Procrastinators Anonymous

 Show up (done)

Did some fun stuff yesterday, today did not do much. Feel like I need a break for taking care of the big task on Friday. It's so wierd how when I take care of something that normal people do, it takes me days to "recover" and feel/be "nomal" again.I hope the more I show up and baby steps, more and more things will become a way of life. Things that have changed in my life:When we go somewhere, my son asks if room service was there because I tidy up now. (my car is still a disaster). The sink is clean every night, I walk every day, meditations, gratitudes, don't drink, or binge,smoke, isolate (most times) + more all this took years, before it became a way of life. Just showing up every day at PA has been my pivitol point to real recovery again. Thank you pa friends.

ps starter picture is magnificent!!

I hope I can sustain (and improve) my efforts this week. I am finding everyone's posts and comments very helpful and appreciate the forum that the site provides.

I have a fun weekend planned after these next 5 working days. If I can work on not procrastinating this week I think I will be able to enjoy the weekend a lot better. The worst feeling I get is when Friday comes and I feel I don't 'deserve' my weekend. I am going to make every effort to earn that weekend.

PEA

I had a nice relaxing morning, did some work in the garden, went to church + church potluck.

I've been goofing off in lab for about 30 min, so it's time to buckle down! I still have plenty of time today to do good work.

MIT for today is to work on my thesis proposal. At a minimum, I would like to do:
*1 hr reading
*1 hr brainstorming/writing about expt. plans

If possible I would like to do some more:
*2nd hr reading
*1 hr winnowing down expt. ideas/researching their feasibility.
*Emails asking for thesis proposal

I'd like to do some non-thesis work stuff:
*Re-run gel, record result, expt. mgmt.
*Finish doc. yesterday's expt.
*Lower priority: bt/th stuff
*Lower priority: schedule for next week

And, I'd like to stay in touch with friends and family:
*Call home
*Email RHi and RHu
*Lower priority: Call IA
*Lower priority: Order gift for IA

Wow, that's a lot. I'll go step by step through as much as I can. 

OK, going to start with an hour of reading. Heading to the chatbox now.

11:12 AM: One of the problems I continually face is reticence about starting things. Anything. I make mental plans, visualize the outcome I would like, sometimes even buy books or other items that I would need to complete a plan or task. But when it comes to actually doing it, I feel stuck. Weekend mornings are a prime example. With a huge amount of unstructured time stretching out before me, I feel adrift, and typically burn up time online, reading news from multiple sources, checking for email, and the like. I feel that I should go to work, but I don't really want to, and the idea of spending time starting other things makes me feel guilty, since I know I have lots of work pending. So I make an even worse choice, which is to put off going to work and not do anything else productive either. So I will try to overcome the ineffective and vague guilty feelings and extend the "book-ending" approach into adding a whiff of structure to my non-work life.

Goal 1: 11:30 AM - 12:00 Noon: Finish cleaning and assembling a half-assembled set of drawers and transfer the contents of my full laundry basket of clean clothes to the drawers. Finding myself unwillingly living the bachelor life again, I realize I am as much of a slob as I was when I was young and lived alone. But living out of a laundry basket is no way to organize. Okay, back in 30 minutes.

12:14 PM: Well, it took a hair over 30 minutes, but it is done. Like so many molehills I turn into mountains through anticipatory anxiety and procrastination, it wasn't really a tough climb. The only 'downside' is that now I can't procrastinate about doing laundry because my laundry basket is 'in use'. Okay, a few minutes of frittering, then time to get ready to go to work for a few hours.

3:45 PM: At work for just a little while now, until I get together with my kids. Want to make it productive.

Goal 2: 3:50 - 4:30 PM: 40 minutes working on another painful report. It may, like the ones Friday, end up taking a lot longer than that, but 40 minutes should give me a sense of what I am dealing with, and bring me closer to making it go away successfully. Back this evening to report, since I will likely bolt from here to go meet my kids.

Report: Got most of the report done, realized I need a few additional items for followup, but was able to spend the rest of the day with my little ones, not thinking about this incomplete report.

Had some new feelings this week - I managed to make some real changes in the way I work, but also some progress in my home life.

I have realised that there are certain 'danger zones' throughout the day. For example, today, middle of Sunday afternoon. I would normally be overwhelmed by apathy and anxiety about having the whole afternoon free and not knowing what to do. I will try to apply myself and get some real work done.

Write (or think of writing ideas) for one hour Well, it was more like 20 mins but it was a huge effort and I feel better for at least getting stuck in.

Order my car tax online

Send awkward e-mail asking for my money back from a friend

Half an hour of Portuguese

Prepare weekly activity sheet and figures for SJ

Meditate for 10 mins - I'll do this in the morning

Procrastinators Anonymous weekly 12-Step meeting in "meetings chatbox".

(Meeting is Sunday 7:30 PM GMT/UTC -
STANDARD time year round --
click on links in RED below)

Things I plan to do today, weather permitted.

1. Go to the 7 a.m. telephone DA meeting

2. Go to the 9:45 a.m. telephone CLA meeting (overslept)

3. Go to the 3:30 p.m. online PA meeting

4. Prayer and Meditation

5. Read 12-Step reading

6. Get medicine ready for two weeks

7. Go to Masterson's for last Brunch

8. Make bed

9. Wash dishes

10. Do hair

11. Get my sleep apnea stuff ready for tonight

12. Clear the floor

13. Declutter some e-mail

14. Empty two storage boxes.

15. Take shower

16. Get dressed

17. Polish my nails

18. Keep up my numbers

That's all I have

Check in
Prayer time
Clear kitchen
Post
Finish GP notes
Shower
Hoover floors
Mop floors
Tomorrow's list

prep t 1

prep t 

garden 

house

s

f

as usual i got up late and

then i arranged my bed but i ve organise my study table

again i wasted time in playing games 

i ve to study biology but i ve not yet taken out hte book

not yet taken shower 

m going very bad

Done:
Up prayer and reflection (and it is still before seven so it proves I'm a country lad)

Todo:
Today my intentions are simple - and I am powerless as to how the day turns out
Get dressed and go to church
Have a chat afterwards
Plan the week
Contact brother and arrange to meet for lunch tomorrow
Clean the place - which should take a while
Phone friend whom I met on Friday evening

That will do

Rexroth

Thanks for the thread starter, Chickadee

Not sure what I should do today, but for now will be sticking to the following and adding to it as I go:

- hmed1
- hmed2
- prep what to wear tomorrow
- fh

Gotta get ready for work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action - Walter Anderson