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.
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS!!!!
Anybody for New Year resolutions?!?! Seems like a natural for procrastinators who are trying to break bad habits.
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Back to the resolution. . .
Hi all,
Yes, I'm bumping the "New Year's Resolution" thread in August!
Up until late spring, I was doing well on my Groundhog Day Resolution to exercise (5 minutes arm weights, 3 1/2 minutes stomach exercises.)
Then I started to get sick with anemia. I was washed-out and exhausted all the time, and I got to the point where even 10 minutes of exercise was more than I could handle, so I stopped the routine.
Now I'm on meds, and feeling much better again (yay!) I'm back from my summer trip, so it's time to get back on the wagon.
I figure the best way to get back into it is to do what I did to start out. . . exercise before I turn on my home computer for the first time each day. It's a good reminder (since it's a rare day when I don't use my computer for something or other) and it's not too inconvenient, since the exercises really only take 10 minutes.
I exercised today before logging on, and it felt good to get back to it! Though somehow those weights got a lot heavier during the past couple of months. . .
Falcon
My single umbrella resolution for 2009
...is to grow up.
That said, here's what that entails: Actively doing the work to make my life the way I want it, and tracking my progress by any means necessary. I know that "The Secret" is a controversial subject for some, but one thing I took away from that video (which I still think is on YouTube) was the concept of the Vision Statement (VS). Of course I've been procrastinating on completing my VS for a while now but when I think about the kind of life I want, here's what I see, grouped by the five areas of the VS:
Financial: I'm mostly debt-free, making enough money to be comfortable while putting away savings for my later years (I tell myself I'm never going to "retire" but I haven't been the best ant, per the Aesop fable).
Intellectual: I am actively working and making a name for myself in my chosen field.
Spiritual: I have a relationship with an HP that I nurture on a regular basis. (When joining this board, with its 12 Steps, I realized that I'm going to have to work on Step 2 pretty hard. I've gotten pretty far afield from my HP.)
Relational: I have close relationships with those family and friends who support me in my goals and dreams. I know people's birthdays. :) I am also in a loving relationship with a man who can walk alongside me through life, rather than expect me to follow him at 10 paces (which has been my history, pretty much).
Physical: I am at a healthy weight for my age and height. Exercise and eating right take high priority.
Perhaps one of the tasks I'll set for myself over these last few weeks of 2008 is to finally create at least a skeleton of a Vision Statement on PowerPoint, using this outline above.
peregrine
in one phrase, you said it all: "to grow up". My nemises is the steps after 3. That is I guess what I would cull my resolutions down to.
Peace and joy and congratulations on having your life in such a good place!
Falcon GHDR
Just checking in to say that I've been back on the wagon the past few weeks with my Groundhog Day resolution. It will probably take another few weeks to get my muscles back to where they were. There are (almost) 100 days left in the year, and if I keep exercising, then by the end of the year I won't have gained any flab, and might even be a smidgen stronger than when I started, which would be great.
Falcon
falcon inspires agnus!
I actually prepaid a full year of a popular exercise club so I wouldn't back out of it...but I have not gone there since July. :rolleyes: I'm going to add this to things I pray about the next few mornings and ask for the inspiration and power to act on it! Thanks, Falcon.
Good for you, Falcon!
Glad you are feeling well enough to get back to the exercise, and that you had the courage to start again!
Jo
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams
GDHR Update
Just checking in to say that I'm still following my Groundhog Day resolution to do stomach & weight-lifting exercises every day. I skipped a couple of days while away on vacation, and also decided to let it go one day when I got home very late and exhausted (because my goal is to be consistent, not obessive about it!) Other than that, I've been keeping up with it every day.
I'm considering varying the routine a little -- maybe alternating 10 minutes of weight-lifting one day with stomach exercises the next, rather than doing both each day. But I'll still keep it down to 10 minutes total each day, since that seems to be what makes it doable.
I kept a time chart at work throughout April, and it really helped me get my productivity up to speed. I may go back to it if I find myself backsliding into work procrastination later.
Using the stresseraser hasn't become a consistent habit, but I do use it at least briefly most days.
I think I'm going to take this month off from adding new habits, since I'm pondering some bigger changes in my life.
Falcon
Yay Falcon for keeping your commitment to exercising!
Oohhhh.
GHDR = Groundhog Day Resolutions
Hurrah!
Three months since you made your GHDR
Consistancy for three months is awesome! woo hoo !
GHDR progress & mulling next habit
Time to brag on myself.
My Groundhog Day Resolution was to do 3 1/2 minutes of stomach exercises and 5 min. of weight lifting every day. . . and so far, one month later, I haven't missed a day! Yay me!
I think what's making it work is that it's a really small committment (10 minutes) and I make sure not to log onto my computer until I've done it, which means I tend to get it done early in the day, but I don't have to do it on any rigid schedule.
So far, I still puff like a beached whale while doing crunches, but I'm marginally less pathetic at it than I was a month ago! Maybe by the end of the year I'll even be good at it.
I'd like to add a new positive habit, now that this one has had time to take root. There are SO many things I'd like to change about myself & my life, but I know I need to focus on just one in order to succeed.
When I thought about "what one habit change would make the biggest difference in my life?" I realized I need to do something daily to quiet my mind and tune in to my inner voice.
I'm really resistant to meditating every day, and I suspect if I commit to that right now I won't stick with it. So right now I'm not committing to a new daily habit yet, BUT, I am committing to exploring some options and ideas and coming up with something I can commit to doing daily.
Some possibilities:
I've also signed on as a member of Zenhabits, so once I'm ready to make a commitment, I can use the daily "habit challenge" forum.
If anyone else has great ideas for daily centering, I'd love to hear them!
Falcon
GHDR progress
So far so good on my Groundhog Day resolution! I've been doing my ten minutes of weights and stomach exercises every day for two months! I'm continuing to get slowly less pathetic at the crunches, and am gradually getting comfortable with 5-pound weights (I started out with 2-pounders.)
On the meditation front, I got myself a StressEraser, and I really like it. Unlike meditation, which just always seemed like a chore, my little biofeedback gadget is easy to use. It gets my breathing and heartbeat slowed down and helps me relax and be more present & grounded.
So, next habit to add (which I've been doing for a week or so since I got the gadget): score 120 points every day on the StressEraser.
Falcon
GHDR update
Hi all,
Hmm, I've had some trouble staying with using the StressEraser regularly this week. I've also started keeping a time chart at work, and that's been a challenge, so perhaps I'm just pursuing too many goals at work -- should have followed the advice of Leo at zenhabits.net and stuck with adding just one new goal at a time!
But I would like to incorporate the StressEraser into my life, since it does seem to have the benefits of meditation. I'm going to shoot for 100 points a day (a little less time consuming) see how that goes for the next week and then re-evaluate.
Falcon
Daily Goals on Calendar
Y'know the trick of crossing off the day with an X on your calendar, each day you do or sucessfully don't do, a particular goal or habit you're trying to eliminate?
I've been keeping track of daily goals with google calendar - I set up a new calendar just for that goal, and give it a colour, and the just add an all day task which I mark with an 'X' for that goal. In the month view, it shows up as a solid colour bar for each day I've done it.
I've only been doing that for a month, but it's been helping me with new goals.
But yeah, I have trouble sticking with the 'one new thing' too, and then I'm juggling too many things and they all fall down.
I know some people who'd advocate only establishing one habit for a month, but, I'm trying to keep it to at least a week or two.
Luckily, I think of having too many calendars as 'messy' so hopefully that'll help me keep it down. :D
re: GHDR progress
wow! that's really impressive. You're an inspiration. Keep up the good work!
WTG Falcon!!
That's inspiring! Thanks for posting about your progress. I guess there's hope for all of us, after all, isn't there? :)
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
how's everyone doing with their New Year Resolutions?
Since today is January 15th, I thought it's a good point to ask how everyone is doing with their New Year Resolutions. Am I the only one who has totally screwed up already?
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
Journey - new year's resolutions update
My #1 resolution was to PLAN REALISTICALLY. I'm still overplanning on most days but when I do think through what I'm planning, and how long it will realistically take, I am much more likely to finish my todo list. It feels great when I actually finish that list! So, still working on this one.
#2 - drive within the posted speed limit - I have not gotten a speeding ticket so far this year!!
#3 - Eat heathier food - some days ok, some days not ok.
Thanks Pro for the reminder!
Journey New Year's Resolutions
Ha! How sad, that I could reuse my last year's resolutions this year. Well, not exactly. I didn't get a speeding ticket at all this year!
I'm not really making NYRs this year though, I'm doing "30 day challenges" instead!
The funny thing is that my current 30 day challenge is the same as my #1 NYR last year. (see above).
Jo
"Hard work must have killed someone." - Charles Gregory
e's resolution check in
1. walk to work 3 out of 5 days a week - inconsistent but picking up: boy, what a difference it makes in my attitude!
2. drink 4 cups of water each morning - the first week of the year was also inconsistent, but now I seem in the routine.
3. make amends promptly when I do something wrong- this one is scary for me, and of course I RARELY do anything wrong, but I have sometimes done this.
4. journal 5 days a week - very occasionally I journal, and I need to do more.
5. finish my masters either with my practicum or with a new major (not done at all)
6. file last year's taxes and this year's taxes on time (working on this)
7. Check through Christian's backpack each school night (a taboo subject)
e's resolve
I don't know what inspired me to look for this old thread, but I wanted to see where I was at the beginning of the year now thiat this one is close to closing. I find that I am not at all in the same space, my priorities are not the same and that is okay. However, Christian's backpack and schooling is in better shape than it had been at the beginning of the year. I am much more consistent about drinking water, although not all of ut. and I filed my taxes on time. Journaling is something I don't do so very often, but when I get here I do better. I have not even thought about dealing with my masters, which is ridiculous, given that I have all the time in the world to work on it.
It just is not that important to me anymore. I wonder, can I give myself permission not to have this as a goal anymore? nah....
new years resolutions
I'm 1.5/3:
"Do it now or write it down"--this is working pretty well, I'm writing stuff down pretty consistently, and it's making me less of a flake. Plus, I write down where I leave my [keys/exercise clothes/phone/etc], and so I'm losing stuff a bit less. This is the 1
Healthy breakfasts--I usually slip and have a little something sweet, but most of my breakfast is oatmeal and fruit. So this is the .5
Cut down on complaining/apologizing--complete failure so far, but there's always time to get started!
Mark's resolutions
1) practice guitar every day
2) keep the house in a stable state of order
3) work 40 hours every week except for vacation
4) earn $100k
5) read a book every week
6) exercise 5 times each week
7) floss every day
8) learn a new programming language
9) clear all bad debt
10) get on an earlier schedule
11) have no overdue books or bills
12) spend quality time w/ family every day
13) pay all estimated taxes on the specified dates
14) put the maximum into IRA
15) lower cholesterol
16) purge an item every day
17) prepare every recipe in my new cookbook
18) stay on top of current events - read front page/op-ed every day
19) no unreasonable arguments
20) see a movie in the theater every other week
yowch! James Garfield birthday resolotions
Someone returning to this thread caused me to see my earlier list. Can't say I've stuck to much of it. I've definitely cut down on unreasonable arguments and spent tons of quality time with my family. There's a good chance my cholesterol is lower, but I haven't had a check up recently. I maybe haven't read a book a week, but I have been reading much more and have been reading the newspaper regularly. I ended up averaging closer to 25 - 30 hours of work per week instead of 40, and that is possibly the most significant goal b/c the lost income impinges upon several other goals (IRA contributions, paying estimated taxes, clearing debt.. if I worked those extra hours, I might be able to afford a gym membership and a cleaning service, which would help toward the goals of exercising and keeping the house in order...)
k, I guess I'll reboot and redeclare them as resolutions for James Garfield's birthday (or would Meg Ryan be a better Nov. 19th birthday to use?) :P
so once again:
1) practice guitar and/or piano every day
2) keep the house in a stable state of order
3) work 40 hours every week except for vacation
4) earn $100k
5) read a book every week
6) exercise 5 times each week
7) floss every day
8 ) learn a new programming language
9) clear all bad debt
10) get on an earlier schedule
11) have no overdue books or bills
12) spend quality time w/ family every day
13) pay all estimated taxes on the specified dates
14) put the maximum into IRA
15) lower cholesterol
16) purge an item every day
17) prepare every recipe in my new cookbook
18) stay on top of current events - read front page/op-ed every day
19) no unreasonable arguments
20) see a movie in the theater every other week
new ones:
21) work on knowledge of Spanish
22) keep in contact better w/ out-of-town friends/family
23) implement GTD and stick to it
24) at some point clear all P1 bugzilla items (we use an application called bugzilla to track tasks at work. I currently have about 25 P1 (top priority) tasks, and I really should keep this down to single digits)
We've been keeping mostly vegetarian the past year, so maybe I'll start cooking this week from a vegetarian Indian cookbook we have. Anyway, back to work.
resolution reboot
k, another reboot
purging an item everyday
oo I really like #16!
purging items...thanks for the idea
That reminds me of a neighbor who used to go through her house on trash day, cleaning up. She'd sometimes say "I like this, but Mr. Garbage Man will love it."
19. no unreasonable arguments
What a great list! I love #19.
Journey
#19---Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?
Some of the folks in my 12 step fellowship used to ask me that question, and it would infuriate me. After a few years I understand it much better.Sometimes there's a fine line between debate and arguement. Thanks for posting your resolutions!
Lark
I'll be HAPPY when they all admit I'm RIGHT!
lol
Journey
LOL!!
:D
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
for the new year elisaveth
1. walk to work 3 out of 5 days a week
2. drink 4 cups of water each morning
3. make amends promptly when I do something wrong
4. journal 5 days a week
5. finish my masters either with my practicum or with a new major
6. file last year's taxes and this year's taxes on time
7. Check through Christian's backpack each school night
kromer's New Years Resolutions
My resolutions:
1)Write down everything I say I'll do (if I can't do it immediately). I have a horrible memory, so I tend to promise to do things and then forget.
I've gotten a couple tiny notepads I can stick in my purse and have been practicing doing this; it seems to work pretty well.
2)Eat healthy breakfasts. No more frosted flakes for me! (at least not until lunchtime)
3)Write down when I either -complain without planning to fix anything or -apologize when I don't actually mean it. I know both of these are bad habits, but I do them without thinking and so have a hard time stopping. I figure becoming aware of what I'm doing is a good first step.
Falcon's resolution -- Groundhog Day!
I'm going to try following David Seah's great advice, and make my resolutions on Groundhog Day: http://davidseah.com/blog/groundhog-day-resolutions/
Seah points out that in January, a lot of us are playing catch-up after all the holiday busyness, and not really ready to tackle something new, and that's part of why it's so common for new year's resolutions to get broken.
That's definitely true for me. I need to spend January sorting out a bunch of day-to-day things that need catching up on, and spend some time focusing on where I want my life to go. By the beginning of February, I'll be set to better commit to whatever changes I decide to make. I might even follow Seah's "GHD Resolution Methodology." (He has a calendar for checking in with oneself throughout the year.)
Falcon
Now it's time for a resolution!
Hi all,
O.k., as promised, I'm making a Groundhog Day resolution. To give myself the best possible shot at it, I'm following the K.I.S.S. philosophy and setting just one reasonably attainable goal:
I resolve to do 3 1/2 minutes of stomach exercises, and 5 minutes of weight-lifting every day.
That's it. It's not a huge amount of exercise, but if I do it consistently through the next year I will at least halt my trend toward flabbiness and perhaps even inch toward getting toned. I have videos with routines for those amounts of time, and including getting my exercise mat, switching tapes, etc., the whole thing only requires about 10 minutes.
I did it today, and remembered just how much I hate doing stomach exercises.
But I felt good having done it.
To help myself get started, I'm instituting a rule for the next few weeks: I can only log onto my home computer AFTER I've done my 10 minute of exercise. Since I pretty much can't get through a day without my laptop, that will be a good reminder & incentive.
I'll try Seah's GHD Resolution Methodology & check in with myself & you all on March 3, April 4, etc. Wish me luck!
Falcon
Journey's New Year's Resolutions!
My big, main, most important resolution is to make realistic plans, rather than setting myself up for failure by planning to do impossible amounts of stuff in one day. Not only is this making me feel bad, it prevents me from finding time for non-urgent but important tasks (like financial paperwork) because those things get squeezed out of the schedule.
Other than that, here are a few that I routinely make every year:
1. drive within the posted speed limit and avoid getting any more "fast driving awards"
2. lose 10 pounds
3. eat healthier food
Happy New Year!!!