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 September 29 2008

Chemgirl not really checking in 4.50pm tuesday

Well, I have been in family stomach flu h*ll since sunday night, luckily I do well in a crisis (like most procrastinators?) so despite the fact that dbaby and dh are sick and I am barely better everything is going fine.  It is nice to have a good reason not to be doing thesis!

Now back to making dd4 afternoon tea.  (Fingers crossed she won't get it, or at least not until dbaby stops throwing up!)

ooh, sorry about the flu situation chemgirl!

Hope you are all feeling better soon.

Jo

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

Recycler CI 9:30pm EST

Hi Pro Buddies!

Had a long talk with sponsor. Not a talk they wanted to have, but needed to deal with some issues/concerns.

Need to go to sleep early tonight (soon). Last night I only slept 1.5 hours, due to various "breaking news" that affected me. Discussed that with sponsor & support group tonight. Despite major stuff going on, fundamentally underneath I am ok, but my emotions haven't caught up with that yet.

Worked all day. First went to the gym, did elliptical and stretched. At work, got a number of projects done, & also dealt with walk-ins.

Was going to do a procrastinated project at the end of the day, but I.T. was going to update the server, so I had to postpone (again!). Used the time to buy a pair of pants needed for my trip.

Support group meeting. Some poor newcomer was there. All the regulars at our meeting were trying to be helpful, but said all kinds of bizarre things; I'm sure that poor newcomer will never come back! Usually we do much better with a newcomer, but tonight everyone was on tangents.

My sponsor is a great link to sanity and acceptance to me; so I am very grateful for all the programs in the world. I definitely need all mine!!! ;) With much appreciation for Pro & P.A., too! :)

Now hopefully to sleep solidly!!! Have a great night, everyone! :)


Recycler

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

Convalaria's Recovery Tuesday 8.50 am

Last 2 days have not been good.  Today I am out from 9.30am until 4pm and I still have not done my morning routine eventhough I have been awake since very early morning. Embarassed .  I have done a little bit of sorting and have transferred the rest ot the paper pile from the bookshelf behind the door onto the kitchen table. Now I am going to :

  • shower, dress, hair and make up
  • drive to temple
  • buy salald stuff on the way home
  • make the salald
  • attend family dinner
  • be home by 16pm
  • walk doggy ( a nice long walk)
  • check in

"Recovery from procrastination means doing what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it."

Journey 5:50 Not too shabby

Today's been ok, lots of administrative stuff and a long meeting - that stuff doesn't feel like "real work" to me.  But since I have been setting MITs, I'm learning to recognize that non-technical work really IS important, and it really IS work.  

Mostly kept the goofing off to designated breaks today except for a couple little slips :)

Now off to the home for the mentally challenged (that would be MY HOME), a bit of laundry folding, just a few dishes that I left in the sink last night, and I should have an hour of free time before bed. 

Jo

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

Agnus checking in and 11:05pm wrap-up

Hi, gang!  I've been on the run since 5:30 so this is as much a done-list as a to-do list.  Cleaned up back porch mess from 3 a.m. possum raid(sorry to hear your raccoon adventure, Lark!), pet care, kitchen stuff, Step 11, made list for trip prep & work, sponsor call, 7am meeting, stopped at 2 stores and only dawdled briefly in one...then to client's and worked there until 1:30, drove home, pet care, prepped and ate healthy lunch, cleaned up, and here I am. Next to-do's:

  • Book hotels -decided against since not sure how far we'll get tomorrow; will make this a late pm decision Tues
  • create VA agenda and ppt, and email them DONE
  • Call CL DONE
  • return call to Milw DONE
  • make at least 2 calls to webinar participants
  • allocate hours DONE
  • schedule billing
  • schedule personal tax stuff the acct wants
  • Medicare stuff
  • pack paperwork
  • pack clothes

AAARGH - the accountant just called. He has procrasintated doing my tax return because he doesn't like dealing with my paper system. So now he has found a huge bookkeeping mistake that I have to correct before leaving at 7 a.m. tomorrow on a business trip and vacation...or else pay huge fines because these are all due before I return from the trip...

drun C.I., 2:30pm EDT

MIT # 1: -- Write down Distractions To Do for Later.
-- ie read "be kind to yourself/meaning of surfing?" (by chickadee) and reply on todays forum later.

--((Note: I want to read and contribute more to p-a.org; but also need to keep p-a.org itself from distracting me from my Most Important Tasks. No offense intended, chickadee.))--

MIT #2: [Done]-- Write hello, etc. to jm; contacted sl.

MIT #3: -- email to sr on Sun vol table; bc jobs.

MIT #4: -- write reply email letter Thank You to ld;
-- select cv to send to him.

CI's late check in

stayed busy, did tasks I had been avoiding, avoided timewasters. Busy since 6.30 am--now I need a break!

congrats chickadee!

Great work and enjoy your break :)

scarlett CI 12:00 pm EDT

I think I'm at the tipping point, where I can either get in gear and have a pretty good day, or continue to surf and end up not being happy at the end of the day. Turning Instant Boss on...

Priority:
Open BT email
Reread BT email
Open work plan
Brainstorm, c&p
Prioritize
Type up
Email to BT

Ta da:
Eat breakfast
Take pills
rsvp: s, a
email rw
buy fb

To do:
Draft list of 3-5 top priorities, and 2nd tier, and email to BT
Make list from work plan
Set pillars and block time
V – pull folder & look for salvage info, check numbers and graphs
MH f/u: update salvage sheet & email to PK (20 min)

Personal:
appts: dr. m, r, v, md
email fam re: sun
buy flt
find chile recipe

The adrenaline you've been living on only leaves you wanting.

to lark 2

 omg, Lark, now I understand why my list seemed like a piece of cake!  LOL, JO, you scoundrel! cheering up at Lark's misfortune!

re: Lark 2

(hehe) Journey hugs Lark. 

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

Lark at 9:19pm, not a fun day

I haven't had a great day. Not only did I have to remove the racoon, but also a squirrel near where the racoon passed on. Also a client and I are parting ways. The main reason was my procrastination habit, yet I'm relieved that the upcoming project isn't coming. Hard to explain, but I feel pretty bad about it. Also, I had some friction with a friend this afternoon, and I'm not exactly sure what occurred. I guess I need to buckle down and focus on what needs to be done this week and keep clear of others.

hugs to lark!

I admire your resolve to focus, even at the end of a tough day.

On the plus side, tomorrow is unlikely to involve dead animals, and so will have to be better than today :)  

Journey 10:30 . . .a bit disappointed with my weekend . . .

Good morning everyone! 

I spent waaaayyyy too much time playing computer games on Sunday.   I worked 1/2 day Saturday so I didn't get much done on Sat., and then Sunday I wasted all my extra time.  I got the necessaries done; laundry, basic housework, dog baths, bathroom cleaning.  But the things that suffered were the things that I wanted to do for myself; clean out my car, organize my audio books, change up my workout playlist.   WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF? 

The good news is that it's a new week, the b.i.c. (brilliant intimidating coworker) is back from vacation and figured out what went wrong with my test over the weekend, and I'm really feeling rested and energetic.  Maybe I needed the extra rest over the weekend :) that's my story and I'm sticking to it! 

So far today, I've been to the gym, and done MITs #1 and #2.  I had to do things a bit out of order this am cause I had the stuff from the weekend to follow up on, so now I'm going back to read email and make my todo list for the rest of the day. 

Jo

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

be kind to yourself!/meaning of surfing?

jo--it sounds like you did get a huge batch of the necessary but not-that-fun stuff done. Credit!

About wasting time surfing: maybe there is a question lurking in your (or my, or anyone's) choice to surf--it's not just avoiding ITs, but it's also a way of avoiding real fun or me-time or recreation?? Could it be that we all have a rebellious voice that says 'those demands are too great' and is able to say 'no, I won't, I need a break' but not able to say 'how about doing x'? 

Well, I find surfing to be addictive, and it leads me away from ITs and real fun and contact with people all at once.  

 I have pondered that my own internet binging went with doing fewer active hobbies and other really satisfying non-work stuff. It was a vicious spiral. I came to this site because I found the post about leechblock here. Now I am really into the Now habit stuff about how important it is to do the fun stuff to. But even there I find I need to commit (buy the ticket ahead, plan to meet, whatever) to make it happen.

re:be kind to yourself

Hi, Chickadee, yes you are absolutely right!  I don't plan the "real fun" because I think I should be working all the time . . .then rebel against that by surfing or watching tv . . . and end up NEITHER getting work done NOR having fun!   Silly me!  I am still learning how important it is to plan recreational activities and breaks. 

Jo

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

doing neither...

doing neither is all too, all too, familiar with me.

It sounds silly, but I've needed almost as much support and self-awareness to build fun into my routine as to do more of the to-do list. But real fun is as much of a factor in making the must do-tasks light as any other. I've learnt a lot from colleagues I supervise--it's so clear that those who take real holidays get more done. This is one I'm working on. And it's the reason that the Now Habit book was the first one that really got me motivated to try for change.

re: return lock to staples, pick up nothing

Now, that's hard to do, go to Staple's and not buy anything! 

Welcome back, we missed you!

Jo

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

success!

 I did it! (high fives self)

9:42 for Lark

Runnin' a bit late today. Clients started showing up during my first cup of coffee. I half committed myself to help a friend today, and I'm in evasive mode, hoping he'll be doing something else. I also have a client who's been very pushy, but I figure telling him "Not yet." before starting is the lesser of beginning the project and saying "Not yet." later on. That's a drag.
Today:
(X)morning things
spiritual time
remove dead racoon from road out front (Don't ask.)
Get defective item ready to send back.
Clear off kitch table (or at least so I can eat!)
work on any combination of work projects (Key word:WORK)
check in later

To Lark

OK, I thought I was having a bad day, but at least I don't have to scrape dead animals off the road!  Journey cheers up considerably at this thought.

Jo

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

e's monday

It has taken a very long time, but I finally have steady access to the internet and am happy to be posting here today. So, for today, at least, I am here: one day at a time!

Mastercard card
return scissors, pick up meds, cvs
return ikea organizers, pick up shelving?
return lock to staples, pick up nothing
put dustruffles on twin beds
fold up all linens on C's other bed
pack up excess household goods for A
pick up sticker for old washer from DPW
bring in garbage cans
figure out recycle system for inside
install new toilet seat
go through clothing for giveaways
go through anna's shoes
go through underbed bins
pocketbook, shoes, hat storage
recycle center
plan dinner
small grocery shopping
ugh... too much to do....
resume and application
followup thank you

hugs to everyone, especially to those who are blue from all the rain

Good to have you back!

Hugs!

And congrats on your progress so far today--that could be an overwhelming list, nice job taking it one step at a time. 

Hi e!

Good to see you back, e. It looked at first like to have an overwhelming list, but it looks like a piece of cake. See you later.

e's midmorning checkback

 Mastercard card: dealt with
return scissors, pick up meds, cvs
return ikea organizers, pick up shelving?
return lock to staples, pick up nothing
put dustruffles on twin beds - dah, can't find the bloody dustruffles, but have several doubles!
fold up all linens on C's other bed = did this, but they are still on the bed, must now put them somewhere
pack up excess household goods for A
pick up sticker for old washer from DPW- g did this
bring in garbage cans - they are wet and grimy now... ugh
figure out recycle system for inside- still unfolding

install new toilet seat - G did this and hung the shower curtains, must adjust
go through clothing for giveaways
go through anna's shoes
go through underbed bins- one done, more to go


pocketbook, shoes, hat storage
recycle center
plan dinner - nicly done i might add....
small grocery shopping
ugh... too much to do....
resume and application- glanced at
followup thank you - need to do this....

GeorgeSmiley 7:30 AM - plus updates

Back to work after a good weekend, including camping with the lovely and talented Mrs. GS....

MITs right now are MUTs:

1) Finish Project T-C  UPDATE-8:15 AM: Finished

2) Figure out why my PC AV software isn't showing it's updated (when it is). UPDATE-8:15 AM: Fixed 

Update 8:15 AM:

3) Project P12: Outline tasks, settle on topic/s. Update 12:10 PM: Mostly finished those parts of the task. Moving ahead with research/phone calls, for a while.

4) Project M: Transcribe interview, decide other interviews, outline. Update 3 PM: finished these tasks. Awaiting calls back from other possible interviews.

5) Project D: Begin reading/editing

6) Project U: Finishe reading, set deadlines for other tasks, communicate w/ Client.

~Sudden sense of panic/paralysis. Which to do first. Need to pick one, any one.

Will go with the order I set down here.

Update, 11:30 AM

A good thing: I did not let the panic/paralysis divert me.

Made progress on 1). Identified a bunch of topics to include in Project P12. Made phone calls or email contacts checking out various ones. 

Now: Lunch, perhaps post office, not sure yet--then work again. I'll check in after lunch with my early afternoon agenda.

Update, 12:10 PM

Ate lunch. Now back working on P-12. The initial tasks are done; the next tasks are phone calls and research. But danger here: I could easily eat up the rest of the afternoon focused only on that, with diminishing returns. I can take further steps tomorrow, and need not to ignore other projects. So I set a reminder to move to another project, Project M, in 20 minutes.

Update 12:50 PM

Really had to work to break away from P-12. Realistically I've gotten as far as I reasonably can until I hear back from my many inquiries out. I need to move on to other projects. But it's very easy for me to keep getting sucked in.

Starting now on Project M

Update 3 PM:  Finished immediate tasks on Project M. Turning now to Project D.

 

 

 

 

The Hero's Code:

Show up. Pay Attention. Speak the Truth. Let Go of the Outcome.

Checkout 6:15 PM

 A pretty good day.

 5) Project D: Begin reading/editing  got 2/3 of the way through it! YAY!

6) Project U: Finish reading, set deadlines for other tasks, communicate w/ Client.

Alas, no progress on that one, but that's OK. I got plenty of other stuff done.

  I also took a mid-afternoon catnap when I was suddenly just very drowsy. It helped me get refreshed for the rest of the afternoon.

 All in all, a mostly successful day. And a great relief that I avoided the paralysis I felt coming on at the beginning.

Have a good evening, all.

The Hero's Code:

Show up. Pay Attention. Speak the Truth. Let Go of the Outcome.

WB George and good work!

"

A good thing: I did not let the panic/paralysis divert me. "

Jo

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

kromer 8:05 CI

I'm feeling really down today, but I'm going to try and work through it.

Scheduled for today: PF lab mtg 1-2, PB lab mtg 3-4, Harambee 5:30-8:30

MITs:
*Pick up recycling bin
*do some bg reading on PB's work
*brainstorm about next steps on PT's project
*get p300 dataset
*email RR

Other tasks:
*Tidy room
*Make schedule for week
*Talk to PT
*Call AG
*brainstorm why STRING didn't work
*Take notes on PP idea
*Chore for LR

I'm going to start with emailing RR, then recycling bin, then tidying and heading to school.  

kromer 9:40 CI

I picked up recycling bin, emailed RR, talked to PT (briefly) and started to tidy room. (Also did a couple chores that weren't on the list for today...not the best use of my time) Now I need to finish tidying room, then I'll head to school. When I get there I'll spend an hour doing background reading on PB's work.

Also, I realize I have another task on the list for today (though not an MIT)--do rough SLP grant application.

Updates when I've finished tidying, gotten to lab and finished bg reading.

Update 10:10--got a bit off track, but now I've finished tidying. Should be in lab by 10:50, update again then.

Update 11:10--in lab now (apparently I walked very slowly...). I'm going to spend an hour doing bg reading on PB's work, then check in again.

Update 12:20--I wasted some time web-surfing, so I've only gotten in about 50 min reading on PB's work, but at least I'm making progress. I'm going to spend 10 more min (doing some bg reading on miRNA), then I'll work for 30 min on another MIT (brainstorming next step for work with PT)

Update 12:45--OK, finally finished reading up on PB's work (well, there's still another paper I'd like to read, but it will need to wait.) Going to start brainstorming now, I can at least get a start before lab mtg.  

kromer 2:20 CI

Just got out of 1st lab meeting.

I have a second meeting at 3:00, but I commit to using this short interval wisely. I'm going to finish the brainstorming about next steps on PT's project. I'm also going to do some small tasks not listed about (call Tasha, print some papers I need to read) 

kromer 5:20 CI

I did small tasks, made a little progress on the brainstorming, and went to second lab meeting (which was very long). Then I spent about 20 min on unplanned errands. Right now I'm going to microburst getting the p300 dataset, since this is a task I've been putting off for a long time. Then I'm going to go to Harambee. When I get back from Harambee I'm going to give myself 20 min to finish the brainstorming, then I'll call AG (and get off the phone in <30 min!), then I'll finish getting p300 dataset.

kromer 10:10 CI

Went to Harambee (it went long, but that's life), came home, finished brainstorming, called AG and limited phone call to 15 min, took out trash.

Now I choose to get the p300 dataset. I don't *want* to, but I choose to anyway.

During my microburst I broke down getting the dataset into some smaller steps:
1)map gene names to refseq IDs
2)look through paper to figure out which files to download
3)Preprocess data
4)Map from spot ids to refseq IDs
5)Get up and down regulated genes.
6)DOCUMENT

I'll update as I finish each of these things. And I'll listen to some good music, to help make this boring tasks seem less so :)

Hang in there, kromer

Kudos to you for sticking with it even in the face of challenges and disappointments. And kudos to you for facing your yucky feelings.

 

((((((((kromer))))))))

 

The Hero's Code:

Show up. Pay Attention. Speak the Truth. Let Go of the Outcome.