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.
hi, new :)
Hi, im new...im an undergraduate student..trying to finish her thesis (history major..)..i should have finished it like 2 years ago though...but anyway...ive been trying to move forward on my own for the last 2 or 3 years, but i finally accepted i cant do it alone..and the very few people who know about this problem of mine just keep telling me the "just do it" mantra, which honestly hasnt helped...
anyway, its good to know im not the only one, though i still feel bad im the only one in my family and friends who seems to have this problem...it really makes me sad to see everyone around me being so productive...while im just staring at the blank page, seeing the hours (and years!) pass and unable to write...its so frustrating that i usually end up wasting my time surfing on the web or reading books that have nothing to do with my thesis....I do have a draft (which i wrote like 8-9 months ago!) but its incomplete and needs so much revision and rewriting that i feel im never going to end (in my country, undergraduate thesis have to be at least 100 pages long). Procrastination is really ruining my academic life....i cant apply to graduate studies because of this..and i really want to go back to school and learn new things again...I also have had problems with my tutor since im not reliable with deadlines...so, ill be glad to hear your comments and specially those of students who are in a similar situation....thanks!! Angela
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Welcome Angie!
Hello Angela,
i fully relate to your situation because i've been in the same boat like you until recently. thank god, i have finished my thesis (master's degree) by now. It took me more than one year instead of the scheduled 4 months and i started hating myself for not being able to manage my life in a reasonable way. i went through the same like you until i, too, realised that i wouldn't be able to overcome this problem on my own. this has been a fundamental insight and i finally, finally came upon this forum. congratulations that you've made this first step and joined pa, Angela! there are many helpful tools here. for me, one first important step has been to stop hating myself for procrastinating! it wouldn't improve my motivation or make me more productive but, quite on the contrary, just led to increased desparation, fear, self-hate and, consequently, more procrastination... so i started to try to be gentle with myself (and still get started on a certain task). the chatbox helped a lot with getting started and share my daily successes and failures. apart from that i found especially the microburst strategy helpful, splitting this big project of writing a thesis into its smallest possible bits and starting to work on these in small time intervals of 5 to 20 min (depending on what feels manageable at the time) using a timer programme like 'Instant Boss'. sometimes the smallest possible bit was to write just one single sentence! One sentence more towards finishing it! it worked! i don't know where i'd be now (thesis-wise) without it! the result hasn't been what i would've liked it to be but what's important - I DID IT! i finished and can move on! you can do the same!! take it in baby steps (no action is too small to be an action that takes you further towards your goal!) or whatever works best for you. you will find lots of support and empathy here! good luck, Angela, you can do it! (hugs) tuffl
Thanks!
Thanks MD and tuffl for your warm welcoming! Sometimes im a bit hard on myself and i want this problem to go away in like 2 days but im really making an effort to be patient with myself, i have started to use the checkins and chat and it does help, its gonna take a while i know because its still so easy to fall back into the bad habits but im hoping in a few months i will see the light again, cuz i had been so depressed lately because of this, anyway, so really thanks!! you have no idea how much your words mean to me! angie.
Sat. 9th July 2010
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE !!!
TO-DO-LIST
TAKE A SHOWER
GET DRESSED
CLEAN UP
EAT BREAKFAST TAKE VITAMINS
most welcome
weclome angie-85
indeed you are not at all alone; I have gone through what you have (that statement makes it not one iota easier for you, I fully know); and now am going through very similar difficulties -- again. so, come join us and explore yourself--and get better as a result. Good to have you!