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.

Saturday 12 September 2009

fudoshin: checking in with PA folks : 12:52am

Please do not leave advice.  Thank you.  Prayers welcome. 

                                                                                                 

 

Every once in a while I mention something I learned at PA to my friends in my other 12 step program, and they are either understanding, or they declare frantically that they are not procrastinators, which is totally fine and dandy for me.  I mean, I am not calling them one, but if I say something like, "Something I learned in PA is that it helps when I ..."  They immediately say something like, "Oh I'm not a procrastinator!!  What's that a debtor's anonymous thing?  Something part of DA?"  And I'm like, "Umm, noooh.  I know you're not a procrastinator, I just though I'd mention this cool thing that I learned there."  OR-- alternatively they laugh at me, when I say I'm in P.A.  I have actually had people laugh at me in the face, because they thought it was a joke, and it kind of hurt.  I mean, I'm not here for other people, but it doesn't mean it's not a tad hurtful that people don't take the program seriously.  Granted, in the particular instance when the people laughed at me, and then made a big deal at saying later that they were laughing cuz they didn't know if I were serious-- I did not want to tell them to begin with , but they had asked me for what 12 step program I had been searching for a meeting location.  They were interested in knowing more about this "new" 12 step program.  

Another reason why it hurts is because this program is my core addiction, not the other stuff.  I mean, I participate in my other addictions LARGELY because of my procrastination.  Procrastination is my pandora's box.  Anywho, one of the people in the group who was not laughing, said that i may want to try the College Hospital as a location for a new meeting for PA.  So that looks promising. 

I just mention these encounters with people who are not in PA, because I feel I need to watch what I say. I mean, it's great to get the word out there for the addict who still suffers, etc.  But...I'm not really doing it for that purpose.  I feel like I only mention PA if i have to, and I think I'm gonna be getting a lot more tight-lipped about it, b/c I don't need to be the patron saint of anything right now.

potential Energy 5:57

Hello, I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. I made a check in list during the last 2 days and hardly did a thing on them. I'm praying that I stick with this, but it has been really hard to get things going and keep them going.  So, I will list a few really important ones that I think that I can get done tonight.  BTW-work went much better again today since I have been working on this site-as always, thank you for the support, stories and insights!

1. Invoice due to L.

2. a couple loads of wash  (1 is in now!!)

3.  Z. violin

4. read book w/z

5.  send sched to L.

6.  Revise list of outstanding reports and prioritize

Wow- got this done, so I am going to add some things!!Laughing

1. fill out 2 daily notes for u.p.

2. look over si book and vis. ther. info  jot down a few notes

 

fudoshin: 3 days : 12:56pm

Please do not leave advice.  Thank you.  Prayers welcome. 

                                                                                                    

 

G-d.  The couple I live with like to invite this really loud, obnoxious family over with screaming children and it's just unbearable.  Unbearably loud.   I don't know how the usual tenants can even bear living here.  HELP!  *grumble *grumble* Plan of action:

*brush


*floss


*listerine

*go on a walk for 30 minutes at least

* read As I Lay Dying again

*take notes on papers, and read them

*apply for unemployment insurance, it must be done

*read my goals and affirmations

*twelve step meeting and fellowship

*shower before sleep, and brush, floss, use listerine and the periodontic brush before sleep

Crayon CI - 3:30pm

I've had an exceedingly slow start to my day.  Here it is 3:30 and I haven't even begun on all the stuff I have to do... and I have plans tonight.  Eek.  Feelings of stress/panic beginning to grow.

I got an email from my boss about the report I was supposed to do six weeks ago and I promised that it would be done this weekend.  This report was what motivated me to join procrastinator's anonymous.  I HAVE to get it done this weekend.  

SO, this is my plan for today:

 Task                                                                    Time Estimate  Actual Time 
 Weekly checkin  30 min 7 min 
 Go through mail backlog  20 min  
 call KC  5 min  6 min
 Write up description of seminar & email   45 min  55 min
 FL asst  45 min  1 hr
 email plan to KC 15 min   30 min
 journal  15 min  
 check in here 15 min   16 min
 change contacts 5 min   
 dinner w/ B&C  4 hrs  4 hrs (exactly!)
 read & outline for report 3 hrs   
 draft report (not going to finish today) 12 hrs   

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Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. 

~William James

Gwen D CI 11:28 am

I'm checking in because I'm observing that I have no motivation or energy at all. I believe it's because my body is out of sync. Up til 2am, woke up at 8 to feed the hungry cat but haven't eaten at all. Missed going to my morning group exercise for odd rebellious reasons on top of the sleepiness. So, yeah. It's crucial that I do some triage. Or the day will end sadly.

Stating goals:

take care of my old self: eat a nice lunch very soon, drink water, eat snacks at 2 and have dinner with friends at 6:30, then be home for a quiet evening and asleep by 10:30 pm.

It would be awesome if I could also take a long walk or go to the track for a few laps. But... I'm just visualizing. Just in case that helps to motivate me..

What would be best would be to do  some paper purging. And some laundry, including taking to the dry cleaner. There is always real work to do (some things to write) and I am a bit in denial about some tasks that need to be done before next Wednesday.

Maybe I should just eat something and see if I can join my friends for a farmers market trip, even though I didn't exercise with them. It would get me out of the house, and get closer to having fresh vegetables and fruit in my house. And I think I probably need to connect with people. I've been so isolated.

Sigh.

I'm going to be brave and post this rambling. Please be patient with me. I've got to see it to believe it.

I honestly  don't know what I want to do. There's so much. 

Gnothi Seauton ~ Know Thyself

Hi Gwen D

Hello,

It sounds like the task of getting all of your thoughts on paper, even if they are not as focused as you would like, has to help.  You are taking steps toward finding what you want to do.  No matter how big or small those steps are, you are still moving in the direction that-you- intend. 

Keep going!!

p.e.

 

Eurgh - 6 hours sleep and no

Eurgh - 6 hours sleep and no food WILL DO THAT. *hugs* Sounds like you're dealing with it very intelligently and I hope it works.

Gwen D thanks...

thanks p.e. and Lucky for the encouraging words. I feel so much better being rested and fed today.

Suddenly seeing that maybe there's a Procrastination element to the part of me that couldn't put themselves to bed at a reasonable hour, and who wouldn't eat until they felt faint with hunger. I'd better look at that. Yep. Really look at starting with those things. Because maybe trying to be disciplined about what seems to me like trivial things (eating and sleeping)  might make it more possible to be productive and motivated about the "untrivial" work that must be done.

Why do I feel like I'm stating the obvious? Well, I've known it, but I honestly forget to care about that stuff. I've definitely been in a phase of not being grounded about those practicalities lately.

Okay. Here goes. I resolve to eat at least three regular times a day and go to sleep before 11am (latest) every night this month no matter what. 

Maybe I should put this minor goal in the "long term goals" bucket.

Thanks all of you PA'ers for being. I think it helps to state the private goal out loud somewhere. 

Gnothi Seauton ~ Know Thyself

rec ci

I have been very slow-moving this AM since I had nothing pressing - that is always a problem for me, to make myself be proactive and create a structure for the day when I have none already in place. So I will post a short "To Do" list for the day to create some structure:

-Dishes unloaded and loaded (done)
-Load of wash put on to start laundry (first load done, 2nd started)
-work on photos (undone - unsure how to proceed)
-tidy in kitchen, DR and LR - sort thru mail and organize papers, etc. (some done; need to do more)
-take dog for walk (will do now)
-exercise a bit at least

Hope all are having a good weekend so far! Thanks for being here!

rec

Vic 9/12

                

Show up (done) Lots of dealing with personalities this weekend. Especially older teenage son.

If all I can do is practise KINDNESS, TOLERANCE, PATIENCE today, I will consider it a successful day.

I am feeling better about "who I am" because of the support of this web site and wonderful people here.

Gratful recovering procrastinator.

Thanks

Thanks recy- I love pictures. My son passes the test and got his learners permit the 1st time!!!!!!Thank goodnes!Now the fun begins!!

Feel so wiped out right now and want to do nothing. I will rest a bit and go from there.HHopefuly tidy up, paperwork, store (my son wnats to drive aHHHHHHHH!)I did practise kindness, tolerance, and patience with others, now I need to remember to include myself in there.

I like the graphics on your post

Hi vic!

I like the graphics on your post :)

Talk to you later! :)

Recycler


Recycler

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

Recycler CI 6:16am EST

Hi Pro Buddies!

I'll be workng by Zones in my condo this morning, as I get my place ready for company today. (This is a continued culmination of everything I have been progressing toward in PA for the last 1.5 years). I hope to update my CI throughout the morning day.

Bathroom swishies are started. Zone 1 = clear at 6:17am. Zone 2 = clear at 6:20am. Zone 3 = clear + dishwasher is started at 6:25am. Zone 4 = clear at 6:40am. Zone 5 = clear at 7:07am. I need to eat something now.

Have a great day, everyone! :)

Recycler


Recycler

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

Recycler CI 7:40am EST

Hi Pro Buddies!

Zone 6 = clear at 7:35 am. I've put away the clean dishes from the 1st run of the dishwasher. I've eaten breakfast, & started a second load of dishes in the dishwasher. Zone 7 = clear at 7:45am. Zones 8 & 9 clear at 7:50am. Next: I've got to sort some papers. Zone 10 = clear + papers are sorted at 8:20am. I've completed my first pass of the areas guests will be in.

I need to bag up trash & take it to the dumpster. After that I need to look at how everything will appear to guests. I also need to change clothes & get myself ready -- not just get the condo ready, lol! ;)

Trash is taken to the dumpster. Welcome mat is placed at the front door. T minus 1 hour until guests arrive. Aieee!!! I've got to Swiffer mop, then see what I can do next!!!

10am showtime!!! lol. It is almost time for me to walk out front to be ready to greet my guests. I did Swiffer. Um, I still see dust here and there. ((mild sigh)) Oh, well. Fortunately, posting this reminds me that I want to swipe the sink one more time. I hope to update my CI later in the day.

6:25pm. After my guests left, I just vegged around for a while. I'm going to try to start doing some things around the condo this evening. Even though I've already eaten a snack for dinner (I don't need much since I had a big lunch), I've started something to cook in the oven so I can have it for other meals (tomorrow, Monday, & for the freezer). I think I will start a load of clothes to wash ;)

7:10pm. The food in the oven has finished cooking. I've taken it out & I'm waiting for it to cool enough to put in containers for the refrigerator/freezer. I've started another load of clothes in the washer.

8:40pm. I put the food in a container in the refrigerator. I will divide it up tomorrow. I dried, folded & put away the clean clothes. I called someone in my support group & talked to them. At least one area of my life could be better; but I did all I could for today.

Have a great day, everyone! :)

Recycler


Recycler

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

Well done!! Are the zones

Well done!! Are the zones different parts of the room? I like the idea of breaking it down like that to seem more manageable.

 Fantastic start and best of luck with the rest of it (and I love your corgi, by the way..!)

yes, my "zones" are small parts of room(s)

Hi Lucky!

Thanks for saying hi :) Yes, when I post about zones, it is about smaller parts of a room, sometimes even a small tabletop or a countertop. On a regular day, I might not think about zones. But when I am preparing for guests, the zones help me work around the room(s) more methodically.

I'm glad you like the corgi :) He reminds me to keep staying busy! ;)

Have a great afternoon! :)

Recycler


Recycler

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

Yesterday was awesome. At

Yesterday was awesome. At work I did pretty much nothing on my to-do list but didn't procrastinate at all. Instead of the daily grind I had a big important crisis to deal with for a boss I flipping LOVE - it made procrastination fly out of the window and I worked like mad all day and enjoyed it so much. I came back from lunchbreak to a chocolate muffin from the boss with a post-it on saying 'You're awesome!'

Evening I hardly got anything done because my friend and I went to the fairground.

It was a day when I hardly did anything on my tasklist but it felt like a day in the life of a non-procrastinator. I need to engrave that feeling on my brain and refer to it often for inspiration.

I'm also going to start putting estimated and actual times on tasks (if I'm not doing my list in too much of a rush!) A book I've been reading (Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern) suggests doing this for a couple of weeks to get an accurate picture of what you can fit in a day. And that does mean counting how long you actually take, not how long you would take when functioning perfectly - so in my case, include procrastination time. (Of course, this could get complicated when you're not sure which procrastination time attaches to which task...

 Task  Estimated  Actual
 Clear email backlog  4h  
 Mop & hoover floors  1h  
 Tidy dining room  30 min  
 Walk C to station
 30 min  25 min
 Go to anti-Tesco's protest  1h  35 min
 Check travel times for Windsor trip
 5 min  3 min
 Travel to/from Windsor  1h  2h!
 Get hair cut  1h  1h 35
 Get present and card for L  30 min  22 min
 Get new chain for broken necklace  10 min  10 min
 PACK broken necklace first
 2 min  1 min
 Buy theatre tickets  20 min  
 Spend some time thinking/praying  20 min  20 min?
 Work 1/2 hour on story - finish names [Not even got that far] and start a plot outline  30 min  40 min
 Do some fine-tuning on my plan and ways to reduce stress  20 min  20 min
 Clear kitchen before bed  20 min  15 min
 Tomorrow's list  15 min  
 And a late addition... buy bras!!  40 min  45 min
     

 

Eurgh! I've been generous with my estimated times but even so, that adds up to over 12h, enough to keep me constantly busy till bedtime - of course I can do two tasks at once in some cases but even so - sobering! As it were.

Edit: Doing okay so far, worked about an hour on email backlog + current e-stuff (which I forgot to list) but am absolutely losing it at myself for not having got an earlier train to Windsor. No real harm done but I'm practically screaming.

I'm suddenly unable to edit

I'm suddenly unable to edit the comment above - any ideas what's up??
Seems I can still edit this one, so continuing below...

 Edit: HOLY COMPLETED LIST, BATMAN! Admittedly I lost track of time on some things... and admittedly it's gone 3 in the morning... BUT STILL!

Task
Estimated Actual
Clear email backlog 4h ???
Mop & hoover floors 1h ???
Tidy dining room Rush job! 30 min 6 min
Walk C to station
30 min 25 min
Go to anti-Tesco's protest 1h 35 min
Check travel times for Windsor trip
5 min 3 min
Travel to/from Windsor 1h 2h!
Get hair cut 1h 1h 35
Get present and card for L 30 min 22 min
Get new chain for broken necklace 10 min 10 min
PACK broken necklace first
2 min 1 min
Buy theatre tickets 20 min  ???
Spend some time thinking/praying 20 min 20 min?
Work 1/2 hour on story - finish names [Not even got that far] and start a plot outline 30 min 40 min
Do some fine-tuning on my plan and ways to reduce stress 20 min 20 min
Clear kitchen before bed 20 min 15 min
Tomorrow's list
15 min  5 min
And a late addition... buy bras!! 40 min 45 min
     

can't edit replied-to posts

you can edit your posts until you or someone else replies to it. Then you can't.

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the touch of the master's hand: http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1898#comment-27748

"fall down seven times, get up eight" - japanese proverb

I like the idea of time estimates

I like the idea of time estimates... helps us procrastinators get a better handle on how much time things ACTUALLY take.  I find that I chronically mis-estimate the time it takes to complete a task, but my estimations don't often go in the same direction (tasks I don't like, I think will take HOURS, whereas I regularly convince myself I can check my email in 2 minutes though that is NEVER the case).  Anyway, kudos to you... and don't be offended if I steal your idea :) 

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Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. 

~William James

Thank you! I'll be delighted

Thank you! I'll be delighted if you steal my idea :)