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.
e's end of day check back
Today was a very productive day, although it must be said that there is still lots to do.
Insurance: dealt with for the moment
meds: called in and picked up: to follow up with physician later this week
C: half registered for school. To do: get immunization records faxed over, drop off transcripts, etc. take back forms, go to notary public, photocopy lease and receipt after signatures are completed.
A is driving me cuckoo while he goes SLOOOWWWWLLLYYY about the practice of looking for a job. I want to own that I am impatient with him and that it will be a bit of a rocky road when his girlfriend heads off to school while he stays in town. Argh. Parenting teens is like living through your teenage years all over again.
Held temper: for the most part. Did a lot of eft work this morning which seems to have helped.
organized papers and picked up more for school, tenancy, and new apartment. Picked up parking sticker! To do: get new lease forms and contact W's to see if they will rent or not.
Had a really nice time with C who took me out to lunch today. Found shoes the fit him that were WAY too expensive, but we may stick with them as his feet are shaped like brick flippers.
To do: book rental truck, tenancy issues, book Kyria Jenny, call about shipment, resume', finish registration for school for C, go to dealership to install new part. Pray for patience as A learns how to function as an 'adult'. Pray hard.
Recycler CI 10pm EST
Hi!
Just spent too much time at lolcats for lol. However, had a good time. lol ;)
Today: elliptical, stretching, work. Coworker out, so filled in for them. Did imho unneccessary projects for their boss(es). Did some of my own projects. Progress on typing volunteer minutes. After work, chiropractor, shopping, support group, met with sponsor. Next: time to sleep!
Have a great night, everyone! :)
Recycler
Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)
Convalaria at 11.00am Tuesday
Was over ambitious with my list yesterday. mananged to tidy the kitchen and then was too tired to do anything else. I think that I must rethink spending 45 minutes with mother keeping her company while she atches TV......A curly one
This morningI
I find that the business of this profession and home stuff prevent me from doing the planning, organising and grading that need to be done. I function on adrenalin and always PROCRASTINATE the most important. The other stuff is also impotant but I run out of energy........
How do I prioritise????
prioritising
That is the same question I ask, Convalria. Usually I don't succeed doing the things I put off, unless I commit to a limited amount of time on a daily basis and spend that time in the chatbox so I actually do some of it. I am far from recovered from my addiction: I sometimes put important things off so long that they no longer are important to me. But certain tasks I really don't enjoy at all: those with pieces of paper really are a pain. I am setting up a weekly schedule that will include a particular time of day, probably right after supper, just to work on paperwork so I can play catch up.
Let me know if you come across some other things that work on prioritizing: I need all the suggestions I can get!
Agnus checking in, recheck 2:55
Good morning, my dear PA-Pals! So good to be posting from home again! I have already attended a 7am meeting, enjoyed breakfast with sponsees and other friends, reviewed my plans, had Step 11 time, and started lunch. My task list isn't sorted by MITs yet, and it's pretty ambitious. I've prayed for freedom from impulsiveness, compulsiveness, obsessiveness and distractedness (the Four Horsemen on which my addictions all ride) and now I'm off to do what I can:
Ag ratting myself out
I have two added deadlines that are major crunch and I am overwhelmed with the urge to procrastinate. My 'puter needs a reboot to install some new stuff so I have printed the items I need to work on, and I'm totally craving a game of Spider before I shut down and do this work. I acknowledge that I am feeling this way...aaargh!...and I "pause, when agitated or doubtful, to ask for the right thought or direction...humbly reminding myself that I am no longer running the show...'Thy will be done'..."
Whew. I feel it passing already. OK, shutting 'er down and going to work. Thanks for listening.
Ag ci 7pm
Well, as I said this morning, I was pretty sure that was an unrealistic list. But I am grateful to have got this much done. Back tomorrow - have a great evening, everyone.
What an important role model
I need to remember that. See below for why.
good for you.
Way to honor the feeling without giving in.
The adrenaline you've been living on only leaves you wanting.
GS 10:39 AM
I had intended to check in about 7:30. But the first task on my list was to deal with a possible presentation 2-1/2 weeks from now. That required me to check air fare to the site city.
The cost, even though it would be borne by the client, is way too much to be reasonable. I've already arrived at a likely figure for my fee if I do the presentation, and airfare would about double the client's total cost. I have settled on driving to the city in a rented car in the event I do it because that 1) will be cheaper and 2) will take less time, truthfully, than flying will.
This fact led me to a decision that I'd been contemplating since I first discussed this project with the prospective client last week: namely, to network and see if I can find a presenter in or near the city where the event will take place. I spoke with the client and offered that as an option and he liked it. If I can't find someone in 24 hours I'll go ahead and do the job.
The bottom line is that (with some interruptions for various family matters) has pretty much absorbed my time this morning. SO much for a half hour to go through my in box. So much for setting side half-hour increments to work on various projects.
Grrrrr....
I'm going to do the inbox now for 30 minutes and return at 11:30 to check in here.
5:37 PM. It's been an almost entirely reactive day.
Here's the good thing that happened today: I was successful in recruiting an alternative to me for the presentation.
Here's the more complete background. Organization W is indirectly associated with Client C, for whom I write regularly. W's leader knows of my work for Client C and last week needed a last minute presenter for an upcoming seminar in a city 6+ hours away from my home 2-1/2 weeks from now. He was willing to pay me.
In discussion with him over the weekend I accepted but didn't quote a price. This morning I calculated my own price, and in the meantime investigated airfare to the distant location. It was very expensive (being a fly in and out on the same day itinerary; staying over was not an option). I felt worse and worse about the project, which also would require me to invest 20 hours in developing the presentation, because I had a lot of boning up to do on the subject matter.
This morning I called W and said 1) What my price would be (not counting expenses); 2)That I would drive, not fly, because it would be cheaper and less time consuming (really!); and 3) That, while I would be ready, willing and able to do the presentation myself if need be, he would be better served by a presenter in the city where the event is taking place.
I offered to spend a little time today researching possible presenters, again reassuring him that if that didn't lead anywhere I would remain willing to present as originally agreed upon.
Now, this is something I'm good at. At bottom I'm a reporter. So I can call around and hunt up experts in all kinds of ways. I emailed several contacts and got some leads. Within five phone calls I had found a good one who was available on the date and interested. I qualified him for Client W, then went ahead and gave W the prospect's contact info. Late in the day I heard that they'd reached a satisfactory conclusion that they would be able to do business together. Client W. was very happy and said 1) Invoice him for the time / energy I spent; and 2) When this project is over he'd like to hire me for some writing work (which is, after all, what I really do).
All this is good, and I enjoyed both the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of completing the task.
But for all intents and purposes, it's all I did today. Except for a brief conversation with an editor tweaking an old project, that's it.
One reason is that I had some diversions because of spending time with my younger son before he went off this afternoon for a 2-day camping trip w/ a friend and the friend's family. The other is that, once I got back in the chair, I just piddled. And piddled. And piddled away the day, in full reaction mode.
Mrs. GS won't be home until later. She will call me soon to say either 1) wait dinner for her, or 2) go ahead and eat 'cos she's getting plenty to eat where she's going.
So...
I'm setting a timer. 15 minutes. Clearing my task list for today and making sense of it for tomorrow. That's MIT#1 right now.
OK, I did it.
And this is even more important: When the 15-minute timer went off I stopped what I was doing [which was working through some of the remaining tasks, mostly housekeeping ones, on today's list] to come and check in here.
I'm setting the timer for another 15 minutes and going through the remaining tasks still on today's list. A lot I have moved to tomorrow.
congrats gs!
Great job, starting and stopping on time is really hard...
Thank you!
Here's 2 for 2! I set another 15 minute timer and checked in here when it went off!
My current task -- the occasion for another 15 minute timer -- is organizing the vertical divider that holds "active project" files on my desk. I've started doing that, but just wanted to check in.
The divider is organized
One more thing on the list checked off.
An aside: Right now 15 minutes is good. Tomorrow I'm going to generally set the timer in 1/2 hour increments all day long, and check in a lot.
Meanwhile, another 15 minutes. I'm actually practicing some singing right now--that's the next item on the list! After that, I've got some record keeping to do. But I'll be back in 15 anyway.
How tasks lead to new tasks
7 p.m. In the middle of singing I realized my lyric sheet was incorrect. I needed to update it. I checked it against YouTube version of the song (by the original artist). Now I'm creating a new document with the correct lyrics. Necessary, but not on the task list, but a logical extension of a task on the list.
Next task will still be the paperwork.
7:15. Now, finally, the paperwork
Marching through those tasks :-)
My personal time sheets (I keep those to track how well I do per hour on projects that are billed by the project, and for occasional jobs that are billed by the hour) are up to date and I sent an invoice for the recruiting work I did today [described above] for Client W...
7:48 PM.
Done for the day I have a few undone tasks today and I'll have a long list tomorrow to do. I've blocked off time blocks for various clients/projects and I've made a note to myself to check in here right away and every 30 minutes to keep on task.
See you tomorrow... it's been not the best day, but not the worst, either.
Journey 11:30 posting on the wrong day thread
I've totally been posting on some random day from the past.
Anyway, now that I'm on the right thread,
MIT#1 and #2 are done. I'm going to find stuff for #3 before heading off to toastmasters. I signed up to be an evaluator today for a guy who's first language is not English. He's a great guy and very intelligent but there is a bit of a language barrier. I am a little nervous about evaluating him . . . .
Back after lunch . . .
Jo
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams
Journey 12:50 Update 2:15 4:00
I was off the hook for my role at toastmasters! My speaker didn't show, so I was timer instead. Easy-peasy!
40 min lunch break, then clean off my messy desk and get to work on MIT #3.
2:15 Back from lunch for 45 minutes, so what have I been doing? Nada. MIT #3 is the reactivation of a project I haven't been working on for a few weeks. I'm not sure where I left off. I'm not sure what needs to be done. So I'm procrastinating
Here is my commitment to spend the next 30 minutes finding my notes, then reading them, and then actually logging on to the system!
4:00 Finally got down to work on MIT #3, figured out where things stand, and made a tiny bit of forward progress. I'm tired of working on this for now; I'll take a break from this by reviewing and backing up my project list, and organizing my notebook.
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams
Movingalong's Monday Motivations
Hello.
Usually, every Sunday, I post my weekly list of "hope-to-do" tasks. But I didn't do that yesterday.
So, although my Sunday was contemplative, I didn't get much done in the way of "action steps".
I am looking at today's thread-starter, about Step 4 and the "moral inventory".
I remember reading in the book "The 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous" -- about Step 4.
(you can read Step 4 online here: http://www.lovelandnet.com/rule62/12x12/step_4.htm )
I was reading in that chapter ... the section about how our character problems are often the result of a misdirection of a "once-healthy instinct".
This week I will attempt to examine my tendency to "want to be helpful". That is a healthy instinct ... but not when I use it to avoid doing my own tasks.
I know also that Fear can be a healthy instinct, as a way to avoid truly dangerous situations. This week, I will examine my procrastination by asking myself what it is that I am afraid of .... Why am I afraid, and why do I allow myself to become afraid of tasks that really are not DANGEROUS ... and why do I let the fear allow me to avoid these necessary tasks?
Just for today, I will attempt to do my own tasks, and nobody else's. I will reach out to Higher Power as a way to transcend (or work through) the fear.
-- movingalong
MovingAlong's Monday evening checkback
What a day!
-- movingalong
moving
that was....moving! What a blessing it is to have a day in recovery.
so true!
This week I will attempt to examine my tendency to "want to be helpful". That is a healthy instinct ... but not when I use it to avoid doing my own tasks.
I also help others as a method of procrastination.
Why am I afraid, and why do I allow myself to become afraid of tasks that really are not DANGEROUS ... and why do I let the fear allow me to avoid these necessary tasks?
Today I found myself trying to shove the fear down... I know that eventually it will come bubbling back up, or just drag me down into paralysis. Instead I'm choosing to let it flow through me and (I hope) out of me.
Thanks for your step 4 thoughts!
The adrenaline you've been living on only leaves you wanting.
''I also help others as a method of procrastination.''
Oh, boy is that true!!!!!
scarlett CI 9:15 am EDT
Morning, y'all. I just keep popping back up, like mushrooms after rain.
I am VERY organized today - spent an hour on Friday prepping for this week. Feels good to come in to a planned Monday.
Ta da:
Eat breakfast
Take pills
Declutter 5 min.
To do:
Email MK
Review DS plan
Call TG
Sched mtg w/ AA
Review RS
Plan tomorrow
The adrenaline you've been living on only leaves you wanting.
scarlett CI 11:30 am EDT
I'm over halfway done with my tasks and it's not even lunch yet! So awesome. I have one task assigned per hour, and if I finish it early I do another, similar task that's not on my list for today but needs to be done.
Ta da:
Eat breakfast
Take pills
Declutter 5 min.
Review DS plan
Review SCS plan
Call TG
Email DG
To do:
Email MK (started)
Sched mtg w/ AA
Review RS
Plan tomorrow
The adrenaline you've been living on only leaves you wanting.
scarlett CI 4:55 pm EDT
That's it for today. I'm very proud of myself.
Ta da:
Eat breakfast
Take pills
Declutter 5 min.
Review DS plan
Review SCS plan
Call TG
Email DG
Upload pics
Plan tomorrow
Review RS
To do:
Email MK (started)
The adrenaline you've been living on only leaves you wanting.
Ms. Organized Scarlett
Congrats Scarlett, you really have it together today!
Jo
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." - Douglas Adams
thanks!
The trick, of course, will be to duplicate the feat tomorrow.
;)
The adrenaline you've been living on only leaves you wanting.
Lark at 9:14am
Good morning everyone. Looks like rain here for today, so outdoor things will be planned first. I'm happy to see you back, E, and positive thoughts go out to Kromer for grad school.
To do:
morning routine
spiritual time
order or pick up supplies for project A
finish project A and call client
clean up lawn and driveway, sweep prch and walks
one section of work project B
reduce pile on table
go over finances
hugs to lark
kromer 9 CI
Start grad school orientation today, am really nervous and am coping by procrastinating.
I'm going to take 15 min for prayer/spiritual time, 15 min to pack my stuff, then leave and walk over.
I'll be done with morning orientation at 12:30 and will check back in then.
way to go, Kromer! :)
Hey Kromer!
Way to go! :) We are proud of you! :)
Recycler
Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)
kromer 7:30 CI
Thanks to all for good wishes!
I ended up going to orientation events/doing useful tasks until 3:30, then wasted the afternoon (feeling lonely)...but I pulled myself mostly out of the dumps w/ spiritual time+calling home. Now I'm going to tidy room, microburst making schedule for next week (get out a piece of paper and write days of the week at the top :) ), then go to social event with new classmates. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...
kromer at grad school
I guess we never outgrow that first day of school jitters. hugs to you, kromer, tomorrow you will know more people. And if not, there is always JP Licks.
news flash (anonymously of course)
Headline news:
Recovering procrastinator graduates from the university and enters graduate school!
There is hope for us all!
----------------------------------------
Way to go, Kromer! We're all cheering you on!
e's back from vacation check in
I am glad to be back from vacation and to this fellowship. I am struggling with being angry all the time with my husband and see how I stuff my emotions down with various avoidance techniques including procrastination. For today, I will work on staying in the moment and clearing those emotions when they come up with eft
insurance
register c for school
tenancy: get lease forms, negotiate agreement,
book moving truck, negotiate how we will handle the move with G
telephone time issue
resume
call Liz
call sisters
work search
get drivers license from g
plan meals
work out chore plan
Hi E! Welcome Back! :)
Hi E!
Welcome Back! :)
Recycler
Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)
hugs to recycler
Ritva at 7.11 am
At work
Look for a piece of paper
Take money to the bank
At home
declutter the living room for 15 minutes
keep the kitchen clean