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, 7th August 2006 (FOR EVERYBODY)

I think Normy's right that the separate threads for check-ins isn't as effective because people have to make an extra effort to visit someone else's thread.

Drupal makes things difficult when we post in our own sections because then we have to scroll way down to find our own section (or someone else's section).

So let's do as Normy suggests - everybody post their check-ins are a reply to this first day thread message. That way the most recent post (by whoever) will always be on top. Everybody's check-ins will be mixed in, but perhaps that doesn't matter.

and TL

thanks - i like it w/everyone together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You did great today, pro

Well done!

Hope you got to sleep at a decent hour and your body clock starts to get in synch.

:)

why thank you!

I felt very good about what I did yesterday. I feel I'm finally on a path that will lead me out of this problem.

And I was up at 6:40am today! :)

pro's CI - 10:30pm (last check-in for day)

I'm not going to be able to go to sleep by 11pm because I slept until 10am this morning. I'm going to get into bed, though, and watch TV or read. I'll set the alarm for 7am to get my hours back on track.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Put away papers on desk to prepare for work tomorrow (I did this at the end of my work day).
  • Take last dose of pills.
  • Empty dish drain and wash any dirty dishes.
  • Brush teeth.
  • Take out contacts.
  • Make up bed (convert futon from couch to bed).
  • Put on jammies.

pro's CI - 10:10pm

Progress on my evening routine is slowing down because now I'm doing it during commercials. (The show I wanted to watch started at 10pm.)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Put away papers on desk to prepare for work tomorrow (I did this at the end of my work day).
  • Take last dose of pills.
  • Empty dish drain and wash any dirty dishes.
  • Brush teeth.
  • Take out contacts.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Make up bed (convert futon from couch to bed).
  • Put on jammies.

pro's CI - 9:55pm

Evening routine:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Put away papers on desk to prepare for work tomorrow (I did this at the end of my work day).
  • Take last dose of pills.
  • Empty dish drain and wash any dirty dishes.
  • Brush teeth.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Take out contacts.
  • Make up bed (convert futon from couch to bed).
  • Put on jammies.

pro's CI - 9:30pm

I'm going to start my evening routine now because there's a TV show I want to watch at 10pm and my goal is to be in bed (for sleep) at 11pm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Put away papers on desk to prepare for work tomorrow (I did this at the end of my work day).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Take last dose of pills.
  • Empty dish drain and wash any dirty dishes.
  • Brush teeth.
  • Take out contacts.
  • Make up bed (convert futon from couch to bed).
  • Put on jammies.

pro's CI - 8:45pm

It's still August 7th here, so I'm going to keep posting in this thread until I go to bed.

I went out, took a walk, got some dinner, sat with a friend in a coffee shop for a while (he ate, I didn't), and now I'm home again. In an hour or so, I'll start my evening routine. Goal: bed by 11pm!!

pro's CI - workday done

I'm done with my workday. I'm going to get something to eat and then go out for a while. I'm might work on my PayPal notifications backlog later - or might now. It's my evening, so I can choose not to without guilt!

But I must be in bed by 11pm so I can get up at 7am tomorrow. I wonder how long my evening routine takes - can't remember. I'd better start by 10pm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Got up LATE (10am).
  • Morning Routine<-- took 2 hours
  • Check email (15 minutes).<-- took 40 minutes, not 15
  • Errands and phone calls (45 minutes).<-- Took 50 minutes.
  • ----Check mailbox.
  • ----Buy milk and coffee.
  • ----Call optician about contact lens prescription (left message).
  • Make and eat lunch, wash lunch dishes.<-- Took 1 hour.
  • Answer customer messages (1 hour).<-- Took 1 hour and 40 minutes, but there was a backlog - won't usually take this long.
  • Work on accounting backlog (1 hour).
  • ----Entered everything from June 2004 statement and reconciled it (it balances!).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Work on accounting backlog.
  • ----Collect receipts for June 2004 statement.
  • Work on PayPal notification backlog.

Great tax progress, pro!

Yay! And it balances, too!! (I hate accounting, nothing ever balances for me :))

slow progress is much better than no progress!!

When I have 15-20 minutes available, I often think why bother - I don't have time to make a real dent. But more times than not, that's all the time I have. If I use it, then the task gets done eventually. If I don't - if I'm always waiting for that big block of time that never appears - the task never gets done!!

I feel good about making a start with the accounting. I stop in the middle of stuff, but I make a note to myself where to pick up the next day. I think I'm finally going to do this!

I agree Pro

I used to think it wasn't worth starting accounts until I had several clear hours (and I rarely get several clear hours, so it didn't get done). But I ~can~ get quite a bit done in 20 mins - I can get my receipts in order and input quite of few of them in that amount of time for example. I don't have to do ~all~ of my accounting at once. Maybe the next time I'll enter my mileage. It all adds up to getting the job done.

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using small pockets of time

I'm noticing now that it's my impulse to quit for the day because I'm going to quit at 6pm and it's 20 minutes of. But they say that good time managers use small pockets of time, so I'm going to use this 20 minutes. Maybe I'll be able to enter one bank statement into MS Money.

template for work day

Looking at my ta-da list and how long it took me to do different things, I think I can shoot for this as a template for my work day:

7am - get up
9am - at work (morning routine done)
9-10am - CUOP in PA forum, check email.
10am-1pm - brain strain work (responding to customers and clients).
1-2pm - lunch
2-3pm - errands and phone calls (includes getting and handling mail).
4-6pm - brain dead work such as accounting backlog, PayPal notification backlog.

It helps me a lot to see that there is an end to the workday, and after that I'm free to play. Knowing there is an end allows me to stay focused between 9am and 6pm.

I've also been working hard at doing one thing at a time. I tend to be a scatter shot (ADD again), and that's an inefficient way to do things.

Today I lost three hours by getting up at 10am rather than 7am, so the only thing I've been able to accomplish (so far) is to catch up on responses to customers. I could punish myself by forcing myself to work three more hours tonight, but I'm not going to do that. I'll just try to do it right tomorrow, and the way to do that is by going to bed by 11pm. If I can't fall asleep at first, I'll read in bed.

pro's CI - 5:10pm

Well, obviously I need some practice in estimating how long tasks take!! Just about everything has taken me longer than anticipated. I want to get a better sense of how long things take so I can plan my time better. This is one of the recommendations in "Time Management from the Inside Out". I'm especially poor at estimating how long things take me because of my ADD. I was planng to work until 6 or 6:30pm, and it's already after 5pm. I think I need to adjust my to-do list again!

Since it's after 5pm, I don't think it's a good idea for me to try writing to a consulting client now. I need to be fresh for that, and I don't feel fresh. Of the three things on the list, my accounting backlog is the most urgent, so I'll do that. I might work on my PayPal notification backlog in the evening while watching TV. It's pretty mindless, but I need to go through it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Got up LATE (10am).
  • Morning Routine<-- took 2 hours
  • Check email (15 minutes).<-- took 40 minutes, not 15
  • Errands and phone calls (45 minutes).<-- Took 50 minutes.
  • ----Check mailbox.
  • ----Buy milk and coffee.
  • ----Call optician about contact lens prescription (left message).
  • Make and eat lunch, wash lunch dishes.<-- Took 1 hour.
  • Answer customer messages (1 hour).<-- Took 1 hour and 40 minutes, but there was a backlog - won't usually take this long.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Work on accounting backlog (1 hour).
  • Work on PayPal notification backlog (1 hour).

Estimating time..

>Just about everything has taken me longer than anticipated.

It's a great idea what you're doing (I love Julie Morgenstern's books - she was the reason I'm a PO!).

pro, one thing I recommend to clients is to build yourself a buffer. Make your estimate, then schedule 50-100% of that time on top of it again (ie, pretty much double it). You'll end up using that buffer until you get better at estimating, then you'll be able to use that free time at the end of tasks for small jobs, or remove the buffer as you get better and better. The less confident you are of how long it will take, the more buffer you should put in for yourself.

When I quote to corporate clients I make an estimate, then I DOUBLE IT. That way I always meet or exceed expectations (I only charge for how long I work for). For domestic I can't really, because that will often price me outside their budget, so I do it a bit differently then, but I still always build in a buffer.

Another point on something you said is the letter to the consulting client. Even if you don't feel fresh, spend just 2 minutes opening a new file and putting their name on it and maybe the greeting. That start will mean that when you do feel fresh, you have already made a start and it helps to prevent you procrastinating on it. (and remember that you should start things whether you're ready or not ;))

Yeah yeah yeah! :o)

I do that with journeys, and I also do it on jobs that I haven't already figured out how long they take. I also do the 'starting the document' thing. When I was catching up with my backlog of homework, if I was far too tired to start a new question I would just open a template for the next one and get the bare bones in that didn't need thinking about (headers and footers etc).

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Normy's last BE for 7th August

Well I've done some jobs that weren't on the list - sorted out a banking problem, went to the shop for bread etc, and I've started my Daytime Routine. I need to finish that off (it gets me ready for the next day), and then straight to my Before Bed Routine. Auto shutdown is going to happen soon so I'll say 'goodnight', and hope you all have a productive day.

I might not be able to post tomorrow or Wednesday - my long payroll days, plus I'm on a course on Tuesday evenings.

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you did great today, normy!

Sorry I didn't post fast enough today for you to see it. You will still logged in when I saw your message, but I had to mop up the coffee I spilled.

Sorry you won't be here Tuesday or Wednesday. We'll miss you! I'll be out Wednesday myself, actually. I'm meeting some people.

What a great day!

What a great day everyone seems to be having! :)

todayfirst - I'm very impressed. The whole overdue list cleared! You've really been on a roll today.

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slider That's a long list so it's not surprising that you find you need to be flexible. That's nothing to give yourself a hard time about - you're doing just fine.

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pro I think if you make ~any~ progress towards your life goals you can be proud of yourself. Progress is progress (maybe 'pro' could be short for 'progress' rather than 'procrastinator'?)

tl Thanks for the offer. It will be interesting to see what pro comes up with re 12 steps. The posts on the SHE boards have been good food for thought - it would be good to develop a step by step process for dealing with procrastination.

Milo it's probably a bit early for you to be up yet, so I hope you're getting in plenty of Zeds!

Anouk Where are you?! I miss you cyber-friend.

And hello to all the occasional visitors, projoy, flexiblefine, and lurkers.

Oh, I haven't said what I've done!

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Well, I got all my planning done, I had my new trolley suitcase and bag packed and ready to go, and I've sorted out change to give to people dropping in to the class (basically I've learned from past mistakes, LOL!). It was good to be able to take the trolley bags and not have to take the car, but it wasn't easy - I think it's going to be a fair weather thing. So I've done my classes and they went pretty much like clockwork. This planning and having a direction pays off :)

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*Daytime Routine
*Check my earlier list because I can't remember what's on it! ;)

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As I was saying...

...before I interrupted myself by dumping coffee on the floor (better on the floor than the couch!!)...

> pro I think if you make ~any~ progress towards your life goals you can be proud of yourself. Progress is progress (maybe 'pro' could be short for 'progress' rather than 'procrastinator'?)

Originally "pro" was for "procrastinator". Then I decided to change it to being short for "proactive". ;)

> It will be interesting to see what pro comes up with re 12 steps. The posts on the SHE boards have been good food for thought - it would be good to develop a step by step process for dealing with procrastination.

The 12 steps are the 12 steps (from Bill Wilson, founder of AA). The tools are something separate. I would have written the meeting materials this weekend, but I worked on my accounting backlog instead - which I think is as it should be. As I catch up, I'll be able to schedule time for the meeting materials.

ooooops!

Why writing my reply, I accidentally knocked over a nearly full iced coffee. I'm trying to look at this as an unexpected opportunity to clean the floor rather than a massive annoyance.

pro's CI - 3:30pm

Another thing I forgot when I was making up my to-do list is lunch. I'm going to take one of the hour-long things off my to-do list to adjust.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Got up LATE (10am).
  • Morning Routine<-- took 2 hours
  • Check email (15 minutes).<-- took 40 minutes, not 15
  • Errands and phone calls (45 minutes).<-- Took 50 minutes.
  • ----Check mailbox.
  • ----Buy milk and coffee.
  • ----Call optician about contact lens prescription (left message).
  • Make and eat lunch, wash lunch dishes.<-- Took 1 hour.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Answer customer messages (1 hour).
  • Write to consulting client #1 (1 hour).
  • Work on accounting backlog (1 hour).
  • Work on PayPal notification backlog (1 hour).

pro's CI - 2:30pm

It's gruesomely humid outside. I'm very tired of this hot and humid weather.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Got up LATE (10am).
  • Morning Routine
  • Check email (15 minutes).<-- took 40 minutes, not 15
  • Errands and phone calls (45 minutes).<-- Took 50 minutes.
  • ----Check mailbox.
  • ----Buy milk and coffee.
  • ----Call optician about contact lens prescription. <--I was put on hold and hung up - have to call back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Answer customer messages (1 hour).
  • Write to consulting client #1 (1 hour).
  • Write to consulting client #2 (1 hour).
  • Work on accounting backlog (1 hour).
  • Work on PayPal notification backlog (1 hour).

pro's CI - 1:40pm

When I made my to-do list for the day, I forgot to add in the time it takes to check email. Oh well. I'll get better at this over time. I'm going to note where something took longer than planned or where I forgot important things so I can plan better in the future.

I'm feeling kind of itchy to get outside - I work at home - so I think I'll do my errands now instead of later.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Got up LATE (10am).
  • Morning Routine
  • Check email (15 minutes).<-- took 40 minutes, not 15

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Errands and phone calls (45 minutes).
  • ----Check mailbox.
  • ----Buy milk and coffee.
  • ----Call optician about contact lens prescription.
  • Answer customer messages (1 hour).
  • Write to consulting client #1 (1 hour).
  • Write to consulting client #2 (1 hour).
  • Work on accounting backlog (1 hour).
  • Work on PayPal notification backlog (1 hour).

pro's CI - 1pm (dupe of what I posted in the separate thread)

I reviewed my Personal Mission Statement (my goals in life), looked over my to-do list and picked out the highest priority items (given my goals in life), figured out how long I had to work (what time is it now, what time do I want to stop), then gave each task a time slot. What a concept! This to-do list is do-able in this work day. If I accomplish what's on this list, then I can feel very good.

And now that I've completed my morning routine, I can check my email!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Ta Da~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Got up LATE (10am).
  • Morning Routine
  • ----Spent 25 minutes CUOP here.
  • ----Shower and dress.
  • ----Empty dish drain and wash any dishes from previous day.
  • ----Clear desk (handle filing, mail, etc.).
  • ----Take pills.
  • ----Make and eat breakfast.
  • ----Wash breakfast dishes.
  • ----Make bed (convert futon back into couch).
  • ----Review to-do list and make a plan for the day (perhaps write in journal.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To Do~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  • Check email (15 minutes).
  • Answer customer messages (1 hour).
  • Write to consulting client #1 (1 hour).
  • Errands and phone calls (45 minutes).
  • Write to consulting client #2 (1 hour).
  • Work on accounting backlog (1 hour).
  • Work on PayPal notification backlog (1 hour).