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.
Journey 9 am a new commitment
Good morning everyone! I mentioned before that I was following the Zen to Done program, building one good habit at a time. So far, I've built the collecting habit and the habit of setting MITs each day. Leo recommends spending one month building each habit, but it's taken me longer than a month to get the second one down! On to the next one!
This is not exactly from Zen to Done, but it's something I really need to work on. I'm a VERY slow starter in the mornings, sometimes taking an hour to really get to work after I get to the office. At home, it's even worse. The day can be half over before I really get started.
So, the new habit I'm building - and this comes from the Hilary Rettig book - I gotta look back and see who recommended that book and thank them - AFTER I get my first MIT done:
1. Showing up to work exactly when you are supposed to.
2. Instantly starting the work you are supposed to be doing.
3. Staying focused on the work for twenty minutes or more.
Bookending my 20 minutes now!
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
exactly and instantly. tattoo this on my forearm.
Journey,
I really relate to this call to action. I'm a desperately slow starter too. It has gotten ridiculous. Not always, but, definitely to the point where showing up at 9am would be freakish. True, I have the luxury of only having to be responsible to a cat at the end of the day, but it's getting harder and harder to make up for lost time late into the evening. I get sleepy and dumb! Just don't have the endurance. So, YES. I need need need to try to flirt with this idea. Thanks.
Gnothi Seauton ~ Know Thyself
Journey 9:30
Did the 20 minutes . . .now I can have coffee!
Jo
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
thanks!
Thank you everyone for all of your support, especially Jo and Recycler for all the specific information about gallbladder surgery! I am not looking forward to it, but it doesn't sound as intimidating as I thought!
Convalaria Checking in at 8.33 am
Good morning all!
So far I have:
I am hoping that I have bought some time and that the consequences will not be too harsh. Unfortunatelly I have drawn attention to myself yet again in an unfavurable light.
Onwards!!!
I will remember microbursts and baby steps.
I choose to:
Convalaria at 10.38
Did above except only 15 minutes of work back log. I also swept the bedtroom floor and played with making some A4 posters with the Tools for recovery materials. Doggy is being a demanding nuisance.
Fell anxious about not meeting deadline.
Now I want to:
I do not want to feel that I have wasted another day in a blur of procrastination and paralyis.
Convalaria at noon
Still feeling anxious.
I do not know what the consequences will be.
At least the paralysis is gone now that the deadline has passed.
I am doing litttle bits and pieces of everything.
I am hoping I can deal witht the backlog and then start afresh and not be in a situation like this again. I sometimes wonder whether the procrastination is somewhow linked with defiance?
I now want to:
keep it up, conva
convalaria, from the looks of your posts, you're well on the way to recovery. Most of us in recvoery do not have great, productive days on a daily basis. What we appear to do is avoid the downward spiral--like missing a deadline and then missing a week of work due to pain of not facing that. Now we tend to face the bad stuff right up front. Often every day. So, it's still there, but when it's admitted is loses a lot of its power.
I do think, and others here have said, that procrastination is linked to defiance. I can tell you that surrender to god figures greatly in my own recovery. It is the single biggest factor, and the foundation for all the others. I appear to dive into this aspect more than most here, tho, so YMMV.
I really just wanted to say that having read many new people and old timers posts and what they sound like, you sound like an old timer.
A quote that i like in this mix that i heard once is this: "it's not how many times you fall off the horse that counts, it's how many times you get back on."
Good Luck!
Journey 6:15 pm
Got a lot done on "Intimidating Project" (I think I copied that from Grail, I love it!). I did, of course, have to ask the b.c. (brilliant coworker) for help. She is very patient with us lesser beings, but I have a hard time keeping up with her. Before PA, I used to sit here and struggle through stuff instead of asking her for help. I still don't like asking for help, but it's dumb to sit here flailing around when she can usually point me in the right direction. I was always the "smart one" as a kid so it's hard for me to ask for help - but hard or not, it's the best way to get the job done. So, suck it up.
I am not finished with the financial aid request, although I may have actually met the deadline since my FAFSA was accepted. But the college requested a slew of other forms to be filled out. Anyway, I have all that stuff filled out, and tomorrow I will fax it. And be done one day ahead of the deadline!
I'm happy that I'm not LATE on this, which is a GREAT improvement, but I hope someday to learn to get things done a little bit ahead of schedule.
Have a great evening!
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
Well done!!
Hi journey
Great that you made the deadline with the financial request! One day I hope to be able to emulate you and meet my deadlines wih my financial paperwork!
Asking for help can be difficult...sometimes I find that if I have a friendly relationship with the helper then it is easier to ask and accept help.
thanks convalaria
When I joined this forum I was a couple of years behind on some tax stuff. It has really helped! Not that I'm perfect yet by any means! I still have a backlog of financial/legal stuff to do, but I am actually working on it rather than just worrying about it :)
My b.c. (brilliant coworker) is great, and always willing to help. The problem is all mine
lol. It annoys me that she is smarter than me hehe. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not here to prove that I'm smart, I'm here to get a job done, so whatever it takes . . .
I'm really enjoying your participation on this forum and I think we can help each other a lot!
Jo
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
Recycler CI 6:25pm EST
Hi!
E, I put a Gallbladder Info reply after your post below.
Today: walk, stretch, work, proofed newsletter & sent for review, rode train home, checked in with on-line groups.
Tonight: straighten lower level, wash & moisturize face, brush & floss teeth, go to bed at reasonable time.
Have a great night, everyone! :)
Recycler
Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)
Journey 2 pm
Struggling to get started on my project for this afternoon. My brilliant coworker just intimidates me because she did half of this and I'm doing the other half and I know my half won't measure up to hers :) This fear shouldn't keep me from getting started and doing my best! Posting to get unstuck. Here goes. Deep breath.
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
c ci stalled
i see roadblocks in every direction.
The only one that didnt seem blocked was coming here and reading. which i did. read the last 3 days. Fun.
Welcome sportsfan lucy sunflower convlaria Kanzeon! Glad to see people coming here to get help.
Like, eg, me...
I now feel slightly unblocked, ready to shink myself and simply and plainly seek out my next action and do it. Feeling anxiety, but rolling with it...
2min later: next task is a little banking. doing it...
c ci - slip schedule w/ boss
my boss appreciates my creativity and is understanding of my 'focus issues'. That means i'm very lucky, because other bosses have been just the opposite and everywhere in between. One thing we talked about today is allowing me to "slip my schedule". If something was due on friday, and now there's no way i can get it done before mon, we change the date to mon. This helps me greatly because when i realize that there's no way i can get it done on fri, then, to me, in my procrastinating mind, mon & tue & wed are all the same. they're all "late." so, picking a new date, even if aggresive, as long as it's possible, keeps a sense of urgency in me.
So, i'm off to do that task.
bookend-long, simple, boring task. start. 10:16pm.
best of luck c!
good job checking in clement, way to work through the anxiety. And congrats on starting the banking. I'm rooting for you!
tx krom
it's encouraging. I feel much better now and feel oriented toward my tasks.
Journey 9 am
This site is just way too entertaining this morning. Between Lark, Grail and movingalong I am cracking up. I better get to work!
I was only moderately productive yesterday, fear over starting back up on a project that I feel intimidated by, and fear over making some (nonstressful) phone calls slowed me down. But, hey, at least I didn't walk around with brown paint on my butt all day! (sorry Lark)
I'm keeping a "stream of consciousness" journal now, so when I am stuck, I write down how I'm feeling - that came from the Hilary Rettig book that was recommended in the books forum - and it's really helping. Sometimes my fears or thoughts are ridiculous but once I get them written down, something clicks and I can get past it. It'll be things like "I can't remember how to do this without looking it up and I shouldn't have to look it up I should have remembered". stupid stuff. Once I see it written down, I can say to myself "I can't remember everything all the time. Step one is to get out my notes and review how to do this process. If I can't figure it out, I can ask for help."
So far today, I've been to the gym, read my email, and posted here. Off to set my MITs for the day.
Jo
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
check in
Getting things going here this morning, I have my five year old son, and he is ready to go to the YMCA for his day - I am getting my stuff ready, want to exercise about 15 minutes before I go to work, and then get dressed, and go. Need to make my reservation for the storage room, and uhaul or at least call them, if I have to pay them today I don't think I can afford it, would have to wait till tomorrow to pay, so I need to first check out my balance in my account, and then call I would prefer to wait till tomorrow I don't like to have my balance get to close to zero. So, do that and work from about 9:30 till 7:00. The apartment people are coming in to take a look at the apartment for some preliminary stuff as far as the carpeting and what not - I am not going to have time to pick up very much for them, and I think I am ok with that, I mean for God's sake I am in the middle of a move, with boxes all over, what do they expect. So, I am not going to beat myself up over that. So that is my game plan for today, come home and have supper, and get so more packing done. I think that I would like to get the uhaul on Sunday if I can, but if I have to do it on Saturday that is fine too, actually now that I think about Saturday is actually better because I can get all of the stuff out of here, and then cleaning would be easier. So I think that is what I am going to do. Thanks everybody, have a good day.
re sportsfan's move
sounds like you're making good progress on your move! I guess they are coming to inspect your apt. to see if you get your deposit back? They should expect to see the detritus of moving! They will probably still find a way to keep your deposit :)
Jo
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
9:53 CI for Lark
Good morning folks. It's really nice here, and I hope your days are too. I had a rather embarrassing day yesterday, and I'm upset that no one told me about what was going on. Seems I accidentally sat in some wet paint in the morning, and wasn't aware of it till evening. It was brown paint, as Murphy's Law would dictate, and I don't want to go anywhere today. I feel like a jerk. Anyway, if YOU thought YOU had a BAD DAY...
Today:
morning
spiritual (not me) time
finish project A
run errands
do banking
next section of work project B
get paint roller handle
return movie
do banking
help friend from town
check in later
oh Lark lolololol
At least you know today will have to be better!
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
kromer 8:10 CI
Ended up watching a movie last night rather than completing my work. I need to learn that unplanned breaks make me happy for a little bit and then panicked...
What to do this morning:
*Clean room
*Send email to SS about housing situation, send email to DR about mailing list for finding roommates.
*Sort bio books in library
*Leave for work around 8:45 (remember to bring lunch+dance shoes!)
*Check in with a plan for the workday
kromer 9:45 CI
Didn't get a chance to sort books (was running late), but did the rest of the above.
Got to lab, checked email+answered work-related queries.
My 3 big-picture work tasks today (don't expect to finish any of these, but want to make significant progress):
1)Investigate coregulator clusters
2)Come up with algorithmic requirements
3)Reseach who I want to work with in the fall
And my 3 small chores are:
1)Update PFAM links
2)Gather background reading material
3)Learn how to submit timesheets
I'm going to start with big task 1:
*Finish visualizing clusters with basic distance metric, look over results (DONE)
*Spend 1 hr max reading/thinking about what makes a good distance metric
*Try clustering with improved distance metric, look at results
Once I've gotten through all of these, I'll rest my brain with one of my small chores (learning to submit timesheets) and then I'll check back in.
kromer 12:30
I've been going very slowly this morning.
I finished visualizing clusters with basic distance metric and looked over results. I brainstormed for about 20 min. about other was to do clustering. I learned to submit timesheets. And I took my lunch break. That's all.
I'm going to keep working on big task 1 for a bit:
*Spend 30 min researching distance metrics, focusing on which node combinations would simplify network most (DONE)
*Visualize three literature-based clusters (NCOAs, NCORs, and CBP/p300/PCAF), and see how they look compared to my automatically generated clusters.
Then I'll switch gears for a bit and work on big task 3 for about 30 min: I'm going to email PT, and ask whether there's any possibility of doing a research rotation with him in the fall. (DONE)
I'll update as I complete each of these items. When all 3 are done, I'll check back in with a plan for the rest of the afternoon. I need to leave work about 5:30.
kromer 3:50 CI
Did the three tasks above:
I've got about another hour and half at work...here's what I'm going to do in my remaining time:
1)Spend 30-45 min thinking about desired algorithm characteristics (Spend about 15 min, another 15-30 left to do)
2)Print out some bg material on network algorithms (15-20 min) (DONE)
3)Write up my thoughts about clustering of coregs (20 min) (DONE)
4)Get directions to A's work (Done)
5)Leave by 5:30 SHARP
I'm going to get away from my computer to brainstorm, back when that's done
kromer 5:20 CI
Did all of the above. Yay!
I'm planning on being out late-ish, so I won't get much work done tonight...however, I would like to deal with house jobs (30 min), update PFAM links (5 min), sort bio books (20 min), and make spice rub for chicken (10 min) before I go to bed, if possible. I'd also like to buy a lime tonight and early tomorrow morning, but if I don't have time that's OK.
You are amazing!
Kromer
What a list of accomplishments for the day! And you think that you are a procrastinator? I wish that I could structure my time as well as you. I am wondering if you are this effective every day? Wow!
Gee Kromer
It's okay to take some time off, or have a little unplanned break. If I did as well as you do on this site, I'd be rich and famous!! Have a pleasant day.
thanks lark, you're right
I tend to expect myself to work 24/7, which is probably not realistic ;)
And I did have fun watching the movie last night...
Thanks for your encouragement, have a good day!
e's 2 pm check in
Okay, in the midst of my move I have found that I have to have my gall bladder out. Anyone who has gone through this experience I would love to hear your experience, strength and hope for this situation, as it will be my first time for surgery.
The move is going... I would not say things are under control, but I am not freaking out. I have friends coming tomorrow to pick up any extras they need, so I would like 99% of my stuff done today so I can clean tomorrow.
I lost my house keys in the parking lot of the hospital in the dust and I don't want to bother going back for them, although I ought to. sigh. Laundry is getting done, the computers are all packed up except for mine.
Chatbox today, so I can stay on track!
For E: Gallbladder info
Hi E!
You will do great with your gallbladder surgery :) My gallbladder had to be taken out 7 or 8 years ago, and I have done fine every since :)
Usually it is done outpatient, so you go home the same day. You can have them give you something to help you relax before they wheel you into the surgery room. When you slide on the surgery table, it is ok for your feet to touch a board at the end of the table. I kept trying to slide up, but they said my feet are supposed to touch the board. When you go to sleep, "one minute later" you wake up & have already had the surgery. When you wake up, if your throat is sore/dry, they can't give you any water at first, so ask for "more pain medicine" instead of water, so that your throat won't hurt.
When they wheel you to the car, have them "balance" you as you get in the car, because you may still be dizzy after waking up from the surgery.
Plan to have someone stay with you for a day or 2 after the surgery. During laposcopic surgery they "inflate" your abdomen with air so the dr has room to use the instruments laproscopically. The next day or two your abdomen muscles are very tired, so you need someone to pull you up to get out of bed. If you are laying flat or in one place, it doesn't hurt. But if you are trying to get up, it's like if you have already done 1000 sit-ups, so you can't pick yourself up like you normally would, if that makes sense. In a few days, the abdominal muscles will tighten up to where you can get around on your own again.
Have some soup, jello, broth, bread for toast at home to eat on the first few days after your surgery. You probably won't be too hungry, or at most will want something light like that.
Back at home, see if you are ok having the pain medicine & some water by your bed. Hubby was supposed to "dose" me every few hours, but would be playing video games & watching TV with headphones & would forget to check on me, and I would need the pill. So have at least your next dose on a table by your bed.
Digestive: they don't want things going around in your digestive track during the surgery, so they may give you something to "stop" them. When the surgery was completed and I was still unconscious in the recovery room, the dr went to the waiting room to tell hubby it was successful surgery and to tell him to buy some Ex-Lax for me to take the next day After the surgery. Hubby forgot, so a day or two later, I had little "rocks" that were hurting a very sensitive part of my anatomy!!! Ouch!!! Confirm with your doctor, then have some Ex-Lax at home already for a day or two After the surgery, so no one will have to go out and buy some.
(p.s. the above-mentioned hubby is now ex-hubby, so maybe these things show a pattern!)
Good luck to you with your moving & surgery, & if you think of any questions, I will try to answer them.
Recycler
Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)
gallbladder!
DH had his out a few years back, he had to have the old-fashioned surgery but for most people it's done laproscopically (sp?) now, 2 week recovery time. The good news is that he felt much better after the surgery. It was a weird thing, and I've heard this from other people too, but his symptoms didn't completely go away until several months after the surgery. You'd think if your gallbladder hurts and makes you feel ill, that when the gallbladder is gone, all that stuff would go away. But evidently it takes a while for your liver and stuff to take over the functions of the gallbladder. Good luck! It shouldn't be too bad.
Jo
"The sooner you get behind, the longer you have to catch up." - Steven Wright
Tried to join you in chat
but thesystem was very slow to load. I hope that Ican get to meet you!