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.

PA Meetings

New PA phone # Sept.2013: 559-726-1300x496261# (int'l also)

Please note the correct access code is 496261#

Our new PA phoneline, effective 13Sept2013
has International access dial-in numbers
See this post for the list of phone numbers:
http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/5006

NEW PA PhoneBridge #: Effective 13.Sept.2013: (559) 726-1300 x49

see http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/5006 for more info

the touch of the master's hand: http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1898#comment-27748

fall down seven times, get up eight - japanese proverb

bookmarks

See also 12-Step Meetings & Discussion

See also 12-Step Meetings & Discussion at url: http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/forum/35

These also have formats for the various meetings.

the touch of the master's hand: http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1898#comment-27748

fall down seven times, get up eight - japanese proverb

bookmarks

12 Steps

I'm a newbie here, and as an avid procrastinator, am digging the site concept so far.

I'm an open-minded individual and don't want to rock the boat or start a religious debate, but is it possible to get a less denominational version of the steps to recovery? (6 of the 12 steps are deeply religious)

I'm somewhat uncomfortable that my road for recovery relies almost entirely on 'asking a higher power to remove my flaws', instead of taking control of my own life through hard work and the fellowship of likeminded individuals.

To be honest, the claims of the preamble seem to directly conflict with the "12 steps" to recovery (not to mention undermine the empowering psychological shift that takes place in owning up to ones own problems and overcoming them).

working the 12-steps

It has been really good to look at one of the 12-steps during the online meeting each week.

I am interested in finding out about working through in-depth the 12-steps. I've come across a P.A. post on this here:

12 STEPS 

Plus this article on the web. 

http://www.12step.org/newcomers-guide.html

If there are any other practical resources on working the 12-step on the P.A. website do let us know!

Wink  

this site has both 12-step and non-12-step tools

Wumperous,

If you prefer to ignore the 12-step aspect of the Web site, you are free to do that. The site's check-in board and chatbox have nothing to do with the 12-steps, and neither do most of the articles posted. This site hosts the 12-step program, but is not restricted to only the 12-step program.

That said, you can approach the 12-steps with your higher power being the Tao or your own inner wisdom, if you like. No one said you have to be religious. I'm personally not. It's supposed to be a "higher power of your understanding".

- pro (site owner)

(Wumperous)

Keep coming back.

the forward in AA Big Book says:

"The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. We are not allied with any particular faith, sect or denomination, nor do we oppose anyone."

I believe PA has the same requirement, nothing more. Take what you want and leave the rest.

re: 12 Steps

Hi Wumperous,

 

I would say that it takes time to really absorb what the 12 Steps are actually saying. For me, admitting powerlessness is actually inviting the solution, because I cannot fix my mind with a broken mind. It just doesn't work. So it's actually MORE empowering to surrender and let this greater power, whatever you choose it to be, to enter in. In surrendering to this higher power and following the steps, I am absolutely owning up to my own problems because I'm admitting that my compulsive ways have not worked, do not work, and cannot ever work. Nothing to me is more empowering and it gives me hope that I actually can overcome this. I encourage you to give the 12 Steps a chance, no matter what you choose as your Higher Power. 

Lavida

@Wumperous re: non-religious 12steps

You don't have to think of a religious god.

There are many atheists who work the Twelve Steps
while using "G.O.D." as an acronym
meaning a "Good Orderly Direction" that they seek in their lives.

Others use Higher Power. But the original writings said "a power greater than oneself" which could simply mean ... a Wisdom greater than what had been one's customary addictive/compusive pattern of thought.  The basic concept is that everything we had tried on our own hadn't worked, so we needed help.

The concept of Step One concept of "powerlessness" means that every method we had previously tried didn't work.  (Definition of insanity being trying the same methods over and over despite the fact that they didn't work).

But Step One is *NOT* "helplessness".  We still have to do our own footwork. The "greater power" is the inspiration or wisdom that inspires us to try new and helpful footwork.

We are welcome to find that Greater Wisdom within.

So it's a feeling of powerlessness -- but not a excuse for helplessness.

Some claim their "power greater" to be "the collective wisdom of all those who have found recovery.

Bill W. (the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous) said:

QUOTE:
The word God still aroused a certain antipathy. When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me this feeling was intensified. I didn't like the idea. I could go for such conceptions as Creative Intelligence, Universal Mind or Spirit of Nature but I resisted the thought of a Czar of the Heavens, however loving His sway might be. I have since talked with scores of men who felt the same way.

My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"

That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last.
UNQUOTE.

There are two examples right here on this PA website of where members have rewritten the Twelve Steps in their own words.

A secular version of Twelve Steps:
http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/2294

Twelve Steps re-written in own words:
http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1326

You can search the internet and find many versions.
Buddhist Twelve Steps
Agnostic Twelve Steps
Pagan Twelve Steps --
-- and versions from many different spiritual paths and humanist paths.

Thank you for your

Thank you for your insightful response.

so what should I do next?

I am new here,

our landlord is moving us out because though we pay our bills in time they found our apartment unhygenic, because I keep dishes in sink to washed for weeks. clutter clothes and papers  everywhere . I am good at studies but even as a 3rd year graduate student every assignment I do is just few hours or a day before deadline. Sometimes it works fine but sometimes the assignment is too complicated and needs longer time than few hours as a result I got a C or a B where I could have easily got an A. I love to study, I like working and cleaning and keeping everything in order.  Once in a while I get up and do what i need to do and for a while it feels great everything in order everything spec clean and tidy and fresh. I promise to keep my life going that way. But again somehow  it never lasts. I get back to my bed where there only little space left for and all  around me is a huge pile of things, and when i foot my step down i don't know what could there be beneath and sometimes i break expensive things just by crushing them. Sometimes I feel lazy to brush my teeth and take a bath before going to school, till my mom was with me she used to make me do them, but now that I live alone far from her, my life has become very messy. Can you guys really help me? 

Hi mittas, I can really

Hi mittas,

I can really relate to everything you've said - you seriously just described my bedroom - except that I didn't cope well enough with my studies to go on to a graduate degree!! I'm so sorry you're being thrown out, that's awful. 

Yes, coming here and using the daily check-in threads and the chatbox and going to the online meeting on Sundays DEFINITELY helps. :) It's not an overnight cure, though, it's gradual and sometimes it's two steps forward, one step back. But it does help. :)

--
Metaphor Mouse! Because playlists are better than tasklists.

Please help me email my mum this week!

welcome mittas

Be confident.  Stay focused.   One thing at a time.

back again..

joined the site a year back...made a disappearing act since i had given up..again here..knew it was working..just didnt have the patience to keep going on..or the faith..want to give it another try...as not thinking of something doesnt make it dissapear and not doing anything doesnt make the problem go away!!

wb C21

Self-improvement is the name of the game, and your primary objective is to strengthen yourself, not to destroy an opponent. Maxwell Maltz

New here

This comment has been moved here.

:)

Hi everyone,

I am new to this whole PA site, and i must say that its looks really great im really glad i found this site. For a long time i felt like there was something wrong with me i would try so many things and it just got harder to bear with. I eventually realized that "chronic procrastination" for me was a life long habit. It wasn't something i just picked up. I actually was a grade A top of the honors student all through elementary to the middle of high school. All along i had this habit of procrastinating. It wasn't until i started joining clubs and doing a lot of sports that i began to see the harsh side affects of my habit. And then to top it all of i was going through a lot of stress and sadness from my family. By my senior year i would have grades in the C's and D's failed 2 classes also. I and everyone that knew me were shocked at how abruptly it all changed. At that time my downfall really broke my spirit and confidence i had in myself. Over the past couple of years i have been trying my best to stay positive and proactive about my habit. And i can honestly say that i don't regret a thing that has happened to me, not a single bit. I am now at a point in life even though I'm only 20, where i feel like i have learnt so much from that experience, about myself and about the world.

 I just hope that others that are going through "chronic Procrastination" realize as i have that procrastination is just one part of your life, you shouldn't let it consume you, take pride in the other wonderful parts of you and use all your other wonerful parts to overcome this hurdle. It may and probably will take years but you have already made it clear you want to move forward and that in itself is a great achievement. 

You've been there, I've been there, from now on realize there's no where else to go but up:) 

chill out...:) but don't procrastinate:)

-best of Luck To all!!!

will it be okay? i am in my

will it be okay? i am in my senior year and having the same things happen that you described. i am worried i won't get into college b/c of it yet evidently not worried enough because i can't bring myself to do much of anything. 

are you trying too hard?

Hey

I'm a rook, so don't just take my word for it, but I'll tell you about how I see my own experience.

I'm a PhD student and I went through a BA and an MA to get here and all through that I was pretty enthusiastic and "hard working" where it counted - I could have achieved a lot more, but I'm proud of the marks I got. So now I'm here, and I just can't focus. I'm not enthusiastic about it, I see this mountain of work and the expectations from colleagues, supervisors, my parents and it's too much!

"ok work ... OMG it's too much - can't cope ... computergames!" That's been me for the last two years, and it still is. Except I cut out the "can't cope" bit.

What I have learnt is that I can't look at it all at once. Work on little things, make little achievments, take little steps to get there. Because if you achieve one thing it's good and it motivates you to take up the next thing - don't go on to the big steps until you're ready.

However, and I used to do this as well, it's easy to look back and think, "hang on, I used to be able to take the big steps!" - Don't! It's too easy to dwell on the past, but this is different. This is now!

And make lists of what you need to do. Just because you didn't need them back then doesn't mean they can't help now. Make lists and break it down into manageable chunks. And by "it" I mean "Life", "Work" everything - well except maybe going to the toilet :grin:

It does help, because seeing it on paper can make it easyer to manage - and you can tick things off!

If getting into college is your goal write down what you need to achieve this; subjects, grades... break the subjects down into topics and subtopics and work out how much and what you need to learn to achieve the grades you need.

And don't think you have to work for 8 hours solid - give yourself breaks, but make them useful breaks: drink tea/coffee, go outside for 10 minutes, have a shower, tidy your room for 5 minutes, stay away from the computer!

it's been awhile

Hello all, it's been awhile since I've been on here. It feels good to be back. Last time I was on was months ago, and at that time I was working on a paper for school that was late. I said that I would post again when I was done, but never did indicate I finished it. Well, I did finish it, so Yey! Now I'm working on another paper that is past due and I am almost done with it. I am behind in my readings, so I'm feeling some stress about this. Wish me luck and I hope to talk to you all again soon! Tammy

wb tammy

since you've come back, i am guessing you're serious about doing something about your procrastination. well many of us here, me included, are.

why not join us in today's daily check-in thread
< http://www.procrastinators-anonymous.org/forum/6 >

or in chat < http://www.procrastinators-anonymous.org/chatbox >

p.s. i really like your "three circles tool"

-----
the touch of the master's hand: http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1898#comment-27748

"fall down seven times, get up eight" - japanese proverb

procrastinating by studying procrastination: http://www.procrastinators-anonymous.org/

signs and tools

I posted the "Signs of Compulsive Procrastination" list and the "Tools of Recovery" list as articles, so you can look at them there, too.

Wow - I so belong here . . .

Just read the "Signs of Compulsive Procrastination" and I do so belong here.  I literally burst into tears after reading the first one -- like a major blow to my gut, that one line defines my life.  Hopefully I will NOT PROCRASTINATE coming back to this site and working the program.  I am hopeful - very hopeful.

Signs

The 'signs' had the same effect on me.  However, for some reason it was also a relief to realize that what I've been going through is somewhat definable and therefore subject to possibly being solved or at least worked on.

 Keep coming back. There's no judgement here - I know I've been at the bottom many times and I'm sure there are others.

Welcome.

welcome theworst!

Nice to know we're not alone! 

Never have an ordinary day!  - Pepperidge Farm (lol)