycling center (we have a HUGE load of bottles and cardboard bowing down a card table in the kitchen, and a bag of aluminum cans blocking the doorway).
--went to hardware store and bought dolly (hand truck) for boxes
--finish clearing out study at church and take boxes to storage
--took bibles I'd been carrying in car out of car and to my office after I had room on my desk (will be needed for class tomorrow!)
--put some mulch from mulch pile on flowerbed (Kids did --AND pulled poison ivy, after I showed them how to do it without getting it on them.)
--made and ate lunch
--delegated DD to hose down the mesh bag we collect aluminum cans in after recycling because it was all sticky
--put oil additive in car (delegate to DS))
--worked out plan of responsibility/accountablity for cell phone charges beyond basic plan with both kids
--went to convenience store to get gas, wash car, and get $ from ATM
--paid kids allowance and implemented some household routines/responsibilities tied to allowance (a 2-part plan I'm pretty proud of!)
--chatted with various folks who came by the church today while I was outside
--see who wants to go with me to visit my dad Sunday evening
--contemplated with DH what room to declutter first at house and what the best arrangements for things would be
--do something fun with kids (shopped for new cell phone for DS and gave DD his hand-me-down, so she has a cell phone for the first time)
--got myself a frappe at Starbucks near Cingular store
--decided against smart phone and for laptop/notebook with mobile internet plan AND new watch with programmable alarms to help the memory/schedule problems (decided, but haven't bought--still doing research)

Blew Off:
--decide on one more carload to haul from house
--take it to storage

To Do:
--neaten study
--prepare lessons for tomorrow
--eat supper
--reboot laundry (poor clothes--4th time to dewrinkle!)
--decide what to pack to go visit daddy (overnight tomorrow)
--evening routine--including luxurious soak in bath
--go to bed by 11:00.

WOO HOO! And I think everyone is happy. Probably happier that they did something worthwhile and got a reward than if they'd loafed around all day watching tv and getting on my nerves!

Hey, Slider. Those Ta Das are pretty great!

Hauling stuff out of the house! Implementing the two-part plan with the kids and accountability. Well done. I like that you've scheduled in the rewards.

Me? I did my dishes. I have to get out of the house and get started on this newsletter somehow. Or I should just forget about it and go have a weekend. This refusing all my friends and sequestering myself in the house is not working. It's dysfunctional. Maybe if I clear my head, and ground myself in reality, I'll be able to get going on this job. I've been getting lost in music and internet and musings all day. Thinking that being on the computer is like work. Arrrgh. I must go. Scary. Need to start feeling tough and capable. And just need to get STARTED! Once I get going, I'm fine! That's what's so frustrating.

Maybe I get afraid that I won't have any reward, ever. I know if I get started, I will work really hard and forget about having real fun. Maybe I need to be sure I schedule in some nice things to do before the weekend is over, and really do them.

Thanks for the hello and the wish about the interview. I'm really glad you're doing well!

And to you!

I just blew off nearly everything else on my list--including getting ready for tomorrow's Sunday School class--because I had an opportunity to have some real fun. I dropped off DS at a (generic national chain) restaurant for a date, and lo and behold!--they had a live band playing blues/rock/funk in the parking lot! Well, take me back to my teen days! I stopped in the parking lot and just listened to a few numbers. Then I phoned DS and told him to ask the waitress who they were. I wound up going in and sitting with DS and date (gee, thanks, Mom! :P --but actually they were ok with it ;)) until DH and DD could get there, and then the 3 of us went outside to eat and listen to music. DD(12) was kinda embarassed to see mom rockin' out, LOL!We stayed til a little after 9. Now I'm tired and sleepy (and had a beer), so I'm off to bed. At least that's on time! I will have to get up at 6:00, but that's not so bad--and I FEEL GREAT about having some fun! It's been ages! The thing here that's REALLY important is that it must be REAL fun, not substitute fun, not I'll-settle-for-this fun. REAL fun--and then you are renewed and recharged and ready to go! So treat yourself to something significant and meaningful and really fulfilling and enjoyable that makes you feel more alive--NOT anything that is escapist from life--and have a blast, Gwen (maybe you, too, pro? milo's party day was great for her, and maybe normy's wedding will be thrills for her, too) and let's see if taking a sabbatical and enjoying some recreation doesn't prove to be truly re-CREATION after all. Then we'll kick Monday's a#$! 8)

that's great!!

I'm so glad you had a great evening!! I don't remember you posting about having fun ever before. And you bonded with your kids at the same time. Way to go, Slider!! That is time very well spent. :)

pro's CI - 12:50pm

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Wake up: 8:00am (target: 7am).
  • Post first check-in and CUOP.
  • Morning Routine
  • Day Plan
    • Pick up mail.
    • Go to bookstore and get Mac books.
    • Convert futon from bed to couch.
    • Check email.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Day Plan
    • Read Mac books I just bought and play with Mac.
  • Evening Plan
    • AA meeting.
    • Clear spam folder.
    • Sort receipts for business checking account.

*~*~*~*~*~*~Blown Off~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Meditate and pray.

pro's CI - 12:25pm

It's very windy out, but happily it's only drizzling so it's not too bad. I didn't need rain boots - nor a sweater. The temperature isn't high, but it's very humid.

I can't open the window in my apartment because they are old casement windows that the wind slams closed, and I'm afraid the glass will break. I turned on the fan at first, but it still felt hot in here because it's so humid, so I put the air conditioner on low.

I'm going to switch my to-do list around a bit because I want to read the books I just bought. I found three really good ones. They cost me $100, but I justified that by saying to myself that I'd already spent money on the Mac and if I didn't learn how to use it then that money would be a waste.

I want to do this sitting on the couch, so I'm going to convert the futon back into a couch after all (I just made my bed this morning - didn't strip it).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Wake up: 8:00am (target: 7am).
  • Post first check-in and CUOP.
  • Morning Routine
  • Day Plan
    • Pick up mail.
    • Go to bookstore and get Mac books.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Day Plan
    • Read Mac books I just bought and play with Mac.
  • Evening Plan
    • AA meeting.
    • Sort receipts for business checking account.

*~*~*~*~*~*~Blown Off~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Meditate and pray.

I am curious

I've been considering buying a futon as a replacement for our sofa. Is it actually comfortable for sleeping?

very comfortable

I have the old kind of futon, and I find it perfectly comfortable. But there's a new kind now that's even better - a mattress with springs. I didn't have the money to buy a new mattress when I didn't need one, but they were pretty cool - indistinguishable from a regular bed.

thanks

Cool! 8) Will seriously consider one in a few weeks (hopefully--if I can clear out living room by then) when I buy replacement for worn out collapsing sofa!

slider's 10 am post

Slept late, but that was allowed today (my only official day off--and no Boy Scouts in the yard this morning, yay!). It felt good because I not only stayed up late (on ADD sites and other obsessive stuff) but had to go pick up DS after band trip at 2:30 am. Got to see the armadillo who has been rooting up the yard when I went out to the car. Cute! It was really small. Last night I was in a horrible mood. The kind that comes from letting realizations well up and then come crashing down. Yech. But I feel pretty good today. I have a few things that need doing, so I'm going to try to knock them out and then have some fun.

Ta Da:
--got up, made coffee, ate breakfast cooked by DH, cooked egg yolks for dogs (we eat just the whites), had only slightly irritable and defensive discussion about where things go in the kitchen, and got DH to agree to help me haul more boxes to storage unit so I can show him where it is.
--cuop

To Do:
--dress for chores, comb hair
--take recycling out to car, then to recycling center (we have a HUGE load of bottles and cardboard bowing down a card table in the kitchen, and a bag of aluminum cans blocking the doorway).
--finish clearing out study at church and take boxes to storage
--decide on one more carload to haul from house
--take it to storage
--put some mulch from mulch pile on flowerbed (perhaps delegate to kids--but watch the poison ivy)
--clean up
--lunch
--neaten study
--prepare lessons for tomorrow
--put oil additive in car (delegate to DS)
--do something fun with kids (movie?)
--reboot laundry (poor clothes--4th time to dewrinkle!)
--see who wants to go with me to visit my dad Sunday evening
--decide what to pack to go visit daddy (overnight)
--evening routine
--go to bed by 11:00.

that's a long to-do list

Don't get mad at yourself if you can't finish everything on this to-do list. It looks too long for one day.

You're right

I blew off taking a second load of stuff from the house. Just doing the other items on there had lots of hidden "actionable steps."

headed out

I'm heading out. I'm still not sure where I'm going to go - just need to get out. Maybe I'll see if anyone I know is at the Starbucks on the corner. I need to check my mail. I'll decide which bookstore to go to after seeing the weather first hand.

Hi slider (I see you online). I posted a bunch of messages to you when I was catching up on posts.

Be back later...

"wireless" vibes to pro

Since you've already headed out, sending them to you on the go--don't have to be at the viewscreen. Oh, I guess I'm being silly--of course they're wireless all the time! I certainly don't picture them going out over the internet! Must be in a goofy mood today! :P

pro's CI - 10:25am

I don't think I'm going to walk to Union Square today. It's not only raining, it's very windy (hurricane remnants), so umbrellas won't work (will blow inside out), and rain jackets won't work (rain blowing horizontal). I don't want to get soaked, and probably there won't be much of a Farmer's Market today anyway.

Still, I want to go out (hardly went out at all yesterday), and I'd enjoy going to the bookstore. Maybe I'll go to one closer.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Wake up: 8:00am (target: 7am).
  • Post first check-in and CUOP.
  • Morning Routine
    • Shower and dress.
    • Empty dish drain and wash any dishes from previous day.
    • Make bed (did not make into couch today).
    • Make and eat breakfast.
    • Take out pills for the day.
    • Swallow morning pills.
    • Wash breakfast dishes.
    • Review to-do list and make a plan for the day.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Day Plan
    • Go to bookstore.
    • Sort receipts for business checking account.
    • Enter personal checking receipts into MS Money until I'm too sick of it to do more. ;)
  • Evening Plan
    • AA meeting.
    • Play with Mac.

*~*~*~*~*~*~Blown Off~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Meditate and pray.

why not break it down?

Remember how well it worked for (Normy?) to break tasks into short segments followed by a reward? You might try that instead of the "do it till I'm sick" approach. You'll have to be careful with the rewards, though, or they'll turn into time binges. For instance, I find that with my ADD I simply cannot stand to wait for pages to download (I have a slow dial-up), so I nearly always click on free cell or spider solitaire or minesweeper to occupy me while I wait. But then I get involved in the game and forget to look at the page! Usually it's only for a few moments--but that actually doubles (or more) the total time of waiting for the download. Chin up today, pro! Hope you enjoy your excursion--which will be stimulating and fresh and will give you some exercise--and then can be both firm and gentle with yourself as you face onerous tasks. If I can get the taxes to the accountant after 7 years, I bet you can get to your pile (but not all at once--as your cuop entry noted: if you schedule too much you won't do any of it! Schedule a doable amount so you can be glad for the accomplishment rather than traumatized by the ordeal--or it'll be even worse the next go-round!). Good vibes, pro!

catching up on posts

I posted so many messages in catching up on posts that I scrolled this topic right off the front page. Bumping it up again...

pro's CI - 9:05am EDT US

It's amazing I got up at 8am today because it was past 4am before I fell asleep. I delayed going to bed, and then I had trouble falling asleep. I'm glad I still got up fairly early because I'll go to bed early and get my hours back on track. I don't want to start staying up all night again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Wake up: 8:00am (target: 7am).
  • Post first check-in and CUOP.
  • Morning Routine
    • Shower and dress.
    • Empty dish drain and wash any dishes from previous day.
    • Make bed (did not make into couch today).
    • Make and eat breakfast.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Morning Routine
    • Take out pills for the day.
    • Swallow morning pills.
    • Wash breakfast dishes.
    • Meditate and pray.
    • Review to-do list and make a plan for the day.

A winning idea

Sometimes it works great to be so tired that you will go to bed early, doesn't it? I still believe I'm simply on a 25-hour schedule--because I can always stay up an hour later than before--and then I want to sleep an hour later (Just an hour, if I get to do it this way). Only time I ever got to live like this was in high school summers, though it really ticked off my dad!

natural day for humans is 25-26 hours

I've read that the natural sleep and wake cycle for humans - if they are in a place with no day and night cues - is slightly longer than 24 hours. I think that's why we always seem to be able to stay up an hour later than the night before and get screwed up.

Interesting

I hadn't heard that, but I do know that left to my own devices I'm on about a 28 hour day.

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I've read that, too!

And chickens lay on a 25-hour schedule (one hour later everyday) until they reach the point of laying just at dusk. The next day, when they would be laying in the dark, they hold that egg and their cycle resets, so they lay first thing when they wake up. Some scientists view these two cycles (human and chicken) as evidence that the earth used to have a 25-hour day!

I wonder why

It's very odd that the circadian rhythm (I think that's what it's called) doesn't match the day and night length, which I believe hasn't changed for eons. Why would living things evolve with a circadian rhythm that doesn't match day and night patterns??

Good question

Evidently come things evolved their circadian rhythm long ago when the earth had a 25 hour day and never changed it, while some things evolved their circadian rhythm along with the shortening of the day. 25 hour rhythms are vestigial remnants like the human appendix. Or so they say! :?

the day-night cycle used to be longer?

That's interesting. I didn't know that. I guess it sort of had to be.

plans for today

Thanks for the questions, Normy!

I was thinking that today I'd like to go to Union Square since there are four things to do there that I'm interested in - huge Barnes and Nobel bookstore (want to look at Mac books), huge farmer's market, a Staples office supply store (I need some stuff - toner for my printer, notably), and an underearner's meeting (support group).

The thing is, it's still a little hurricane-y here. It was blowing and raining like crazy last night. I think this is the remnants of whatever that hurricane's name it was that came through Florida recently (or didn't - I haven't been watching the news).

I need coffee, obviously. :)

decisions, decisions...

I can't decide whether to wear my rain boots (which aren't that comfortable), or my sneakers (which are comfortable, but will be ruined if it rains really hard).

I just placed a bid on eBay for a copy of Adobe PhotoShop for the Mac. Right now the price is low, but if it climbs up I'll let it go.