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, April 4, 2008

After midnight CI for Lark

Today was a tough one. My main thing for work had problems, but now they're remedied. Some of the other things didn't get done, however.The next project was barely touched, so that's on the slate for tomorrow morning. My clutter is still here, a little better, but it needs to be put on the list for tomorrow. There's no way I can make things better by staying up, huh? Good night all.

exhausted person who hates to go to bed

Here I am again. Absolutely exhausted, and yet not ready for bed. I feel almost too tired to get ready for bed.

That's nonsense - must go ot bed. Tomorrow morning I need to get my car inspected (it's way overdue), and I need to get there early.

Bed, bed, bed...

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

ready for bed

I'm so exhausted I feel sick. I'm ready for bed now. Goodnight!

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

Recycler CI 10:10PM EST

Hi!

Just getting home; thunderstorm, so just a quick check-in.

Worked today, ordered travel tickets for May, bought gift for friend's wedding tomorrow, went to support group meeting.

Have a good night, everyone! :)

Recycler

Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)

Help? Why am I so stuck?

I am posting here because no one except someone here could begin to understand....I am sitting at work, having done virtually nothing today (worse than Joe's 25% yesterday) - late start (after staying up too late - pro can relate), don't feel well (migraine), and feel so overwhelmed due to lack of productivity for some time -- I have looked at files, messages and other work piled on my desk, made To Do list, and have not even returned some phone calls I need to return, and here it is, after 7 PM, I have teens at home hungry for dinner and here I sit, frozen, seemingly unable to do anything.  I am so mad at myself for doing this!!

rec

Fridayitis

*hugs*

That was my Friday too (minus the teens, replace with friends who were kind of expecting me).

I call it Fridayitis or something. It's the end of the week, so I'm at my most tired, and yet I also have the idea that I can sneakily stay late and get more work done (ie caught up), but that just downshifts me in motivation. And then I feel especially lame because it's a FRIDAY. Why can't I leave? Because I need to work. Why can't I *work*? Argh!
But then, Monday usually isn't that productive either - takes me a day to get rolling. :P

I talked myself out of work on Friday (as in, into actually GOING HOME) by going and making myself a cup of tea (sugar and caffeine, *sigh*), uh, washing my hands and face, then telling myself I was going home, so close the browser.
Actually I was trying to reverse psychology myself into doing some work, whichm well, didn't actually work any, but at least I left work?
(That is an accomplishment sometimes. Just being frozen! Argh!).

For me at least, it all seems to hinge around how much sleep I've gotten. Dammit.

I then got home, and sat on the computer, time binging with junk activities (ie passively reading *low information* webpages) til... 8am.
*wince*
I can't have those hours of my life back, which is why I'm trying to live more in the moment, and avoid procrastinating so.

How am I now?
Actually feeling much better. I just needed that sleep.
Curiously, it wasn't til it was morning and I started to 'wake up' that I was able to snap out of my zombie/frozen state.

Thing is, I still had a better week than the week before, or the week before, and that's what I need to focus on. And perhaps some way of arranging it so I have a routine where I *always* have an early night on say, Wednesday, I think that would help catch up on any already-accumulated sleep debt, and allow me to cope the rest of the week.
The problem being, the more sleep debt I have, the harder I find it to go to sleep. So I need to catch it early. I think Wednesday would be in time, given I *usually* get enough sleep on Sunday.

(I think I need to restrict certain Sunday interruptions, because I have an otherwise good routine Sunday evening - I go to a friends for dinner, which means I've already eaten at 7.00, had a quiet relaxing time, and get home around 9, so I just bumble round the house and tidy-up a bit (the only time in the week I get this urge!), and go to sleep. Sometimes I get interrupted though, and I think I just need to make sure that *doesn't happen*.

Sorry for the rambling rec, but jeebus, I empathise so much!
I'm just rambling to try and figure out what *I* can do to solve it, and possibly some of it will resonate with you also?
(Tell me if you have any brilliant insights of your own... ;P).

thank you, Grail

Thanks for the encouraging words, Grail.  I agree with the exhaustion issue affecting things, as I collapsed last night after dinner and didn't even get on computer to say hi here since I knew I would stay up too late, and I fight that tendency already.

I am so glad everyone is here.  Otherwise I would feel even more like the only idiot who can't seem to get things done despite the best of intentions...there I go with the negative self talk - gotta stop that, right??!

Thanks again for being here,

rec

hugs!!!

Hugs!!!

Recycler

Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)

well, 1 difficult call made at least, so leaving at last

Hope tomorrow will be better, as e said in her post earlier.  Thanks to all of you for letting me vent here - in a safe place where I feel no one will say "what an idiot you are" since I am doing a very good job at that without any help!

rec

rec

Hey rec. . . not only did you get something done, but it was a difficult thing at that! Pretty impressive going from "stuck" to "difficult task done"!

Keep breathing, & take good care of yourself.

Falcon

thanks, falcon

Thank you Falcon for your support - I was, of course, looking only at the negative - all that I did not get done, all the lost time, but you put it in a positive light, as I should - I got something done, and a difficult task at that!  I know I am supposed to "celebrate my small successes and build on them", but I tend to diminish them by thinking only "too little, too late"...

Thanks for the better perspective!

rec

e's Friday

a belated check in for a decent day at work. I had a chance to do some reference work and enjoyed it a lot. Also began a shift in shelving, long overdue, which was exhuasting yet gratifying. Now I am home, in my pjs, having had a good snack and a spirit, and I am ready to crash. There is stuff to do for tomorrow, and I do want to get it done. I have some good ideas towards the practicum which I am going to work on this weekend, and am pscyhed about!

more later maybe!

low blood sugar

I want to acknowledge getting into a pattern of noshing on ready-made food to take care of myself when I am hungry. I don't want to bother with the effort of properly cooking, and want instant relief. This leads to my eating things with too much sugar or salt and then I crash and burn. Perhaps all I needed was a nap to begin with, but somehow the snacking, the procrastination on taking care of things, laziness and sugar/salt cravings are all coming together in a big blob. For tonight, I am acknowledging that I am tired, that I am not hungry, that I feel resentful of having to clean up after other people and that I don't wanna.

I am tired and going to bed. here is to a tomorrow without whining

*wince*I totally hear

*wince*

I totally hear you.

Just to record what I've been doing...
I've made a point of only 'snacking' on things that've got protein in them. And actually, just replacing most snacks with small meals.
What I have currently, is a bunch of frozen snack meals (butter chicken on rice, thai chicken on rice, fish pie etc) which, well, they're the healthier sort, and at least it's better than other 'snacks' because at least I'm full afterwards.
I also have rice noodles, less than 5 minutes cooking time, and 'tuna meals' (whole tuna chunks mixed with spices, ie thai green curry - but ewww, I've had some canned tuna in other places and it was horrible, to this is only because the stuff I have is *nice*),
or rice noodles, tofu and frozen veges,
or baked beans on toast
or avocado and hummus and/or tomato on toast
etc.

It's helping a bit.

Oh, and I try and avoid having a between meals snack altogether, as I seem to get less hungry, but also even less focused, possibly because of digestion time. What I *do* have is a small single cup serving of miso to drink. Keeps me going longer. If I am having an actual snack, I have a yoghurt (protein again and low blood sugar index), and if I have fruit, I tend to prefer a banana, it fills me up longer.

I hope you had a lovely sleep, and have a great day today. :)

grail

I love the menu selection! I have never tried baked beans on toast, although I have heard of it! My 'ready made' tendencies tend to run to what comes in a bag or can. I made a plate of 'mezedes' (appetizery thingies) yesterday, straight out of the bag or can. I think my husband is feeling a bit put out, because I had actually been COOKING for a good long bit.

My ready-mades were: canned dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) , dates, pistachio nuts, olive paste and paximadia (greek rusks) ham. The salt has made me puff up like a puffer fish. I am doing better in some areas, but I am so busy that I have dropped the ball on cooking. So...today (Saturday) I will plan menus!

hugs!!!

Hugs!!!

Recycler

Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)

Journey 12:29

leaving for doctor - on time!

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

Journey 4:45

Got back from the doc about 3 and have done a moderate amount of work on the support model since then.  I'm switching gears now and going to spend a little while reading about the OPM product I'm installing.  Then I'm calling it a day as far as work goes. 

DH is bringing home dinner - I had planned on cooking but I laid out some chicken to thaw and it's still frozen hard as a rock.  So dinner and dishes are all taken care of . . . I should make a grocery list and do some laundry.

Jo

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

Way to go, jo

Congrats on leaving for Dr. on time, Journey and welcome back.  I really struggle with time, too, and being on time is a big accomplishment for me, so you should be commended!

Hope the appt went well.

rec

Thanks Rec!

and the dr. says the knee is healing just fine.  no more crutches, and physical therapy starts next week.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

journey

so happy to hear your daughter is healing!  It is amazing how the human body can recover!

Joe's CI--Breaking it down

Hello Everyone,
It is now 8:40 AM.  I felt tempted to "just read a little e-mail" before starting work today.  Instead, I came to this forum and now I will commit to working on my presentation until 9:30 AM when I will take a walking break.  I'll check back in at 9:50 after the walk.  Thanks for all the helpful advice yesterday.  I am breathing easier already.

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing  --Steven Covey
                      

You Go Joe!

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

You Go Joe!

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

Moderate success

Thanks for all the encouragement.  I did put in an hour of honest work before going for the walk.  I was tempted to look at e-mail, but mangaged to stay away.  I did spend some time avoiding the top priority work by doing some lesser priority items, but I spent about 3/4 of the time on my top plate.

My next break is lunch at 11:20 AM.  So for the next hour and 20 minutes, I am committed to not only working, but to saying on my top plate.  I only have to do this for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  No frills. Just start.  Hey, I think I can do this.  I'll check back in after lunch to let you know how it goes.

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing  --Steven Covey
                      

Joe, love your signature quote

Joe, Glad to see you back here.

Love your signature quote.
"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing"

When you first posted here many months ago, I saw that quote and loved it.  I wrote it down on a piece of paper and brought it to work.  It has been on my computer monitor at my jobsite ever since!  It helps me a lot.

I remember wanted to write to the person whose signature quote is was -- to thank you, but you had stopped posting, and I couldn't remember who it was.

So glad you are back.  Now I can thank you! 

And I am just glad -- in general -- that you are back.
---------------------

routin' for joe

i'm routin' for ya.

looking forward to your check-back.

email trap

I find that email and even posting here in the morning can slow me down to a crawl. The walk sounds like a great idea! Glad to hear you are on your way!

Edge's CI - 5:30PM

I woke up at 2pm today :rolleyes: :( Not a very good way to start, particularly since my day is almost ending - blah. But it's ok, I only have one major priority today: Finishing my Ar homework. It has to get done no matter what, so won't let anything distract me from it. I have to hand it in tomorrow =/

What I did today:
x dishes
x tidy up house
x FH
x ask R about WoW subscription limit
x check subscription timing

What I would like to do today:
- tell WoW friends I'll be away for a month
- do Ar homework
- evening med
- prep tomorrow's to do?

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

Edge's CI - 10:18PM

It's getting kind of late, but I'm working on my homework now. I think once I get into the swing I'll be able to get my mind off the distractions :)

What I did today:
x dishes
x tidy up house
x FH
x ask R about WoW subscription limit
x check subscription timing
x pick dad up from airport

What I would like to do today:
- tell WoW friends I'll be away for a month
- do Ar homework
- evening med
- prep tomorrow's to do?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action - Walter Anderson

Edge's Closing CI

What I did today:
x dishes
x tidy up house
x FH
x ask R about WoW subscription limit
x check subscription timing
x pick dad up from airport
x tell WoW friends I'll be away for a month
x do Ar homework
x evening med

Left Undone:
- prep tomorrow's to do?

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

Lark @ 9:29am

Good morning everyone. Especially good to see you again Jo. I try to make Friday "catch up day", and it never turns out as well as I hope. Today I need to finish one thing for work, so I got up an hour earlier, left heat on in my workshop, and I'm going to get what I need instead of waiting for delivery. Sounds great on paper, huh? Today I'm going to begin a new program of sorts to keep my place neater and cleaner. Your support will be appreciated.
To do:
morning routine
spiritual time
run combined errands
finish work project A
begin work project B
battle clutter for one hour
visit friends this evening
call power Co. about relative's account
wash dishes
check in after lunch

i support ya

i pray your in good sorts today :)

kromer 8:20 CI

Had a not-so-productive couple days, so I've got a bit of catch-up to do.

Tasks:
*Organize--I think my disorganization is slowing me down. I need to sort papers and go over email
*Finish biochem pset , read paper, go to class
*Work on thesis--write 1/2 page, look for datasets, try integer programming
*Work on bio lab stuff--read over questions, respond to at least half of them
*Go to youth group

kromer 11:30 CI

Did biochem pset, started reading paper, went to class.

Now I'm going to work on cleaning out my inbox. There are 400 messages in there, ugh! I'll go through 200 of them, then take a break and do something a bit more interesting (perhaps reading biochem paper), then finish going through the darn emails.

Check in after paper+inbox are dealt with.

Also, add *go swimming* to the list of tasks for the day, if I don't get some exercise soon I'm going to go bonkers.
Update 12:00--dealt with 200 messages, now reading biochem paper.

kromer 4 CI

Not exactly blazing along, but I've cleared my inbox, read the biochem paper, and gone swimming. Next I'm going to read over the bio lab questions...I've been afraid to look at them, so my rule now is that I need to read them but don't have to answer them yet!

4:30 update--read over most of questions, don't look too bad, I'll take 30 min and answer when I get home and have my lab notebook.

Next up: I want to try out integer programming, and also organize my papers. That'll probably take me up until the start of youth group (since I need to leave around 5:15 or 5:30)

Also, add to list of tasks:
*Charge cell phone, call home, call A

kromer 11 CI

Read lab questions, tried out integer programming, went to youth group (and it ran ridiculously long), called home, tried calling A.

I'm very tired, but before I go to bed I'd like to:
*Order book on AMPL
*Start looking for test data sets--search database for "androgen" and find 3 best hits
(update 11:20--this was fast, I'll search for another hormone while I'm at it. Then I'll only have 2 to do tomorrow)
*File 5 papers (small I know, but at least it's *something*)

Bio lab questions

Hi kromer,

You said you're not blazing, but it seems to me like you're chugging along well, setting tasks & carrying them out. Your approach to the lab questions sounds helpful. . . hopefully when you got to the answering part, it was easier for having looked the scary critters in the face.

Falcon

Journey 8 am

Good Friday morning!
I've been in class this week so I've missed the forum - I have enjoyed catching up on your posts.  Yesterday had some very poignant posts.  thanks to Rec and Joe K for your comments, I really enjoyed reading through your comments and ideas. 

I'm working from home today and I'll skip my usual comment about how terrible I am at working from home,  because I don't think it's true anymore!!  Since I've adopted Falcon's timer hack - and posting my progress in this forum - I feel like I not only get a lot of work done, but seem to have more time for myself too.  Today I'm doing 30+15 (30 minutes work, 15 minutes break/personal time). 

DD has a doctor's appointment at 1:00 - before that we need to wash her hair - and before I can wash her hair I've got to get all the dirty dishes out of the sink!  I normally keep up with the dishes during the week but I've been too tired after class to do them this week so they've piled up. 

First work task on the agenda - catch up on voice and email. 
First personal task on the agenda - give the itchy dog all her medicine and ointments. 

Back in an hour with an update. 

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

Jo 8:50

Itchy dog has been medicated, voice mail done, email in progress.  Taking a break, then back to email.  Report in again at 10. 

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

itchy dog

your itchy dog cracks me up.  Did you acquire him itchy, or did he become itchy after you acquired him.  BTW we have 2 dogs here.

re: the itchy dog

Hi Clement, fellow procrastinator and fellow dog-lover:

She became itchy at about two years old - we got her as a puppy from a friend and her litter mates have the same problem - the vet says it's probably a grass allergy! 

I've finally found a combination of things that keep her reasonably comfortable without spending a fortune but it takes constant attention.  I don't mind though, she's a sweetheart. 

We have two dogs too, one yellow lab (the itchy one) and a part border collie, who was a stray that we adopted. 

What would we do without our furry friends? 

Jo

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey

Journey 11:15

Email is all done, also did the dishes and got dd's hair washed. 

Next, work on support model for 30 minutes, then time to get myself ready. 

Check back before 12:30 to say I'm leaving for the appointment.  I want to give myself plenty of time to get there.  Trying to break myself of being late although not making a whole lot of progress on this one.  I'm still five minutes late all the time.   I know you guys understand, it's putting off getting ready until the last minute, thinking I can make a 20 minute drive in 10 minutes if I really try, hating to wait once I get there . . . I'm sure you guys can relate.  I have a book to read if I get there early.  (I'm reading the Harry Potter series finally)

Jo

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen Covey