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.
Small Steps
As getting ready this am I was fighting off a state of depression. I am in a state of inconsistancy. My routines are falling behind and they are the building blocks to my recovery. Then reality hit, I was making my bed, hum I was having these negative thoughts taken 10 seconds to make my bed. A year ago it would have taken me all day to get around to making my bed, if it every did get made. Then I realized that as I was having these thoughts I was making my bed. WOW a year ago my. So for the next coupld of days or week, as I try to pull myself out of the state that I am in and back around I will use this post to come and toot my horn about the smallest simpliest task that I accomplish. Nothing major just small stuff. I am not trying to boost my motivation level just give myself credit for small steps. Please join in and post short quick accomplishments. Lets not over look where we have been because we are so focused on where we would like to be.
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YAY we did it.....it is amazing
Hi,
As many here know I have tipped my wagon over and have been a bit silent over the last couple of weeks. However in the mist of this major bout with procrastination I have helped my children for the first time in five years turn in their Livestock records on time. The records are due about a week after the show and in the past five years we have never met that deadline. We normally turn in the records in October a day before the last day to pick the check up for the sale of the animal. (Checks are issued in August but kids can not get them unitl they turn in their record books. Checks are good for 60 days, which would be October.)
This year I have been very on top of getting the necessary task accomplished for the Livestock show. It has not been perfection but I have met all deadlines. (Well helped my children meet the deadlines)
My ability to plan and excute my plans have produced some very positive results. My DS and her goat won 3rd place Showmanship and they won 1st place in their weight class. My son was in a non competative class this year. What I do effect my children I am so glad that I have been able to be on point this year.
We have 4 more task to accomplish and then we will be done with Livestock show for this year.
Small step is what helped me and my kids be very successful this year.
hope-faith
way to go, hope-faith!
What a big deal - you have not only grown and improved yourself, you have made sure that "the buck stops here" on a generational curse - wow! Thanks for sharing this encouraging news!
"My boundaries enclose a pleasant land..." Psalm 16
Thanks
Thanks Agnus
I like this "the buck stops here" on a generational curse
It is so true I am just like my dad. Not sure I want my kids to be the complete opposit (take my good and recycle my bad) of me as I do belive that procrastinators are truly very creative, deep thinking well rounded individuals. But I do want them to be able to evaluate how and what they do and make good decisions on how the spend their time. (hum that is my hope for me too, I guess we can grow together)
hope-faith
Happy
Well Spring Break is just 1 hour and 37 mins from now. I am "Happy As A June Bug" because of my Work Routine.
Usually when I get out for break I take home no less than 3 boxes of work to do (mostly papers to grade or organize). Today I will take home.
All of this does not even fill up 1 box and other then Jump Drives and Portable it is not work related.
Today I leave work for a week with a light heart full of joy and hope because when I walk out the door today I do not have one work task that I have to do for the next week. I will work on some task and plans but that is so I can be in an even better position when I return in a week and becaue I like planning and developing for work.
Happy I say Happy
hope-faith
Small Steps Make A Difference 3/31/10
A year ago at the end of the month I would pick a night when I could pull an all nighter to pay bills and handle household paper work. I would sit down in the middle of my livingroom floor and watch tv and sort thought all of the months paperwork, balance my check book and pay my bills, usually late with a couple.
This am I was able to pay all my personal bills within 15 to 20 minutes that included filing the paperwork away in its place. I now handle paperwork on a daily bases, keep my financial updated daily and pay all bills once a month. In addtion to 2 bussiness that I am working on organizing.
I have also started a spreadsheet that I use to catogorize all my deductable expenses for next year personal and business. It is current to the date.
About a year ago I started trying to get all my files organized from piles around the house to a file cabinet. I did not realize that I had succeeded in doing that until
1) Working on taxes 2 weeks ago I had everything I need I just had to crunch numbers.
2) My Internet was not working on Tuesday I had done all the troubleshooting that I could even a system restore. I was avoding the logical step of calling my Internet Provider for help. All my mind could do was dread having to look for the paperwork with the necessary phone numbers. The digging, looking and the uncertanity of where the information was. In my mind all I could think was I will never find it before I need to leave to go to work, "Lord Knows Where It Is At", which pile do I start with. (And at this point I do not have any piles of household paperwork, there are other piles but not household paperwork)
Finally I decided to do the logical thing and look in my file cabinet that I have been organizing for over a year. Sure enough, in a folder marked with the name of my provider was necessary paperwork that I needed.
I have to start working on my mind set. Think like a Productinator and not a Procrastinator. Because now I am productive. (Still using Small Steps)
Through the process of small steps I have organized my financial information. Now I just need to get my mind to realize that I am getting better and that I am not the same person I was a year ago.
As I have reflected on the steps that I have taken over the past year and 5 months there where many points and times that I just could not even imagine how Small Steps could possibily work. Now that I have taken the time to look over my shoulder and see the journey that the Small Steps have taken me on I now know that Small Steps do make a difference.
Thanks to all the support from each and everyone of you here. Your support has given me the motivation that I needed to take many of those Small Steps that have gotten me to this point.
hope-faith
Thank you so much
Thank you so much hope-faith for giving me so much inspiration. I am thrilled to hear about your improvements. Suddenly it feels meaningful to take my first microsteps in the right direction even though life in general feels horrible right now. I know you walked the path and made it. With enough faith perhaps there is hope for me too.
Thanks again and congratulations on being a Productinator!
I can finish things
When I started in PA, it seemed impossible to finish things. Not sure why, possibly perfectionism, and an irrational fear of success (if I succeed then people will expect even more of me, and I can barely keep up now).
Saturday I finished two things: clearing unwanted stuff out of the garage, which allowed us to reach our boat for the first time in 2+ years. Then I did a respectable (if not perfect) job of tidying and cleaning the boat, which now has a cleared path to be pulled out for a jaunt when the weather permits.
Thanks, hope-faith, for this opportunity and the reminder to celebrate our progress.
That's awesome, Agnus -
That's awesome, Agnus - thanks for sharing! I hope you enjoy sailing (driving?) your boat and feel proud every time you go out in it.
I can Shape Shift
About 1 year and 1/2 ago I was unable to shift my mind, thoughts and actions from home to work and then back. Today as I posted my morning CI I went to my Friday post copied it and pasted it into todays CI and modified it. I have not thought about this list since Friday. I am now able to shift on and off from work to home and back again and not get stuck in between.
hope-faith
(Hope)
WOW!!!!!!!!! ILOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brilliant!
Brilliant!
Mental Mindset
Well I have been very busy cleaning house in the past it has been a thorn in my side. The whole time I would clean I would just get so aggravated because I have to do it all. I try to get DS and DD to help but it is more of a struggle. Well today I have decided to put my nose to the grindstone and just do it. Not enlist the help of DS and DD. It has gone really well. I have not had all those negative feelings and it has been a very mentally positive time for me. I have ruled myself off limits to DS and DD they have had to fend for themselves and they have done well. They have even pitched in a couple of times with out me asking.
So it has gotten me to thinking that I do not need to stress out so much about getting DS and DD to help at this point in time in the game. Just hunker down and get my house in order (because many parts of it are very cluttered). Once I get it in order I can put some routines in place for them. I do have a few already that they do fairly well on.
I have come along way.
hope-faith
(HOPE)
DOUBLE WOW!!!!!!!!! I AM STARTING TO SEE THIS AS WELL!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE GETTING BETTER!!
Wonderful - this sounds like
Wonderful - this sounds like quite a big thing and I'm really happy for you - well done!
Vic Small Steps
I have been in 12 step groups for over 30 years and do not celebrate anniversaries in those groups because I feel I have a daily reprive. For PA I do want to celebrate. I almost want to pinch myself to make sure this is not a dream. I have so much hope, like most of us, we were not always procrastinators, so I feel I am getting to see the old me, the person I thought I lost forever, I have hope that I have dreams for my life again and with the help of PA and my HP, be confident that I can rely on my following through. There is hope here. Thank you for being here and the small steps.
On 3/24, I posted:One year 1 week anniversary in PA- a humbling privilage to be here
Last year working on an annual task I found this site. I wrote: March 16, 2009
I am sitting here-FROZEN.I came accross this site.I am in other 12 step programs and no one I tried to talk to really hears me. They don't undrstand and quite frankly, neither do I.Instead, I feel sick inside, ready to cry, stomach ache, self loathing that is off the charts, waiting and hating myself and FROZEN. Ii NEED TO START PAPERWORK AND I AM POWERLESS- STRANGE AS IT SEEMS, I DID NOT PRAY.I GUESS I FEEL LIKE MY HP WOULD SAY YOU ARE JUST TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PATHETIC.
This year after completing the same annual task, I wrote yesterdayMarch 23, 2010:
Wow. Done, I want to go out and clebrate!!!But first I want to give thanks to this group.
This is the only place I could say how busy I was and how drained I became by all day procratinating and doing nothing that I needed to do and have people understand. Thank you. Now I can go back to doing my regular stuff.
WOW that is awesome
Thanks for posting Vic I am having a few WOW moments this week. It is so good to go back and reflect on where we were and how far we have come. The smallest steps make a huge difference.
Congratulations on your success with this years annual task.
hope-faith
SMALL STEPS - HOPE
THANKS HOPE, WE ARE BOTH MAKING SMALL STEPS, MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT AS LONG AS I WORK THIS PROGRAM THE SMALL STEPS ARE THE PERMANENT/CONSISTENT ONES, AND THAT IS THE MIRACLE!!
I can remember a time......
I can remeber a time when I would have to break loading my dishwash up in to small task.
I can remember a time when I would wash 7-10 load of clothes on sat. and sun. and then they would just sit in a pile on the couch the next week until we wore them and they made it to the clothes hamper.
I can remember a time when not one surface in my house was clutter free.
I can remember a time when I would sort through my mail once a month and stress over making payments the day before they where due.
I can remember a time when I would wake up in the am and not know what to do first and spend all day trying to decided what to do.
This am it took me 20 mins to
Onward
hope-faith
Oh my GOODNESS this is so
Oh my GOODNESS this is so inspiring. Awesome!
(((hope-faith)))
Only just seen this thread and I think it's a fantastic idea.
I got up on time this morning and spent 5 mins cleaning the kitchen before I let myself look at the Internet. You're right, we have come a long way!
Can someone give me a boost?
I tried to be optimistic a few days ago.
But now I can't deny it.
Finishing 1 answer a day is bad, when I could finish off more than 1 assignment in a day some months ago.
I used to go to a library 1 year ago but never liked the place. And now i don't go there, I try to do it at home.
I moe around the house, do this do that. Get up a hundred times from the study corner that I chose,close to my books and everything i need, within an arms reach.
Exams are starting in less than 20 days(15th april) and i don't evevn know the chapters' names.
Sorry to spread the blues hope-faith. I came here to post a small victory but I felt I just couldn't keep it in anymore.
Thank You
Agnus, Vic, Lucky, Helen, Hope-faith & everybody who reads this. THANKS A MILLION GUYS.
Together we can and together we will.
And Helen, thanks for putting in the link. I'm not very good at finding my way around(sites).
Thanks for praying for me Agnus.
I appreciate your help vic, and thanks for looking out for me Hope-faith & Lucky.
vali: Finished 2 more assignments in the past 3-4 days
Also finished writing two experiments(tiny ones).
This is how I did it.
I worked for 1 hr yesterday and some time in college today and yesterday. I set a 15 min timer and worked on a thing for only that much time and when it went off i switched to another thing(between Assignments & experiments). In this way I worked for half an hour continuously at first, then after a break 15 mins, then another break and 15 mins. then i quit when i saw a movie on TV(I'm happy i watched the movie, i'm not gonna reprimand myself on that one).
Well I'm moving on to the rest of the assignments and experiments.
Thanks movingalong for your the microbursts idea. And thanks all you guys for supporting me.
Super Success
Congrat on your success.
hope-faith
Thanks hope-faith
I completed about 5 experiments today. Sat in college this afternoon with a friend and completed them.Really helps when someone is doing things with you...
Also took his help and studied a topic. Hadn't done anything about studies until now.
Have toChoose to revise what i learnt today(i promised him that) & finish some more experiments.a prayer for vali
My dear Higher Power, will you please give my PA friend vali an extra boost of love and power today? (I need one too.) We are powerless over our procrastination, but we have come to believe that you are a Power Greater than ourselves, that can restore us to enough sanity to stop hurting ourselves this way. As we share our stories here in PA, let us notice how you have helped others and begin to trust that you can and will do the same for each of us. Based on that kernel of faith, we turn our will and lives, our thoughts and actions, over to your care, one minute, one hour or one day at a time. Grant us the intuitive thoughts, inspirations and decisions we need to move forward in your will for us today. Thank you for giving us hope again.
(Vali)
Hi,
We do not give "advice" here, but I can tell you what helped me. Being the perfectionist and self loathing critic that I am, this method does not come natuarally for me, but I have found it to be the most effective.
The method is based on something I read,
"Grace can only grow in fields of gratitude".
I had to learn to be grateful for things that I felt were pathetic, it was not easy, but I forced myself to be grateful for that 1 answer a day and it made me humble enough to get more help and get more done. That is what worked for me for what that is worth, I was ready to try anything.
re: Vali's studies
There is no point about beating yourself up over this. If you can forgive yourself, at least in part, for procrastinating in the past on this you might well find that it frees up more energy for you now.There is a lot you can do in 20 days to save the situation. The PA tools for recovery may be useful to you too.
http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/files/PA_Tools.html
I have been there too. Hang on in there and use this resource.
Good luck
Vali
You can do this. Look at the small step that have gotten you this far, do not focus on what you could have done or what you used to do. Do not focus on how much you have to do. Focus on what your are going to do right now for the next min, 10 min 15 min. You have set yourself a goal of 1 question a day. You have a plan work you plan and then add to it. Come here and celebrate your success and victories.
Maybe today you could focus on one question and wirting the names of the chapters down on a sheet of paper.
Get up a hundred times from the study corner. (I can relate to this well) What helps me is to have a checklist and as I complete a task (a very small task 5min 10 min 15 min I check it off). My checklist is sequential and it is the same veryday until I have changed my behavior and I am ready to add to or take off task.
You can use the daily check in thread to post 3 task that you would like to accomplish. as you complete them check them off. (You can put more then 3 on your list but no need to over tax yourself)
I am impreseed you have 20 days and you are already working towards preparing for your exames. I can not recall one time when I was in college when I started planning and preparing that far ahead. If you have a computer near your study corner log into chat on this site and use it. It really does work wonders and everyone is so supportive.
You can do this, I will be here most of the day and there are many here to help you.
You are not behind just start where you are at. -- Flylady
hope-faith
Starting writing in 10 mins
it's now 2:41pm,26th march
Good Job
Good job how much are you going to write today? Came back and let us know your progress.
hope-faith
Vali
Please don't worry about sharing when you're not feeling so good. The 'bad' posts are actually part of what makes this site inspiring, because seeing other people going through the same problems makes us feel less alone.
Doing one answer a day is not bad. Getting anything done is a victory. One is good. More than one would be better. That's the only way to look at it.
You might think you're doing nothing to help yourself, but you've already done something really proactive by posting here and asking for support. I find that really hard.
I suggest you make lots and lots of use of the chatbox and this thread today - set yourself a slightly higher goal and post baby steps and get people to cheer you on every step of the way. It works!
Thanks Lucky
I feel a bit better after seeing this....
Another Small Step for Hope-Faith
Another Small Step
Very overwhelemd during this time. I made a decision to leave work on time and come back to finish up some very tedious work. I do everything for everyone at home and I usually do not do this and if I do come back to work I make sure that everything is done. Well today when DH come home I just asked him to handle it. IT IS WHAT I NEEDED the world will not fall apart. Oh and I also took a short nap when I got home.
Onward
hope-faith
A year ago
A year ago I would have pushed this task to the 11th hour, today I am ahead of 50% of my cowokers. I can go to bed tonight and not have to worry about this task in the am.
hope-faith
And this is how this site works -- Thanks Mama-Cat
Well I accomplished what I went back to work to do. In the end I was on the verge of procrastinating by not completing a small step but it was the final step in completing my task at hand. As I was about to wrap up what I was doing I had decided to complete the last step tomorrow am. The Mama-Cat came into chat and I was encouraged to press through my procrastination and perform the final step on not hold off until tomorrow.
IT IS DONE
Thanks Mama-Cat for showing up. Support is the key.
hope-faith
This AM
This am I made my bed and did not even think about doing it I was just doing it.
YAY Me.
hope-faith
"Lets not over look where
"Lets not over look where we have been because we are so focused on where we would like to be."
wise words, thanks hope-faith, I needed to be reminded of this.
You are welcome
hope-faith