Here are some links to help you get started:

How and why check-ins work (by pro)
How to use the daily check-in board - short version (by pro)
How to use the daily check-in board - long version (by movingalong)
On creating the thread starter for the daily check-in thread (by pro and movingalong)
How to use the Chatbox for check-ins (by movingalong)

I moved some of the articles from the front page to a dedicated section in the forum because things were getting lost on the front page. So when you click the Articles button at the top of the Web site, you won't see all the articles anymore. Also look here: Helpful Web Sites and Techniques

The sticky posts at the top of this board are articles about good anti-procrastination tools and techniques I've found on various sites around the internet.

I just made a change to the site theme that corrects the "jumping" bug in the chatbox. But the site will look very strange now unless you clear your browser's cache - delete temporary files in IE, clear private data in Firefox. Then do a hard refresh (Ctrl+F5).

Demand Resistance - Is It Hurting Your Business?

by Mitch Meyerson

Over the last twenty years, I have seen many forms of self-sabotage. The following psychological concept is one of the more common, yet least identified patterns that holds people back from success.

Simply put, demand-resistance is a chronic negative response to obligations or expectations. It is almost always unconscious.

Here are some common examples:

A common source of procrastination is the idea that we have to wait until we have a big block of time before starting on a task - any task. One of my great frustrations in life is not being able to get done everything I need to get done even when I am trying. I think this is because I don't make good use of the many small pockets of time that are available throughout a day.

There's a saying that, "If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing well." This is emphatically not true! One of my favorite sayings is this:

"Some things require completion, not perfection."

Perfectionism can stymie us in many ways. Often it prevents people from doing a thing at all. They feel so much anxiety about whether they'll be able to do it perfectly, or feel so overwhelmed with the enormity of trying to do it perfectly, that they're unable to even get started.

Basic Principles of Efficacy

This is adapted from work by Dr. Robert Boice, PhD. The principles are his (word for word except the word "writing" in #5 is replaced with "actual work". The explanations are in my own words. The principles are based on controlled studies - not just his opinion.

1. Wait. Do exercises to calm down and focus.

2. Begin before feeling ready. This helps you to develop systematic ways of finding imagination and confidence.

3. Work in brief, daily sessions. Be very consistent in this; make it a habit.

Categorizing Reasons

The Procrastinators Anonymous Web site focuses mainly on the addictive aspect of procrastination since that's literally addressed no where else, but addictive compulsion isn't the only reason for procrastination - even for people who struggle with compulsive procrastination.

This list of characteristics is from a "laundry list" contributed to Latecomers & Procrastinators Anonymous of New York City by "Joe L. et al." (This fellowship is different from Procrastinators Anonymous, and seems to have disappeared.)

We have found through our group experience that many of us have or identify with the following characteristics. You need not identify with all of them or order to be a chronic procrastinator.

1. Disappointment is a way of life with us. We constantly disappoint other people and ourselves by not keeping promises that we make.

Something that All Procrastinators Do

One of the key characteristics of procrastinators is the tendency to "time binge" when they do something. I've noticed this in my own life, and it was a key finding in research done by Robert Boice, Professor Emeritus in Psychology at SUNY Stony Brook (or was - I think he's retired now).