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.

Friday 26 January 2007

pro's last check-in - 11pm

Ta Da:
• Empty dish drain and wash dishes.
• Make and eat breakfast.
• Make bed (convert futon from bed to couch).
• Get mail.
• Buy groceries.
• Dust video area (TV, DVD player, etc.).
• Fix wiring in video area.
• Back up both Windows computers.
• Move mail over to backup computer and pack up main computer for repair.
• Pick up apartment.
• Lay out pills for today and tomorrow.
• Take pills - dose 1 of 3. Can't take more than this - started too late. :(
• Wash dishes.
• Bedtime routine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

pro's CI - 10:05pm

Well, let's see... What did I do today?

Ta Da:
• Empty dish drain and wash dishes.
• Make and eat breakfast.
• Make bed (convert futon from bed to couch).
• Get mail.
• Buy groceries.
• Dust video area (TV, DVD player, etc.).
• Fix wiring in video area.
• Back up both Windows computers.
• Move mail over to backup computer and pack up main computer for repair.
• Pick up apartment.
• Lay out pills for today and tomorrow.
• Take pills - dose 1 of 3. Can't take more than this - started too late. :(

To Do:
• Wash dishes.
• Bedtime routine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

pro's CI - 8:30pm

Well, let's see... What did I do today?

Ta Da:
• Empty dish drain and wash dishes.
• Make and eat breakfast.
• Make bed (convert futon from bed to couch).
• Get mail.
• Buy groceries.
• Dust video area (TV, DVD player, etc.).
• Fix wiring in video area.
• Back up both Windows computers.
• Move mail over to backup computer and pack up main computer for repair.

To Do:
• Pick up apartment.
• Wash dishes.
• Lay out pills for day.
• Take pills (dose 1 of 3).
• Bedtime routine.
• Take pills (dose 2 of 3).

Again, no time for third dose, and only time for two doses if I take it now. I'm symptomatic again because I haven't been taking them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

scarlett CI 4 pm EST

Already done:
leave slips (sick and vac)
call dentist
email JC
call Mike - set up visit (left message)
update reviews
hang stuff
put stuff away

To do:
update to do (started)
type up and enter review 1 (started)

Tonight:
sort stuff to sell & donate
put book in bag for b
read tribe
email TL
put away clean clothes

Bud's 2:45 PM Check-in/Check-out

 Everyone,

Nice to be back.

Been doing o.k.  I'm happy to report that I've worked out every day, except today, so I'm so happy!!!

This is what I want to accomplish for the rest of today:
 Bake.
 Make dinner.
 Clean up house a little.
 Shower
 Take puppy out.

Here's what I accomplished today/this week:
 Went to dog store and spent too much money.
 Went to Rite Aid and spent too much money.
 Went grocery & fruit shopping and spent way too much money.
 Made lots of phone calls I needed to make.
 Reconnected with people or people have reconnected with me in positive way.
 At least got one phone call about a job
 The press release I sent will be going in lots of papers and I'm so happy and stunned.
 Work yesterday was amazing, I was so focused and got so much done and I know exactly what my focus will be on Monday.
 Things with my hubby are so much better.  (I'm putting this last because I'm afraid if I acknowledge it, it will fall apart.)

BUD

worked out every day!!

That's awesome, Bud. And by the way, I like your color scheme. Smile

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

Bud (7:40PM) Saturday


Thanks Pro

Mollie's CI 2:20pm

I did pretty well with my plan for the morning. I kept setting the timer for 30 mins and worked on my writing project. I took some breaks, but I wasn't really procrastinating. I did have some concentration problems, which I think is a result of the anxiety I'm feeling over how late this thing is already. I sort of feel like I'm doing the editing equivalent of moving food around on one's plate without really eating. I keep changing it, maybe it's getting better, I don't even know. It's certainly nowhere near done--whole sections still to be written. Now that I'm past the deadline, I feel both very pressured and, in a certain way, that the pressure is off. At least the pressure that usually motivates me to get things in just under the wire. Not quite ready yet to commit to any particular approach for the rest of the day.

todays list

Done

  • 1 job application
  • 1 Inquiry about a research project

To do

Job application
Laundry

All went well until after lunch when I lost concentration

Planning on going out tonight so I will have to get the following done before 9PM

Laundry
1 job application
2 letters of inquiry about research projects

I do find keeping a log of activities carried out during the day useful

Andy

Andy...

Please put your username in the subject of your check-ins, and also the time. That way you can see who is checking in by scanning the Recent Comments box.

Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

12:20PM CI for Lark

I'm powerless over people. places, and things, it seems. Today I don't want to be. I hit a dead spot, and I'm just waiting. Everything on my list is done which I can do for now. Has anyone had any luck in coming up with contingency plans? In the past mine got me really bogged down.

scarlett CI 11:59 am EST

Already done:
leave slips (sick and vac)
call dentist
email JC
call Mike - set up visit (left message)
update reviews
hang stuff

To do:
update to do
review 1

Tonight:
sort stuff to sell & donate
put book in bag for b
email TL
put away clean clothes

scarlett CI 11:00 am EST

Already done:
leave slips (sick and vac)
call dentist
email JC
call Mike - set up visit (left message)

To do:
update reviews
update to do

Tonight:
sort stuff to sell & donate
put book in bag for b
email TL
put away clean clothes

scarlett CI 10 am EST

I've started taking melatonin at night - it's amazing how much more awake I am in the mornings.  This morning I woke up @ 6 am when I had gone to sleep @ 12:45 am!  And I felt totally awake.  I got up, ate my breakfast and drank some tea (I always do this @ work), did a little rehab and caught the weather.  I caught the 7:35 am bus, no problem.  Interesting.

To do:
leave slips (sick and vac)
call dentist
email JC
call Mike - set up visit
update reviews
update to do

Tonight:
sort stuff to sell & donate
put book in bag for b
email TL

Lark's CI at 9:25am

Good morning everyone. I didn't finish what I hoped to yesterday, but it wasn't all my fault. Before doing anything significant, it needs to be completed well. Ahh, we have an insight here...Demand Resistance is cropping up again--this time well into projects. "That's good enough, F--- 'em, for all they're paying me, etc". It used to occur mostly with me before, or at the start of things. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Done:
Morning routine
Heat workshop
Order supplies

To Do:
Meditation
Go to store
Finish yesterday's project
Clear out clutter in garage for five minutes
Help friend with something this afternoon
Pay phone bill
Damp mop kitchen
Call client to check on payment progress

All for now. Good luck everyone.

Demand resistance

Demand resistance is a huge problem for me. At times it has helped me to remind myself of how it came to be that x thing (toward which I'm feeling demand resistance) is on my to do list. Inevitably, I chose it. So I might go off on a whole story to myself about how it was that I came to choose, why, etc., and that even now, I have a choice about whether to do it or not. There will be consequences if I don't do it, consequences if I do, but it is ultimately up to me which set of consequences I'd prefer. One other thought--a therapist once told a friend of mine that when one says f--- you, they're really saying f--- me. That has resonated with me.

pro's first check-in - 7:55am

I've been trying to post a message for five minutes. Technical difficulties. I was up at 7:10am, emptied the dish drain, and washed the dishes. Now breakfast...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

Mollie's CI 7:45am

Wow, where is everyone? It was like this yesterday morning too. Early risers--Monica, Rexroth--where are you? I missed you yesterday.

As for me, I can see that coming here to do check-ins has made some big differences--I seem to really be adopting a regular morning routine that I feel good about. And more recently, I'm adding a bit of an evening routine. That is excellent.

Where I don't seem to be making much headway is with writing/editing, my most worrisome problem and the one most likely to sink me professionally. Yesterday, I made a list of all the strategies I've tried and books I've read to try to deal with this in the past year. The list is more than two pages long. It *looks* like I've really been trying, and in some ways I have. But sometimes I look at it and feel that much of that effort was really just more procrastination. And I find that the bottom line is that I am unwilling or unable to make a commitment to myself to change. I've been able to make that commitment to change other things. But not this seemingly intractable problem that has caused me so much misery for the past 20+ years.

So, for this morning from 9-12, I commit to set my timer for 30 mins repeatedly & if I'm procrastinating when it goes off, to do the anti-procrastination process I posted elsewhere on this site.

procrastination on writing

Hi Mollie,

My work involves writing, too, so I've spent a lot of time researching procrastination on writing. Did you see the article "Tips on Getting Writing or Schoolwork Done"? This is based on actual research. The target audience was university professors who needed to "publish or perish". In other words, it's goal is to help people who are procrastinating on writing - people with writer's block.

I also recently posted about a book by a writer about why writers procrastinate and how not to. He also extends the principle to any kind of creatve work. It's called "The War of Art". (Hmmm... it occurs to me I should put amazon.com links on the book list. I should also make the book list more prominent on the site - I think people miss it.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

Thanks, pro.

Yeah, I read The War of Art a couple days ago (liked it very much), and had read some of Robert Boice's stuff previously. I think Boice makes a lot of sense as a strategy moving forward. Part of my current problem is that I have a huge backlog and if I only worked 1/2 hour a day on writing, I would eventually (before too long) be in very big trouble. Currently, there are days where 1/2 hour would be more than I put in, but most days I work somewhat more than that. It just isn't nearly enough and I'm getting further and further behind. But Boice said other stuff in addition to the small daily effort piece. It would probably be good for me to reread your Tips. Thanks for the reminder, pro.

delegate, maybe?

To help you deal with the backlog - if these are firm deadlines that you can't move - is it possible for you to delegate or hire help? Because if you have a huge backlog that you could only handle if you were working at top efficiency and you're currently not, you have a problem.

Also, I know what backlogs do to your head - been there. The degree of how overwhelmed and anxious you are probably has a lot to do with why you have trouble digging in. You're focused on your anxiety rather than the task at hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

That's helpful

There is no one to delegate to, but I did hire someone to help with one project and it made a difference. There's no reason I couldn't do a realistic assessment of where I am on all my projects and get help w/them too. And you're definitely right about the overwhelmed/anxious thing. I'm pretty freaked and it makes it hard to focus on the task at hand even when I'm really trying to and am not procrastinating. Thanks, pro -- that suggestion is one of the most useful I've received in awhile. Much appreciated. :-)

Hey, pro!

I didn't mean to leave you out in my call to early-risers--just seemed that Rexroth & Monica are usually the first ones here, but I realize you've been up early a lot lately too. Hope you're doing OK today.

good morning!

Well, I can't compete with Monica (east coast, 5am) and Rexroth (UK) in rising times! I think Monica gets discouraged when she oversleeps. Wish she wouldn't be so hard on herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.