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.
Finishing my Thesis
Hi, I gave a (very long!) introduction in the introductions section - "Pulling myself back from the Brink". (http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/4281) I am going to keep a log here of each day. So that I have some encouragement and record of how I am doing with getting to the end of my long due thesis.
11 August 2012
Most of the day was spent procrastinating watching tv or on the internet. I was worrying about not knowing how to start my final chapter of my thesis. It is 9.30pm now. My behaviour today has cost me $71 in tuition fees today.
I read the The Little Guide to Un-Procrastination by Leo Babauta. I am have decided to face my fears and conquer this problem slowly but surely.
I will start working in 10min slots from now for one hour and go to bed by 10.45, so that I can wake up at 6.30 everyday from tomorrow onwards.
Any other academics in here?
- Login to post comments
Post-thesis work
I want to start another thread with my post thesis goals but until i write my introductory post with my goals and details of dates, I will continue with my online documenting of tasks here.
Today I need to focus on marking 10mts at a time. Instead of worrying about the whole thing.
My goal is to get 24x10 done eventually, but will try not to focus on that and focus on 10mts at a time.
Will get a coffee first as I am feeling rather tired still.
25 March - 7x10 Was
25 March - 7x10
Was very tired and then did other stuff
CONGRATULATIONS thesis
CONGRATULATIONS on your success
when you succeed we all do, that is why it is so special here, we all rejoice and have hope. thank you
Thanks vic! I promise that
Thanks vic! I promise that once I hear from the markers and once any corrections have been made, I will post here asap to remind us of what we already know...that mountains only seem like mountains because its shadow obscures the truth that every mountain is climbed, one step at a time.
Well done thesis!
So glad to hear you are finished.
Very inspiring to see you overcome and work through your difficulties. You have come a long way!
Yay yay! There is salvation
Yay yay! There is salvation yet! :) There is hope indeed for all of us. Now onward, faster, higher...as we seek that which will lead us to freedom!
Congrats to Thesis!
I am so happy to hear this wonderful news!!!
Well done Thesis!!! And thanks for giving hope to others - it seems even little bursts of 10 mins can actually add up to - a lot, a big lot!!!
All the best,
Hooch
Hooch, hooch! OMG they
Hooch, hooch! OMG they really do add up..i had no clue that they would eventually get me here. Those silly pointless 10mts. :) Thanks for your endless support and faith.
Cheers,
Me minus thesis
wonderful news, thesis!
thank you for giving me hope.
Hi Marcelor! Oh as I read
Hi Marcelor! Oh as I read that I know exactly what you mean..when I was struggling i kept googling for people who have done things and succesded despite procrastination, as I thought it would give me hope. It's definitely possible as long as we keep putting one foot in front of the other although sometimes you may feel like it's all pointless and it's not going anywhere. As someone else said, the 10mts really do add up!
Hugs!
Thesis
I Finished my Thesis! Really!
Hi everyone,
My thesis is done and it is at the university printers now! It still hasn't sunk in yet because I have a lot of teaching marking which is pending. But it's been a long journey and i had to let go and i finally managed to finish it.
You guys have been wonderful and this community has been so helpful, just in terms of staying on track and that there are others too who are trying to stay on the straight and narrow path towards success and getting things done. Shoutout to all those who were in the chatbox all along.
Wolke and Cal, thank u so much for being around during some of those dark days and also during some of those crazily productive days.
I hv a whole pile of marking to work on this week and then can put up my legs before easter.
I have read somewhere that you need to set a new goal as you are almost achieving your current goal, so that you dont lose your focus and drive. So I will
trydo that this week once my last marking paper has been done by Friday.I will post on the success thread in a bit so that I can encourage other newcomers just to say that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I was in a pretty bad place when i started posting on this thread in August 2012. 8 months and 4 days later, I am done with my PhD thesis. It has been really fulfilling to turn things around and it has been rough at the same time. But I know that each day I went back home with at least a little bit of work done, I felt a lot better than doing nothing.
Not one example or instance did I find during these 8 months where I actually procrastinated and did something else, which made me feel good. Never. Ever.
Hugs for everyone!
With love and heart-felt thanks,
(Finished) Thesis
I am deeply proud of you thesis! x Wolke
Dear thesis,
I know my response is late (time has been flying, and look what you did in the meantime!!), but:
What a magnificent achievement. I KNEW you would get there. Your character has the persistence needed to achieve success!
So so proud. Now we both succeeded, I feel even happier - as a big part of it was a joint journey.
You are very accurate in what you say about the potential to slip into bad habits and avoiding that. Good stuff! Also rest though, after a victory. :)
I've just heard yesterday that I got a job (for at least three months) in my field of study. :) Very happy. Will follow you sometimes at your new post-success 2013 blog. Many congratulations. I hope you took your lady out for a big celebration, if not holiday! :P
Big hugs,
Wolke
Wolke
Thank you so muchWolke! You were an inspiration from the beginning and you gave me the momentum and the heart to continue towards the goal. I just saw this message after almost a whole year...haha. We celebrated my graduation by going to Europe :)
Wow, Thesis! Tx for "Experience, Strength, & Hope"!!
As someone who has spent the past year and a half agonizing over a Master's thesis and over two years agonizing over other half-done projects, I am so inspired by your progress. I know that others and I in the academic world who have found each other in the chatbox will be carried forward by your success, even in some small way... Thank you so much for sharing your journey here - please don't stop participating! CONGRATULATIONS on your success (the success of walking through, one day at a time, and finishing), and thanks, again,
Slowpoke :)
Hi slowpoke I am so glad to
Hi slowpoke I am so glad to have found this community and if my struggles and failures and successes along the way help others in some way, I'll count myself as blessed. Thank you for your support and well wishes! :)
Hi Slowpoke,
Hope to see you again in the chatbox soon!
H
Congratulations thesis!
Fantastic news! I've seen you in the chatbox working so hard - well done for sticking with it. I know how hard it is to study while trying to hold down a full-time job. take time now to celebrate and reward yourself !
H.
Hi Hypatia..I teach only
Hi Hypatia..I teach only part-time so it's not been as bad as for those who are working full time! :) Thank you for ur constant cheery vibes! :)
Congratulations Thesis
Well done you. What an achievement. Your determination is an inspiration. I almost hope you don't have to return, but should you need to, to gain support through the next phase of your success, then you might have to change your name! Make sure you let us know it's you.
Enjoy your success.
KF
Hi Knitfisher! I will
Hi Knitfisher! I will definitely be around in this form or a post-thesis form and will let you know who I am :)
Thank you! :)
Congratulations Dr Thesis
THIS IS FANTASTIC NEWS, THESIS. WELL DONE, WELL DONE, WELL DONE'
Thank you so much Mole!
Thank you so much Mole! :)
WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO THESIS!!!!
I am absolutely so delighted for you. And feel very proud of you from afar!!!! Well done for all the hurs of dedicated work and the months of inspiration you have been to us all here. YAY to the printers, do a huge happy dance when you pick it up!!! i feel so happy for you. WELL DONE!!!!!!!!
Thesis to Jalla
Hehe I will remember to do a happy dance when I pick it up tomorrow! :) Thank you Jalla!
Congratulatons! Thesis! Yay!
Thanks you for sharing this inspirational news!
Well done !
Great to hear!
Yay Cal! So happy and I
Yay Cal! So happy and I know for sure that you will also get here soon. I will still be around here on the chatbox n stuff coz I want to keep going with making progress towards my life goals.
HUGS,
ME!
Good to hear that you will
Good to hear that you will still be around Thesis!
thesis!!!! congratulations!!!
This is fabulous news!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!! WHAT is next for you??
Thesis to Chatty
Hi Chatty, thank u! :D Next, I will
try andpublish my reserach work in journals while i do some parttime RA work. And save up for a holiday with dear wife across the oceans! :) And look for a fulltime job!Congratulations to member "Thesis" for finishing your thesis!
This entire "special projects" thread,
6 pages over 8 months since August 2012,
has been truly inspirational.
CONGRATULATIONS
congratulations thesis!
what an achivement. I hope you take some time to enjoy this victory.
ms x
Thank you so much
Thank you so much Movingalong and ms! :) I can really genuinely feel the happiness that you guys have,,,HUGS!
14 March
13 March
42x10
14-15 March- the days blended into one overnight marathon.
12 March
12 March - 28 x10.
Im tired and rather than working slowly and unproductively or procrastinate, I will choose now to go back home n start early tomorrow. My outcome is completion not getting stuff done late into the night.
Will start work at 9am tomorrow.
5 March - 11 March
Listing only completely productive bursts. Many bursts were spent reading when I should have been editing/writing.
5 March - 11x10.
6 March - 13x10
7 March - 19 x10
8 March - cant track
9 March (sat)- 11x10
10 March (sunday) - 13x10
11 March - 30x10
More about things which work.
ALWAYS remember to set tasks to achieve in bursts. Otherwise time goes by and it gets frurstrating when progress is slow.
Be grateful. It gets rid of the stress each time. Spent about 10 mts focusing on gratefulness and visualisation, followed by animated incantations (affirmations).
Elimnate negative thoughts consciously and replace with positive thoughts each time you notice them popping up. They are insidious. I
thinkI willtryfollow the 7 day mental diet and have fun doing it.4 March
2 March - 4x10.
3 March 12x10
4 March - 25x10 thesis work, 2x10 useless reading.
Important self reflection during the past two days
·
i realised its just that i have mixed
up my associations in the brain..that was the problem....after years of
procrastination, the thought of work made me feel like not doing it because it
seemed like painful...but then i looked back, and actually my mind was playing
a trick on me..,.what was painful that feeling of dread, unhappiness, etc was
happening because of my avoidance...
·
i looked back and couldn't find one incident
(and i tried a lot) where i actually did work n felt unhappy
but because procrastination and doing work
always happened around the same time and came as two parts of a whole, somehow
i had convinced my brain that it was work that i was dreading when in fact it
was procrastination that i was dreading...ok so i wont do what i dread..and ill
just do what make me happy..thats easy breezy..thats my insight of the day
RE: fear of procrastination rather than the work itself
This is an incredibly astute awareness. Thank you for sharing it! (even if I'm reading it 6mo. after the fact :) )
2 March
27 March - 15x10 thesis work; 28th March - 12 x10 thesis work.
1 March - took day off
2 March - must finish chapter three today
Will update at 6pm with 9x10.
26 February
25 February - 25x10 thesis work, 3x10 teaching work
26 February
I want to put in a solid day's work today to finish what I have planned out. I want to finish my changes to the final draft by Friday to submit it next week. I am encountering stress adhocly and not in any particular pattern. I have to manage my state conciously and not let myself slide and keep my aim on what I have to do at this moment.
End of 26 February - 18x10.
25 December
22nd February - 5x10 teaching work 4x10
Took saturday off but ended up doing chores on Sunday and didnt do any thesis work.
25th - 3x10 teaching work so far
@thesis I think you meant February?
Sending encouragement your way.
OMG yes..haha i am still in
OMG yes..haha i am still in December apparently!
22 February
21 February - 14x10 Thesis work 3x10 marking; 2 hours meeting
22 February
Today i had a slow start..but starting working as soon as I got in. Will update later.
21 February
20th February Thesis work- 14x10; Marking work - 7x10
I figured I waste less time if I put my marking in between my thesis work, rather than keeping it for the beginning or at the end. The switching of tasks makes it easier too.
21 February
I am back to listening to Tony Robbins since that is what helped me best. I need to follow my 'motivation ritual' and be aware of not slipping into the 'procrastination ritual'.
Had a meeting for 2 hours, which i attended to push myself out of comfort zone and network/speak up a bit.
Things to do everyday in the morning
1. Do incantations
2. Swish patterns
3. Ask custom built empowering questions.
20 February
19 February - 10x10 - thesis work. 6x10 - markigg
I have been busy with stuff related to my teaching which has put my thesis on a bit of a hold. Some resistance has also been there. I have the next 10 days to get things in order.
20th February - To Do
- run through relevant parts of Abstract and Introduction - 5x10
Best of luck thesis!
Best of luck today (and the coming days) thesis with your writing. You have done a FANTASTIC job so far and have been a real inspiration!
In solidarity,
Jallaxoxo
Thank you Jalla! Hope you
Thank you Jalla! Hope you have been going well..i am back here now :)
4 February
Been up and down again.
Marking to do
1.30pm - 2.30pm - 3 assignments.
I'm back - 21 January
Thank you for all your wonderful support, my dear friends. What a lovely community this is! I got back a few days ago but was tied up with teaching-related marking which took much longer than expected. I should have worked on it during my break, an hour a day and I would have suffered a lot less stress and anxiety.
I am finishing up the last bits by noon and I will start working on my thesis after that. I will have to fix my gaze upon the goal once again and move forward. I have been reading "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. It's the original self-development book and applies to only money but any goals we want to achieve.
Elated to be back and let me say once again how thankful I am to all of you.
hey thesis, i too must get
hey thesis, i too must get back into the groove, and i am counting on PA to help me, because only fellow procratinators can really understand without judgement. we can do this!