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.
Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
Trying a bookend
Ok, don't know if I am doing this properly, technologically, but here goes.
By top of the hour:
*hang/fold clothes in dryer
*move clothes in washer to dryer
*review class preps for fall for co-op mtg tomorrow
*check yahoo mail
*take vitamins with plenty of water
*bedtime routine incl. shower
For morning:
*get up at 7:00 am
*complete morning routine
*check planner and all the slips of paper reminding me to do things
*don't forget materials needed for appointments
*be ontime for chiropracter at 8 am
*be ontime for co-op mtg at 9 am
*be ontime to orient pastor new to area at 11:00
*call shut-ins to schedule afternoon appointments
*don't forget everything needed for communion
*be ontime
*play zoo tycoon for half an hour as a reward when finished!
Hmm.
Still thinking about doing my daughter's chore. I said it "seemed easier to do it myself." That's a common thread running through my procrastinations. I do whatever is easier. Never do what I am avoiding. Maybe the reason I also fail to do whatever I have scheduled for enjoyment is out of a need for atonement (punishment). Conversely, if, in both cases, it is just habitually avoiding reality because I don't care for reality, then I am depriving myself of the good just to avoid the bad! But I better quit pondering and just go to the shower!!!!
Avoiding pondering
You could ponder in the shower!
checking in
Ok, here it is the bottom of the hour again (nearly), so that didn't go so well, but I did get SOME done. Got distracted once I got to yahoo, then again by a phone call which required me to look up something else at yahoo and threw me right back into browsing, plus wondering about spyware...when I saw it was ten minutes after the hour I dashed to the laundry room and did those chores...never heard the buzzer on the dryer when it went off, so some things are a little wrinkly--but, hey--having a deadline posted made me want to be able to report I'd at least done some of it, so I did it! Funny thing, too--when I took the stuff out of the washer, turns out it wasn't mine but my daughter's. I loaded it, anyway, tho she was in the other room and I should have had her come do it...seemed less trouble to do it myself since I was there (bad habit). So I procrastinated on my own chores by doing one of my daughter's chores, hmm.
X*hang/fold clothes in dryer
X*move clothes in washer to dryer
*review class preps for fall for co-op mtg tomorrow
X*check yahoo mail
*take vitamins with plenty of water
*bedtime routine incl. shower
Will take vitamins, dash to shower, brush teeth, moisturize, and go to sleep. Reviewing materials isn't crucial (but would be nice), so I'll look it over quickly in the morning.
For now:
*get up at 7;00 am.
Norm's First BE of the day 7.00 pm
Hello there cyber friends! Looks like you've all been getting loads done whilst I've been away on my course. I'm getting very tired now of being away every weekend. Just one more to go and then I get a weekend at home, yay!
Well, I left it to the last minute, but I got the prep done for my course - and there was me, not so long back, worried you might get rid of me because I wasn't procrastinating any more ;)
Next time, instead of telling myself to 'finish that x today' I need to remind myself to keep starting - over and over and over until it's finished. Flexiblefine has said it often enough, and I know it works in other areas of my life. How often do I need to go through this until I learn I can use it in ~all~ areas of my life? LOL!
Well, I kept nibbling away at it until this morning it was finished and I was pleased with the result. The workshop went well, I think. The second workshop ~did~ get cancelled - which meant less prep to do, and more time this afternoon to CUOP and just chill out without feeling guilty about it. My David Allen Task List is empty, and I've just got my regular routines to do. So I'm going to spend the rest of the evening pottering about doing a few jobs, in no particular order...
[] Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation technique)
[] Walk Ddog
[] Daytime Routine (not looking forward to this, but it'll make tomorrow easier)
[] Watch the DVD I first talked about watching for the last month or two.
[] Bookcrossing (journal and parcel read books; register new-to-me books)
[] See what's happening in that in-tray (it's reached 1' 9")
[] Find the list that I already had (it's possibly in the in-tray)
hiya, Normy!
Nice to see you back!
No worries - we don't mind having anticrastinators around. You can educate the rest of us. :)
Teri's BE 4:35 AM
Good Mornig Anouk, Pro, & everyone else.
I didn't post during weekend and missed it?
Pro - did you do quite time first today? :)
It helps me too when I focus in the morning and set priorities for the day.
Slider - glad you joined in.
Where's Normy?
Anouk - missed you :)
go kayaking now
run after kayaking
start hw & copy notes
dinner w/mom & cousin tonight
teri - can you make this the start of your BE section?
Teri,
To keep the day thread organized, can you make all your next bookends a reply to your first post? It's not a big thing, but it makes the bookends easier to track.
And no, I did not do quiet time yesterday, and that's how I got so screwed up! Today I will start with it!!
pro's bookending section
Yesterday I did stuff, but not what I wanted to do most. Today I'm going to start the day with journaling and quiet thinking so I get on track from the start.
I'm going to again use the "ta da-to do" idea (borrowed from Anouk). That worked well for me yesterday except that I had the wrong stuff on the to-do list.
pro's last check-in
For the last several hours I've been researching the company that I'm interviewing with tomorrow. I think I'm going to quit now so I have some chance of getting to sleep tonight. I'll get up early and review the technology so I feel more confident about that.
I hope this goes well. I haven't had an opportunity like this in a while.
pro's CI - 5:30pm
I have some banana bread in the oven. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to start baking during a 100+ degree heatwave. Obviously I'm not thinking very clearly.
Back to my reading...
pro's CI - 4:20pm
Every time I start to read about the company I'm interviewing with tomorrow, my anxiety level shoots up so high that I jump out of my chair after just a few minutes.
I think I'm going to try baking something simultaneously - maybe the distraction will reduce my anxiety level. Read, bake, read, bake...
Running around in tight little circles now...
I'm so nervous I'm not doing anything but pacing around my apartment feeling wired. I need to sit down and focus!!
TaDa & ToDo
This idea came from the SHEsInTouch board - I don't know who originated it, but whoever, it's a great idea!
did I see it, or make it up??
I don't know where I got this idea. I saw some of Anouk's posts with Ta Da and To Do - I think that's what gave me the idea. But I'm not sure she was doing it quite like this. I know I didn't see it on the SHEs board because I haven't been there in an age.
Wherever it came from, it's working for me!
I was doing it on SHEs...
...then when I started the daily thread here I started doing it here too, as it works well for me. I like the adaptation that you've done - just to make it a short list and add to it as things get done.
pro's CI - 11:30am
Ta Da
- Showered and dressed.
- Made and ate breakfast.
- Made up bed (converted futon to couch).
- Wrote to clients that I wouldn't be able to respond until later this week (I have an appointment tomorrow I need to prepare for).
- Finish sorting through pile on desk - filed receipts and statements, but action items in a folder to handle later in the week.
- Answered work email, told people I'd be mostly unavailable until Wednesday.
- Go out to buy milk, pick up pants from tailor, get mail.
- Sat for a minute, but not long (too anxious).
- Googled the guy who got me the interview (yow - big shot!).
- Ate some lunch and washed the dishes.
To Do
- Prepare for interview tomorrow.
---- Research company.
---- Bone up on technology.
To Do (but not today)
- Call Citibank about mix-up.
- Renew license registration.
- Send in NYC resident parking discount form.
- Call insurance companies about car break-in.
- Handle other stuff in "to do" pile.
(Why is life always filled with so many boring and tedious things to do??)
Interview
Looks like you're on 'prepare for interview tomorrow' now pro.
All the best, and I hope you get the best outcome possible from it. We're all cheering you on!
thank you, Normy!!
I've cleared my entire day so the only thing I have to do is prepare for this interview, and I'm such a nervous wreck that I can't sit still long enough to do it.
Why is life filled with boring To Dos?
Life isn't - it's your ToDo list that's the problem! It needs some fun, creative things on it!
Isn't your mail filled with tedium?
Normy, whenever I open my mail, I find all kinds of crap I have to take care of - a mistake by Citibank that requires a phone call, my insurance company denying a justified claim, a double charge on a medical bill, etc., etc.
It seems like most people are incompetent at their jobs and couldn't care less about doing things properly, and I end up wasting half my life fixing the mistakes they make that screw up my life.
This doesn't happen to you?
It certainly does!
Sometimes I can get so frustrated because other people do things that cost ~me~ time and money. Insurance companies are my worst bugbear. I need to learn to let go of this resentment - this stuff is going to happen no matter what, so I just need to learn to accept what I personally can't avoid and get on with it.
On a practical level, it also helps if I give myself a little more unscheduled time to deal with things like this. In the past my schedule has been so tight it's only taken account of what I have planned for myself, and these sorts of things just overwhelmed me. It's often these 'important urgent' things that come up that make ~my~ stuff, ~my~ priorities, go out of whack. I'm a bit better now at ensuring I have some time to deal with 'things' that come up, but I've not got this cracked properly yet - I still have that resentment at having to spend my time on other people's stuff that affects me.
pro's CI - 10:25am
It's time to sit quietly and think - get centered and focused. What comes next is very important.
Ta Da
- Showered and dressed.
- Made and ate breakfast.
- Made up bed (converted futon to couch).
- Wrote to clients that I wouldn't be able to respond until later this week (I have an appointment tomorrow I need to prepare for).
- Finish sorting through pile on desk - filed receipts and statements, but action items in a folder to handle later in the week.
- Answered work email, told people I'd be mostly unavailable until Wednesday.
- Go out to buy milk, pick up pants from tailor, get mail.
To Do
- Write in journal, meditate, prioritize to-do list.
- Prepare for interview tomorrow.
To Do (but not today)
- Call Citibank about mix-up.
- Renew license registration.
- Send in NYC resident parking discount form.
- Call insurance companies about car break-in.
- Handle other stuff in "to do" pile.
(Why is life always filled with so many boring and tedious things to do??)
pro's CI - 9:55am
Ta Da
- Showered and dressed.
- Made and ate breakfast.
- Made up bed (converted futon to couch).
- Wrote to clients that I wouldn't be able to respond until later this week (I have an appointment tomorrow I need to prepare for).
- Finish sorting through pile on desk - filed receipts and statements, but action items in a folder to handle later in the week.
- Answered work email, told people I'd be mostly unavailable until Wednesday.
To Do
- Go out to buy milk, pick up pants from tailor, get mail.
- Write in journal, meditate, prioritize to-do list.
- Prepare for interview tomorrow.
To Do (but not today)
- Call Citibank about mix-up.
- Renew license registration.
- Send in NYC resident parking discount form.
- Call insurance companies about car break-in.
- Handle other stuff in "to do" pile.
(Why is life always filled with so many boring and tedious things to do??)
pro's CI - 8:46am
Ta Da
- Showered and dressed.
- Made and ate breakfast.
- Made up bed (converted futon to couch).
- Wrote to clients that I wouldn't be able to respond until later this week (I have an appointment tomorrow I need to prepare for).
- Finish sorting through pile on desk - filed receipts and statements, but action items in a folder to handle later in the week.
To Do
- Answer work email.
- Write in journal, meditate, prioritize to-do list.
- Prepare for interview tomorrow.
To Do (but not today)
- Call Citibank about mix-up.
- Renew license registration.
- Send in NYC resident parking discount form.
- Call insurance companies about car break-in.
- Handle other stuff in "to do" pile.
(Why is life always filled with so many boring and tedious things to do??)
pro's CI - 7:45am
Ta Da
- Showered and dressed.
- Made and ate breakfast.
- Made up bed (converted futon to couch).
- Wrote to clients that I wouldn't be able to respond until later this week (I have an appointment tomorrow I need to prepare for).
To Do
- Write in journal, meditate, prioritize to-do list.
- Answer work email.
- Finish sorting through pile on desk (finding some things I need to take care of immediately).
- Prepare for interview tomorrow.
To Do (but not today)
- Call Citibank about mix-up.
- Send in NYC resident parking discount form.
- Call insurance companies about car break-in.
Anouk's BE section
Hi everybody,
I have to learn for an exam today. It is at 5.30 pm and I didn't do anything so far for it except reviewing the material for 30 minutes yesterday.
What I am going to do today: do a big mindmap with all the information on it.
Pro: you seem to have got don a lot yesterday! Your system is really cool. It is very motivating to see what got done over the day!
Vibes for Anouk
Anouk I've only just read this! Looks like you're in your exam RIGHT NOW, so I'm sending you some great exam vibes!...
Anouk - I'm liking this new system a lot...
After my interview tomorrow (can't do anything but prepare for that now), I'll post about my to-do/ta-da method (adapted from your posts!). It's been working surprisingly well for me.
It's funny how you can feel like nothing in the world can help and get you back on track, but sometimes all it takes is something so small.
The small things add up
People who know I used to procrastinate A LOT sometimes ask me what I'm doing differently. It's lots of different, sometimes little, things and they all add up. There isn't one single solution. Sometimes it takes a tiny change to make the difference.
yes, many small tweaks and adjustments
I've been finding the same thing. I have to keep trying, over and over, day after day, until I find solutions for each stumbling block. Often just a small change can fix it, but I have to keep trying until I discover that small change.
and posting here helps
because sometimes I forget that I discovered something that works! If it's posted somewhere then I tend to come across it again and remember :)
Anouk's CI (1)
Ok. I have been nicely procrastinating surfing the web. I am definitely going to stop NOW and start learning!
Anouk's CI (2)
Ta Da:
- 5 x 30 minutes of learning, but again, I should have started learning yesterday: I don't know if any of the stuff will stay in my head until the exam
- brought the garbage downstairs
- made a special salad for tonight
- lots of phone calls
To Do:
-one more 30 minute session
- exam
- linguistics class
- relax!!!
That's my favorite procrastination, Anouk!
I can procrastinate for hours surfing the internet. And I can't just turn it off and get back to work because I need the internet to do my work! I just have to make a decision.
Looking forward to your next check-in!
One of mine too
I've been here CUOP (Catching Up On Posts) for a couple of hours now. I think in future I'm going to have to just jump right in afresh if I've been away for the weekend, but there are such gems in all your posts that I'd miss!