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.

Please share you stories

I am giving a persuasive speech on reducing procrastination and would like to gain my audience's attention, with a story about procrastination. I myself am not a procrastinator but my audience of college students are.

 

Thanks for sharing your stories.

 

Jordan

Jordan

I think that is wonderful. We all have our own story, and each person in your audience will have their own story/recovery.

I have been in 12 step programs for over 30 years, and really researched procratination solutions from very wise, accomplished authors, as well as anonymous unaccomplished human beings (adults and children) as well as animals.

There was one and only "one" (1) constant in every solution advice of each:

FOCUS ON SOMETHING YOU DID "RIGHT" INSTEAD OF ALL THE THINGS YOU DID "WRONG" OR "IT'S EASIER TO BUILD OFF A VIRTUE THAN A DEFECT"

Simple? yes, Easy? not for me. But nothing else ever worked.

That is my story. A recovering discomfort doger.

I have to say I think your

I have to say I think your 'focus on the positive' solution is spot on and I've just been discovering over the past few days how very true it is :)

What kind of story?

I think this place is filled with stories.. and being an anonymous, I wouldn't mind you using mine... but I know I'm not a row model... by al means!

So, what kind of story would you like to hear/transmit?

  • One from someone who has achieved a good recovery?
  • One stating how much you can mess with your life as a result from procrastination?

What are you trying to achive with it?

I hope you come back with this forum and share that speech with us... if that's a good one, I guess we could benefit from it!

The goal of my speech is to

The goal of my speech is to persuade the audience to reduce their procrastination. So i'm looking for a story where perhaps procrastinating had serious consequences.

I would love to share my speech with the boards!

Awesome idea! Probably the

Awesome idea!

Probably the worst thing procrastination has done for me is screwed up my degree.

I was a kid with a very bright future - I got accepted to study English at a world-famous university and was predicted a First (the top grade... think 'A' with bells on.) But I procrastinated.

In my first year I got the grade below a First.

In my second year I hit rock bottom when I sat up all night trying to write an essay on Hamlet at Shakespeare's Globe. Shakespeare's theatre was my favourite subject and Hamlet was my favourite play. But when morning came, I'd written nothing. I went to my tutor and asked for permission to take a year out and redo my second year.

In my SECOND second year, I got two grades below a First. That's pretty low.

In my third year, I got the lowest grade you can get, and I only got that by the skin of my teeth. I was grateful just to come away with a degree.

After graduation, I became a factory worker. It was the only job I could trust myself to do without procrastinating - totally repetitive, constantly watched, and standing, so I couldn't fall asleep no matter how much I'd procrastinated about going to bed the night before. I still managed to fall asleep on my feet some of the time!

As I started to feel ready for a bit more responsibility, I worked my way up to become a cleaner, then a shop assistant, and finally to a proper graduate job with a small firm of consultants who were willing to overlook my scruffy appearance and constant lateness.

When the company folded, I struck out on my own as a freelance writer. But working on my own was no easier than it had been at university. I ended up destitute and went back to doing cleaning, factory work and any other jobs I could find to make ends meet.

I was often fired for unreliability, not getting work done, and falling asleep on the job. I've lost count of how often, but I know I've been fired well over ten times in my life.

I gradually got better with age, and finally, last year, I landed a good job as a PA, which I've kept and enjoyed. It's not by any means a graduate job, and one of the lawyers I work for was really shocked to find out I'd been to the same university as her. But for me, it's a real achievement. I still struggle with procrastination, and just this morning had to take a taxi to work because I got up so late!

The sad thing is that ever since studying English, what I've really wanted to be is a novelist - and I've never managed to write even a quarter of a novel. 

However, I'm still determined and full of hope. I realise my story is primarily a scare story: don't end up like me! But I also want to inspire people. At my lowest point I was truly destitute. I looked like a beggar and only had a home because an old lady I met in the street offered me a room in exchange for housework and walking her dog. I really thought I was unemployable and staggering my way to an early grave.

I'm now a professional woman with a very nice life. Someone I knew in my worst days catches the train from the same station as me, and he doesn't recognise me. I've changed that much. And I'm still changing. And if someone like me can change, I reckon anyone can. :)

Thanks Lucky

Lucky, I loved your story. I was sitting here smiling, and remembered it was like being at an AA meeting, it is not that the story is funny to anyone on the "outside" but when we tell our stories in the rooms for some reason they seem funny, because we can so relate.

I am so cross addicted, I am just finding out my addictions were not the "cause" of my procratination, and I am gratefull to be able to look at this aspect of my recovery.

Thank you for sharing and thank you for not giving up on yourself. Vic

 

thanks for sharing lucky!

"The world is my classroom, each day is a new lesson, and every person I meet is my teacher" - Craig Harper

thanks for sharing Lucky!

thanks for sharing Lucky! Any one else?