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.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Journey 1:45 ahhh resistance

Transition time . . . finished up one task and trying to find ways to avoid getting started on the next one . . . I'm going to take a quick break and get on to that next task. 

Journey

Giving money and power to government is like giving liquor and car keys to teenage boys. - P.J. O'Rourke

Edge's CI - 12:26AM (Tuesday)

Had to change some things on my to-do because I came home late from my friend's house and I had to work on a discussion guide for tomorrow's focus group :-( Ah well. At least I got the guide done :-) Will wake up early tomorrow to practice it. The group is at 12PM :O

Night, everyone :)

X up 7:30AM (woke up at 8:15 Sad )
X Shower (only had time to wash my hair)
X clothes
X cat food and water
X out to work by 8:50AM (was 5 minutes late and reached work 10 minutes late, but made them up in the evening)
X call Tara and confirm outing
X Call Suzy and cancel dinner
X write out discussion guide
X practice part of discussion guide

Postpone
- reply to Jen
- wash litter box
- post WRC
- scoop kitty litter

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action - Walter Anderson

scarlett CI 4:15 pm EST

Well, another MIT popped up and muscled the yucky one out of the way, and now I'm out of time for the day.  Try again tomorrow.

Ta da:
Eat breakfast
Take pills
Look at printers
Pass on phone message
Check on reviews (MIT)
Send out int prop (MIT)
Set schedule for day
Label photos
Talk to pl off re: ww
Search mail for ADD name
Monthly report (MIT)
Sick leave from last week

Postponed:
Review (MIT)
Remove links in report (MIT)
Plan to B
Sched f/u on equip
Take pics of last rev.
Proof brochure
Funding letter

Pebbles:
Set trip to OCL w/ A
Check on concr. re
Dishes (rinse jars)
Email training

Become aware of resistance, and let go.

scarlett CI 1:15 pm EST

I'm proud of myself for getting two of my Most Important Tasks done already, but oh, that third one is looming big and ugly.  Yuck.

Ta da:
Eat breakfast
Take pills
Look at printers
Pass on phone message
Check on reviews (MIT)
Send out int prop (MIT)
Set schedule for day
Label photos

To do:
Remove links in report (MIT)
Take pics of last rev.
Talk to pl off re: ww
Proof brochure
Funding letter

Pebbles:
Set trip to OCL w/ A
Check on concr. re
Dishes (rinse jars)
Sick leave from last week
Search mail for ADD name
Email training

Tomorrow:
Review (MIT)

Become aware of resistance, and let go.

scarlett CI 11:14 am EST

Ta da:
Eat breakfast
Take pills
Look at printers
Pass on phone message

To do:
Check on reviews (MIT)
Set schedule for day
Remove links in report (MIT)
Send out int prop (MIT)
Label photos
Take pics of last rev.
Talk to pl off re: ww
Proof brochure

Pebbles:
Set trip to OCL w/ A
Check on concr. re
Dishes (rinse jars)
Sick leave from last week

Become aware of resistance, and let go.

pro's CI - 9:40am

I got up late and I've been using my time pretty well, but I'm running very late. I've done this:

Ta Da:
- Washed dishes from yesterday.
- Made breakfast and washed up.
- Filled humidifier.
- Cleared spam folder.

To Do:
- Water plants.
- Make up bed.
- Get dressed.
- Get stuff I need from pile (straighten it).

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

pro's CI - noon (late, late, late)

I did everything but the pile. I'm late, late, late. Gotta go.

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

kromer 8:50

Woke up a bit late (8 rather than 7:30), dressed, did a little grocery shopping and had breakfast.
Busy day today!
MUST get done today:
plane reservations for grad school visits
meet with supervisor
check in with lab tech/prep for file:///usr/share/ubuntu-artwork/home/index.htmltomorrow's expt.

SHOULD get done today:
exercise
laundry
fix bug in code, re-run and visualize results
read paper+choose test data set
1 hr work on fellowship essays

WOULD LIKE to get done:
Choose scanning concentrations
Defrost freezer
Photocopy lab nb
Improve comparison to canonical pathway
Work on pile

PLAN to start:
1)email my supervisor about a meeting and figure out what plane flights I want. DONE 9:50
2)Start laundry DONE 10:00
3)Fix bug in code, visualize results DONE 11:30
4)Start laundry drying DONE 10:30
5)Finish reading paper about test data set
6)Call WashU about travel arrangements DONE
7)Make notes for mtg DONE 11:40
8)Fold laundry
9)Go to lab DONE
OK, let's go! Sorry about the long list....

kromer 1:40

OK, I'm making progress.
Next up:
1)Make plane reservations (done, still waiting for confirmation email)
2)Take notes from mtg with supervisor (done)
3)Meet with lab tech, plan/prep for tomorrow's expt.
4)Go running

kromer 5 CI

Met with lab tech to plan expt., got ticket confirmation.
Had to spend an unexpected hour cleaning some lab equipment, yuck. So running got postponed.
New plan:
1)Get a soda so I can stay awake (DONE)
2)Email parents+schools about travel plans, email concentration scanning code to myself, print paper (DONE)
3)Spend 30-45 minutes getting improved list of proteins/connections in pathway (DONE)
4)Go running
5)Pick up a dinner, take a 30ish minute break (DONE)
6)Go home
7)Work on fellowship app for 30 min
8)Short break, fold laundry
9)Work on fellowship app for 30 min
And then I'll see how tired I am...

kromer 9:20 CI

Not quite done with everything on my list (haven't done fellowship or laundry yet), but had a few minutes and am starting to slow down, so figured I'd check in.
I'm about to head home.
Once home, I'll do an hour on my fellowship app (in short chunks, with my timer). In between chunks, I'll fold my laundry and try to get 20 minutes of work on my pile. If I have extra time/motivation I'll spend a little more time on comparison to canonical pathway. I'll try to go to bed by 12:30 at the latest.

kromer 12:25

Folded laundry and worked 40 min on the pile, but only did 30 min on my app (though it was a fairly productive 30 minutes). Off to bed now!

It's bitterly cold here this

It's bitterly cold here this morning. It wasn't supposed to be this cold, but I can't do anything about it. My project for work took longer yesterday, and wasn't going well yesterday, so I quit in the early evening. Good move, huh? I just want to do a good job, and finish soon. If things go well this morning, I'll reward myself with a 12 step meeting at lunchtime.  
Today:
 main project
 secondary project
 get ready for trash day tomorrow
 amend this list this afternoon
 

2:20 pm CI for Lark

A bit more time consuming than I planned, so no noon meeting. The main project is doing fair to good. I plan to do what I can to it, and then it can be put aside for a while. The temp is much better outside this afternoon. What's best, though, the sun is out. Yeah!

Lark @ 1:08am(Tuesday)

Came in from visiting a friend, and had an angry phone message frm my client, so I think I may literally burn some midnight oil to make doubly sure tomorrow will be finishing day. I sometimes get very resentful at some of my clients, and I know I would be better off without a few of them. An hour or two now working will be more "restful" than tossing and turning!

Journey 7:30

Working from home today.  Wish me luck.  First thing, continue working on a problem that occurred over the weekend. 

Journey

Giving money and power to government is like giving liquor and car keys to teenage boys. - P.J. O'Rourke

journey 2 pm

OK, problem solved, attended a meeting and did a little work on my project.  Now I'd like to stop working and play video games or go for a bike ride (it's beautiful here!)  But I need to put in a few more hours - sigh -

didn't really have to make a todo list this morning because it was obvious what had to be done, but now I'm going to think thru what I can do with the time I have left today and try to use it wisely. 

Giving money and power to government is like giving liquor and car keys to teenage boys. - P.J. O'Rourke

Good luck Journey

I know you can do it -- whatever it is.

I'll be thinking of you as I do my own (baby) steps.

N

Thanks Nan!

I'm not too good at working from home, too many distractions for a hyper-distractible person! 
But doing ok today so far. 

Journey

Giving money and power to government is like giving liquor and car keys to teenage boys. - P.J. O'Rourke

N's Check-in

Good to be back here.  I didn't do my committed hours of dissertation work this weekend.

I can't get that time back.  I CAN check in here and commit today's "to do":

6 hours dissertation work
get to meeting

Good morning Elisaveth and Edge!

Nan

Took a nap

I just took an hour nap.  Back to the above schedule.

N

10 minute break

Talk about resistence!  I am finding this phase of my work so difficult.  Baby steps. Pebbles -- just learned that on here - oh wait.  I guess I was thinking of a bunch of pebbles adding up to a rock (big task).  Why not?  :)
That may be my only option!

Taking a 10 minute web-surfing break.

Will check back in.

N

well, that too.

Pebbles -- just learned that on here - oh wait.  I guess I was thinking of a bunch of pebbles adding up to a rock (big task).

Sometimes you gotta break a big rock down into pebbles so you can manage it.  Too overwhelming otherwise.  Wink

Good luck!  Just keep starting... (reminds me of Dory in Finding Nemo)

Become aware of resistance, and let go.

N's bookend

Done with break.  Back to work.

e's good morning

Hello, Edge! Nice to see someone up and about!

Today is going better than I expected: I was reading the AA Big Book yesterday and had a revelation about how this program works: it has only taken me 8 years of being around these rooms to finally get it! Rigorous honesty with myself plus putting my life in my Higher Powers hands (as I understand that Higher Power) equals self seeking slipping away, decisions getting easier. For me, that means that the anxiety I am having about Financial Aid and taxes means that I explain my circumstance and see what the outcome will be: worrying about the outcome has been getting in my way! I lay in bed reading last night and could feel the tension seep out of my body: it was blindingly simple. So today I have been doing the next thing in front of me, to the best of my ability, not worrying about the outcome and not trying to be in the drivers seat. Life seems so much easier today! Dawn cracked over Marblehead....

so, today:
read financial aid info for each college
water, meds, breakfastX
email, task list, plumber, handymenx
dr. P files to green cabinet
request to move the cabinet to A
photocopy files to send to London
email translation
eyeglasses for kids!
doctor's notes to ACS
ACS financial aid officer set appointment
email the FAFSA on residency requirements
email U. Mass on the same
complete fafsa
complete profile
get finance info from Iliana
plan dinner
check in early and often!

e's check back

Things have been remarkably on task today: I guess I am down to the wire. I made hideous phone call on big tasks after phone call and found out both optomistic and disappointing information. So far, one call to the FAFSA financial aid people, one to the State of Mass education board, and a third to my tax guy, who owes me information. I worked very consistently on finding out information all day. There is still a lot to do, but I feel like I am making progress. So far I have had pretty few anxiety attacks today. I made some amends today when I acted poorly, so that felt good, and not so hard either. I also pulled off dinner and cleaning the kitchen and it was a balanced meal. All things considered, I am in better shape than what I would expect for this potentially stressful a week.

more to do:
find paystubbs
find investments
aprox taxes
set out clothes
find money transfers
get accurate exchange rates
sleep by 11

Edge's CI - 8:33AM

Morning :-) Running late today. Going to hurry up.

X up 7:30AM (woke up at 8:15 :-( )
- Shower
- breakfast
- clothes
- scoop kitty litter
X cat food and water
- out to work by 8:50AM
- call Tara and confirm outing
- Call Suzy and cancel dinner
- reply to Jen
- wash litter box
- post WRC
- bed by 11:30 MAX

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action - Walter Anderson

time zone?

Edge, are you on the same clock I am? Perhaps we coudl meet in the chatbox at some point.

re: time zone?

I think we're pretty close. I fall into the GMT +2 time zone. Wouldn't mind a chatbox meeting :) Should be fun!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action - Walter Anderson

gmt + 2

Me, too! I usually am checking in from work between 9:30 and 11 and then again in the late afternoon. Actually, I am really inconsistent (go figure, for a procrastinator). When are you here?

Elisaveth

Lol, mostly in the evenings after work. Can't use the internet for anything other than work-related matters when at the office :-( They're very tough. But I'm usually free to use the net around 9PM every day :) Think we could meet around that time?
 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action - Walter Anderson

Edge

Hmmm, I can't say I would be able to be consistent, as that time of day is a bit crazy in my house (we eat late here,) but a little later, perhaps at 10? Tell you what: let me attempt to get here in the evening tomorrow: I am in the middle of a big, hideous project for financial aid that must be filed by Friday, so I will be on the computer, but I may not be able to chat. I will try to leave you a message as to when I can be there before 9. If nothing else, I can see when I really do come on in the evening. Hope to see you then!

Elisaveth

I'll be around :)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action - Walter Anderson

edge

I hope I will be! I am up to my neck in forms tonight: if I knew children were so much trouble I would never have had them! (or at least never given them the idea of going to college lol). I will be in and out and leaving this screen minimized but audible. Hopefully, if you come and post I will hear it and come see you. If not, there is always life after Friday (or perhaps not, if I don't finish on time my husband and son may put an end to me)!