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.

Dreading Tomorrow (updated)

Hi everyone!

I'm new to this site.  I found it while googling 'chronic procrastination' I didn't think it was an actual term for a mental problem.  Anyway, I've been on march break, and I'm really P.O.d with myself right now.  You see, I thought before that I was procrastinating due to family problems, and then I thought that it was because I was just busy with work, but during this march break, I had 10 days off (I worked for a few hours during a couple days, but that doesn't make much of a difference), and accomplished absolutely nothing.  I had 2 books to read, 4 assignments, and 1 essay, and I did NOTHING.  Now I'm fucked.  I've been told to not look at it as all or nothing, but how can I not?!  Rather than doing my homework, I watched tv, or surfed on the internet, or cleaned, or went out.  It was as if I knew in the back of my mind I had to do it, and I was trying to forget about it at the same time.  As if I was trying to make up excuses why not to do it, you know?  I'm so overwhelmed, I think I'm going to cry...  I fell behind last semester for the same reason (thinking it was family problems), and ended up barely passing 2 courses and failing 1...  I don't want this to happen again, I promised myself that it wouldn't.

But, enough of that pity party.  Either way, I've found that this site has helped me out with dealing with future tasks (I wrote down the ten ways to help stop procrastination), and the more and more I read about chronic procrastination, I can see that I fit the bill.

One of my friends told me to not label myself as a procrastinator, perhaps this could help some people?  As in thinking positively, or do you do this already?

Thanks!

Jasmine

UPDATE:  I stayed home today, so hopefull I'll get at least 2 things done.

Sound Sooooo Familiar

Laughing Lol Foot in mouth it doesn't matter if everyone disagrees with me at any point but I just found it a bit humorous skimming through this thread.Just remembering all those ppl who after March Break/study week did everything the day/night before etc. as ppl do seem to get burnt out, super tired or what have you - procrastinator or not. I've only came across a few ppl who study so consistently etc. but even if there are some ppl who are just so "task-oriented" they may at one point have trouble completing or postponing tasks.

 However, it seems like next semester you will definitely improve with a few rough spots here and there so don't give up any hope many have gone through this esp going into 1st year or even adjusting to life changes at any.

Really education (moreso) and work sys should undergo some change to accomodate ppl. For instance ppl do learn at different rates, and we are paying the institutions to help us shape our understanding of discipline we are studying rather than how much we are gorging and spewing in 10 min. They could have actual aux programs for students who need it on how to approach such subjects and plus outside commitment without prejudice.

I know Foot in mouth and plus I just bored myself also - i may edit this comment when I get to it.

Don't label yourself

I think the suggestion to not label yourself as a procrastinator goes beyond "positive thinking" into deeper self-talk issues.  If you call yourself a procrastinator, you are subtly telling yourself that procrastination is part of who you are, like being tall or short.

Procrastination isn't a fixed part of your personality -- it's a behavior you've learned, a habit that grew from repeated action.  Like any behavior or habit, it can be changed and unlearned, though sometimes that's hard to do.

I'm not trying to suggest that changing your attitude is going to change your productivity by itself, but changing the way you talk to yourself can have real effects on your approach to your work.  For example, your own post expresses just how angry you are with yourself for not doing things on your break.  What good is that anger doing you?

Beating yourself up only makes you feel worse for your mistakes, instead of motivating you to get started on something or try to do better next time. Don't destroy your self-image as penance for work you didn't get done.

My advice is actually pretty simple.  Pick a few items that you need to do, and get started on one of them.  Don't think about getting finished, just think about getting started.  Start small, but start -- and keep starting.  Each day, do a little more if you can, and don't fall back into a bad attitude if you don't get something done -- just start again.

--
flexiblefine
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheNowHabit/

Your right, but its really

Your right, but its really hard to do.  If I can get over depression myself, I'm sure I'll be able to change the way I think or talk to myself regarding my procrastination.

I wasn't just angry with myself about not finishing my assignments, it was also that I have no idea how to deal with it with my teachers, what to tell them.  As I'm falling behind in school, and I'm afraid my teachers'll get impatient with me.  I don't know how to explain myself to them, is all.

Thank you for replying to my post!  Your advice was really simple, and you are very right.  I'm going to try this in the future.

A college student who chronically procrastinates

(This is going to be general & not written in depth b/c I want to get back to my essay.)

Actually, I could have easily been the person who would have written your first post. Somehow, it's relieving to know that you're not alone. I used to think that I procrastinate b/c I had many personal issues - family, friends, loss of identity, etc. Yet now, after dealing with all those issues, I realize that my procrastination comes from my chronic perfectionism. And this makes it very diffcult for me to start any work. I have a bit of the old mentality of "if it's not done right, why do it at all?"

Right now, my procrastinating habits are so terrible that I'm currently on academic probation (for failing two courses & dropping out of one b/c I didn't hand in any of my assignments on time.) I used to have a 4.0 GPA before I started procrastinating, but ever since I did, it's been below the 2.0 line. The only classes I am able to pass are the ones that are based on exams instead of homework. Yes, I do wish all my classes will be prepared that way, but that's never going to happen nor in real life.

Even my procrastination has gotten to my social life - and it is distancing me away from friends and family. Most of them are fustrated with me because I "don't" have enough time to spend with them. And not to mention, I have knack for being constantly tardy.

It's usually embarassing for me to always have to come up with some "reason" for not finishing the assignment. I don't have to worry about my professors getting impatient - some of them already are impatient with me. But the ones who do understand my habits, don't have much to offer. They often tell me to seek help from the counselors, who aren't very efficent either.

So, I'm here hoping I, too, could get help and change myself for the better before it's too late. And I wouldn't mind having a 'procrastination buddy' in the long run. If anyone's interested, tell me.

------

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power."

I majored in that in college

I could've written your posting when I was in college. Please give this a try, and try to stay within the day, and post on the daily section like you did. Also, read some of the articles. If you do, thngs will start to get better--not perfect--and you'll be checking things off your lists.

Use available school resources

You should also check around at school to see what kinds of counseling or services are available to you.  When I was in college, our school actually gave everyone free visits (12 per year, I think) to the psych services center.  Of course, I didn't find out about it until years after they would have been most useful.

Schools are filled with procrastinators, and there are people there who should be able to help you deal with the problem.  Take all the advice and help you can get, and then put it to use one piece at a time.

--
flexiblefine
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheNowHabit/

Life is a highway!

I understand where you're coming from. Procrastination, anxiety, and depression often go hand in hand. In my case, last year in my college I was filled with excuses about not finishing my assignments. Slowly, my professors began to notice my incompetence. The more excuses I made, the more I lost confidence in myself, and in doing so undermined the confidence of my teachers for me. I became some sort of caricature in that the people around me stopped taking me seriously because of my inability to fulfill a promised task. It really made me question myself. I took a good look inside. Months later, I've made huge progress. Yes I still procrastinate, but little by little I tend to do it less. It's hard to believe that I'm finally within the 4.0 range this semester. The important thing is not to fight what you need to do, but to ask for grace to want to do it. Good luck.::wink::

"That which the fool does in the end, the wise man does in the beginning." --R. C. Tench

Progress is sloooowwww....

I'm in the same boat as most of the posters here. I've been a chronic procrastinator my *entire* life, but only since University have I realized how much it's damaging everything. I've gotten better slowly, as I used to do no work, stay up until 4 in the morning, not take good care of myself hygenically, not work out, etc. And most of that stuff I don't do anymore. Still, the schoolwork always ends up being done the night before, and sometimes it's a really really really bad thing. I find that my motivation goes in waves. I'll be really good for a week and a half, and then suddenly I'll stop doing anything. I'm trying to find ways to stop that fall-off.

Anyways, it's good to hear everyone else's stories. Cheers.

- Gilvado

Keep starting!

"I'm trying to find ways to stop that fall-off."

Don't worry about stopping the fall-off -- we all have good days and bad days, and there's nothing we can do about that.  Instead, work on getting "back on" quickly and easily.  When the world deals you a surprise, you can get back on the right track and get some more stuff done.

Falling out of new habits is inevitable.  Having the persistence to start again soon will help you keep moving forward.

-- flexiblefine
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheNowHabit/