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.

Anyone interested in a separate progress/recovery thread

Is anyone else interested in having a progress/ recovery milestones thread in another section?.. I'd find that helpful. (maybe in the questions, answers, introductions section)

 I know I get a lot of hope and encouragement from hearing of others' progress. With myself, I have to look back and say 'a year ago I would not have managed this or that' because day to day I can still be too critical, or maybe it's because little bits of progress also bring raised expectations. (And with that the danger of unhelpful self-criticism instead of honest acceptance.)

Seeing as we don't really have sponsors, and I guess the people who've really recovered don't hang around so much on line, the milestones could be a beacon. 

Thanks, y'all for being here...Wink

Monica's picture

Progress/Recovery

Let me first say, I am not trying to make a political statement here. I'm only sharing what has been working for me for the past week.

The election of Barack Obama has done wonders for my productivity. It started with a conversation I had with a friend of mine. She doesn't have a job, TV, computer or radio and was completely out of touch with the presidential race and the candidates. So I began to tell her what little I knew about each candidate. Somewhere in the discussion she inquired about Barack's age. I told her “I believe he is 47”. Then she made this statement, "Wow, he really makes a person reevaluate ones self." And that statement got me thinking: Obama has every reason to be completely screwed up. He comes from a broken home. He only met his father once when he was 10. His mother sent him away to live with grandparents while she maintained a new family in Indonesia. His grandmother and caretaker vocalized her fears about and distrust of his race. He was totally cut off from his paternal family residing in another continent. And, to top it all off, he experimented with drugs as a teen. All of this makes for a very dysfunctional man. Yet with all of this history, he went on to graduate from Harvard Law School, become the first African American to be the President of the Harvard Law Review, become a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago, author two books, become a US Senator, and now is the President, Elect for the United States of America, all before the age of 50. Talk about, "Yes We Can!"

I am so inspired by this man's story. I don’t have to be a victim of my dysfunctional history. It makes me say, "Yes I can!" As a matter of fact that is exactly what I've been doing every day, several times a day since the election. I just think about the struggles he went through, when he felt tired, or discourages, or depressed, yet he pressed on toward the mark. So now I press on too, always saying to myself (and sometimes out loud) “If he can succeed in reaching his goals, I can succeed in reaching mine. YES I CAN!"

All the best,
Monica


If I can't do it perfectly, I'll do it anyway. If I can't do it all, I'll do some. If I do nothing, nothing gets done.

"I don't feel like it" is a poor excuse for sacrificing your dreams.




monica inspiration

I stumbled across this while perusing the recent content list (procrastinating, naturally) and I am so thankful that I had to add my own comment and bring it up to the top.  Yes we can!

OOOOOOOOOooooohhhhhh.

Powerful! Awesome! This great power has a purpose for all of our roads that we travel. We are Barack Obama!!!! This very moment is a story in the making.

Great peace and My prayers for all of our success has been hightened in this moment. Thanks for sharing Mo!

 Chotrain-

thanks, Monica / a few of my progress markers

Monica, I already copied your signature sayings onto a slip of paper. And now I have come back to reread your post here. It's moving and inspiring on every level.

 

My 'progress' note here is to remind myself that I have already made some progress and that I will keep going better if I look back and see how far I've come.

I've developed a good morning routine over the past few months.

I now usually pay bills on time and feel good doing it.

I am able to put a few things away everyday instead of letting heaps accumulate like a year ago. 

A year ago I was not able to plan and bring my own food for lunch; now I mostly do.

I no longer make the same excuses about the biggest things I'm avoiding.

I have used leechblock to cut down on-line time.

I have begun to deal with clutter and mess in small steps.

One goal: develop a better evening routine to correspond to the morning.

Super Progress -- Finished clean out kids room

Great progress chickadee, it sounds like you have come along way. I am just in the process of establishing some solid routines. I hope that I can reach the same level of progress that you have. Thanks for the inspiration.

I did get my kids room cleaned out so now I can move on the the next step.

hope-faith

Yes We Can

Great motivational comment thanks I need that.

hope-faith

Hope-Faith - Christmas List

I think that it would be great idea. I too get encouragement from hearing of other's progress/successes and it also feels good to give positive feedback to others.

Writing/posting accomplishments that I have achieved (no matter how small or big) makes me feel more accomplished. At this point in my recovery many of my accomplishments are small and insignificant to nonprocrastinators that I can not just pick the phone up and tell a friend because they can not relate to how important the accomplishment was and share in the excitement.

Reading post and posting positive feedback, actions and ideas helps me to reflect on my own progress.

11/10/08 major accomplishment My Christmas list for my children has been completed. I have checked prices and compared. I have created a table for each child which and I have gotten at least 3 price comparisons on each item on the list. I have even bought some of.

 

This is a major step for me because I usually do not start until the day after Thanksgiving. In addition, my husband has been laid off so money is tight. Having the list typed will help limit the impulse buying. I am a visually person and when I look at the list I can already see the present under the Christmas Tree Christmas morning.

hope-faith

chickadee - I moved your message so it wouldn't get lost

I made your message a separate topic in the Questions/Insights board so it wouldn't get lost.

I'd suggest you just start the thread on your own, and invite people to add to it. My guess is they will!

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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

Thanks Pro, for this and all

Thanks Pro, for this and all you do here :D