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.

some thoughts about procrastination and STEP TWO

When I was a kid, my room would get really messy (as kids' rooms tend to do) and my mom would tell me that I couldn't go outside to play until my room was clean.  Sometimes I would sit in the room the entire weekend and never go out to play.  No one around me could figure out why I did this.  I was an agreeable kid- I wasn't being defiant- I just couldn't get started.

 

So that's still me, sitting in the messy room.  I'll see my tasks in order and I can't do anything until I get started on that big project that is looming over me.  Then I fall farther behind.  But as we all know, motivation follows action so if I can get started on number two on my list then maybe I will have the energy and motivate to go back to number one.  For example, I enjoy cooking.  It's a chore I have to do several times a week, but I enjoy it.  Usually I save it until the end of the day after I've wasted hours in procrastination.  But now I'm going to try to do it first- as soon as I get home from work (or in the case today, in the morning since it's Sunday) and see if accomplishing that task will give me the motivation to settle into the other jobs that I dread doing.

 

Anyway, other times I think I must be crazy to think about all this so much.  I was on this site about a year ago for a week and then forgot about it.  I've been up and down since then but a lot of interesting things have happened too.  I've moved and changed jobs so I'm generally feeling happier and that has helped immensely.  There is an obvious link between procrastination and depression.  I'm much worse when I'm unhappy.

 

Hope you all have a happy easter. 

Doing list out of order ... to START ... and feel accomplishment

Oh...
So you are talking about the second item on the list,
or "Step Two" if you break a big task into little steps.
Going ahead to the second part/item/step on your list.

(I thought you were talking about Step Two on the Twelve Steps)>
http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/files/PA_Steps.html

Anyhow ... now that I know you meant the second step on a list ...

I agree with the premise you've set forth.  You CAN do the second thing, or the 4th thing if you want.

You don't have to do the list in order.  Avoid perfectionism!

Absolutely true that motivation follows action, and if doing ANYTHING on the list gives you a feeling of accomplishment, then, do it.  And you'll be motivated to work on the  the other tasks/steps.

 

Yes exactly.  Sorry to be

Yes exactly.  Sorry to be confusing!