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.

Thursday July 22, 2010

Happy Thursday everyone! 

Have a great proactive late day of the week

Peace Cool

 

Vic 7/22

  Show up (done) PA is the only place I can move forward. I never knew WC was so neat, I would guess he is a friend of Bill's.  I am 1/2 way through my task. Need to make final call tonite or am, Procrastinating of course.

My friend says it so well "When I am in my own head, I am in ememy territory." So coming here gets me out of my head.

Wide open spaces

Didn't check in with my tasks today but had a productive day nonetheless. Must remember to check in.

I was faced with another problem today that often crops up. Whenever a large window of time opens up I feel anxious that I can squeeze as much potential out of it as possible. As a result I (always) 'nibble' away at lots of different tasks. I suppose I panic that I wont get the large task done in the available time so I go for the quick reward by chipping off easy, quick tasks. Anyway, I managed to focus on a larger task today when one of those windows opened up and I felt so good for getting it done. I started. I worked through (fighting distraction). I finished. What a new sensation!

One other area I would be interested in hearing opinions from other members about is attention. I really believe I have some form of ADD. I've felt this for quite a few years now. This disorder seems to include a lot of procrastination behaviour. I think that if I can address my problems of procrastination this will in turn help me to sort some of the ADD. If anyone has a similar situation or thoughts on this, let me know.

PEA

My view ((PEA))

PEA

I would offer just this. Modern life is very attuned to "oh that MUST be ADD" as a reaction. I don't believe it necessarily, and more importantly the common remedy for ADD is NOT necessarily synonymous as for procrastination. Each person is indeed different. So, a word of caution, that is all.  What HAS helped me (perhaps I am ADD and perhaps I am not) is the idea/goal of deliberate, non-anxious mindfulness (whatever all that means! :-). Can discuss further as and when time/opportunity permits.

Cheers

re:ADD

I thought the same thing, and had the tests and although I was close, I don't fall into the ADD category - nevertheless, I read Dr. Edmund Hallowell's books Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction, and found a lot of tips in there that work for me.   http://www.drhallowell.com/add-adhd/

Jo

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.' - Elbert Hubbard

Just finish paper and home

Just finish paper and homework, no matter what it takes. 

Followup

11:43 AM: So I have mixed emotions at the moment. Not sure whether to sigh with a measure of relief or kick myself a few times (or perhaps both). I released 28 reports in the last hour that were sitting in my editing queue, nearly done save for a few minor typo edits. So now I have 100 overdue reports.

On another front, I also received a bittersweet phone call from an esteemed, more senior colleague who just heard about my leaving this job, but not the circumstances. Not knowing about my current collapse, remembering me (or more accurately, my "image") from a better time, he couldn't understand why I hadn't let him know I was looking, and that I should keep them in mind if the new job doesn't fulfill me. I smiled to myself ruefully. I am touched, but I don't have the resources to head into his highly competitive world. I am out of ammunition, and need to retreat and rebuild. Maybe someday.

1:03 PM: Took me a little over an hour to decompress from the last "sprint". Ready to get back to it.

Interim goal: 3 cases, 1 hour, starting at 1:05 PM.

28 reports!

That sounds like progress to me!

Jo 

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.' - Elbert Hubbard

Time to get serious

10:04 AM: Okay, I awakened stressed out, knowing that today is the day the overdue report list is sent to the boss. I saw the report this morning, and I have 128 overdue reports. That is just off the charts. Although I have been happy at making baby steps of progress, I will never catch up at my current rate, and I only have 5 and a half more weeks at this job. I really don't want the additional humiliation of having my reports re-assigned to others, which could happen at any moment, once the boss gets a look at the report. Right now only the boss, my division chief, and myself are aware that I am floundering so badly.

I need to address two things: first, another procrastination hold up in my production line. I have started to eke out reports, which I give to the secretaries to enter into the computer, but they accumulate in my editing queue online. I face the same procrastination issue getting them released as I do in preparing them in the first place. The second is that I cannot be happy with 6 or 10 overdue reports a day. I need to work well outside my comfort zone and shoot for getting 20 done per day, *including* the computer editing and release part. Otherwise, they are not really "done". Obviously, that can't be 20 long, painful reports, but I also have quickies and followups that I *should* be able to finish relatively promptly.

Goal: To get 20 reports completely done today, short or long, painful or painless. 

Plan: Spend the first hour getting the ones that are almost finished and sitting in the computer out. Then, hour by hour, try to average 3 reports. It's 10:25 AM. Will report back in an hour .

 

(4)

Please forgive me, but I can't use the "s" word (I heard it too often)

Wow, there really are people out there like me!! I love WC posters:

Winston Churchill Says We Deserve Victory!

4s solidarity to you

Once you get a couple of those 'almost dones' out the door, you can build on that feeling of success.   Good luck! 

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.' - Elbert Hubbard

Appreciate it

Thanks, Journey! Have to get some traction here.

Scribbler's CI

So check this out: I got all but one item checked off my to-do list yesterday, and that was a pretty optional one in the evneing. . That felt really great. I think the key was not putting too many things on the list. Or maybe it's that the tasks that were on there didn't require so much time to complete. Anyway I actually ran out of things to do before 5 p.m., so I took on a few things on the evning and anytime to-do lists. Very cool. I'll try to do that again today:

Prep

  • Get up by 7 (not even close. Get to sleep earlier)
  • Coffee, paper, water plants
  • Healthy breakfast
  • Checkins

Morning

  • Add 5 to music
  • Finish factchecking Masters10
  • Ck mailer list against CP db
  • Fix toilet (not fun, but definitely has to be done) (harder than I thought, have to revisit this)

Afternoon

  • S/U new AW assignments
  • File JH harmony piece
  • Invoice JH re: rewrite
  • Call 5 re: music
  • ID open mic
  • Post guitars on CL
  • Exercise (run?)

Evening

  • Party at LS
  • Open mic
  • Bed by 11 p.m.

Miscellaneous to-dos I'm re-listing here so I won't forget them. Also so
I can have something to choose from if I want a quickly accomplished
to-do to give me a jolt of energy and some positive momentum.

  • Do second BN test post
  • Get car oil changed
  • Clean off desktop
  • Research hunting class
  • Recycle transmission fluid
  • Install GFCI
  • Return Sony, Beamz
  • Activate new debit card
  • Balance checkbook
  • Order new toner cart
  • Put away camping stuff
  • Call agent about new car ins

check in july 22

Got 7 hours sleep so that was good.

To do:

Morning items: Run; voicemail ; checked email;1st call into PA conf call (Yeah)

Work by 9:30 a.m. [started working at 8:30 a.m.]

use time sense worksheets; timesheet for yesterday

List of things to be done at work. Dr R, Drs S & E continuance, 

10:30 a.m.  bridge call

12:30 pm bridge call [could not do-- on client call]

client development - 1 hour - call 2 potential clients this morning. called 2 addl clients and emailed 2 more clients

check who else needs to be called - 15 min and make list

 fee agmt for new client - 1:15 p.m.

 client mtg 3 p.m. 

Work till 9:30 p.m. (Use timer for every hour)

 

Calendar meeting 7:30 p.m. Friday - 85 E. Colorado Blvd (at Madison), 
Pasadena
91101-2036
Room: PH-302-2

hope4meandu checkin (10:30AM)

Hi All,

Did really well at home, thankfully, last night. In fact, even iced my ankle, which is major progress. Did a load of laundry, swept, exercised for 5 minutes instead of 10 and made 2 phone calls.

Today:
-work on ML project?
-buy flowers for C
-call R about Friday
-call M about Sunday
-clean oven

At work I'm trying to figure out this thing I've been putting off since April. I'm the worst at reading and trying to figure out forms and applications. Praying to be able to fill this paperwork out before my boss leaves on vacation (YAY) Friday.

♥Prayers & guidance needed & appreciated for my Yoffee's healing.♥

Journey 10 am

Slow start today.  I went back to the gym this morning with new workout plan in tow.   I felt like a doofus looking at my little notebook and checking stuff off as I did it but once I get used to it I'm sure it will feel less intimidating.  I've been doing a 'body pump' class for the past couple years, but I'm bored with it, and I need to to bump it up a bit too as I've been stuck at the same weight for ages.   

I have a big meeting this afternoon for my project and I'm diligently avoiding preparing for it  :P  I've been here for an hour and have not done any real work yet.   Checking in for motivation.   I will report my minor pc problem, then make todo list for the rest of the day. 

I need to ask the BIC for help with something today, and I hate hate hate asking for help, but it's what I need to do to get the job done, so I'll suck it up.     Back in an hour or so with tdl for the rest of the day.

Jo

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.' - Elbert Hubbard

Just curious

Is BIC a fun acronym? I think of my boss as "the OC" - the ogre in the cave.

Cheers!

@4s re: the BIC

The BIC is my Brilliant Intimidating Coworker who sort of functions as my technical lead.   I'm a little scared of her Wink

Jo 

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.' - Elbert Hubbard

Journey 11:00

Finally have my todo list:

  • Report pc problem
  • Planning 
  • Talk to S about calendar (dreading this one!) - 30 minutes
  • Update minutes, add P , resend?  upload, do agenda for today  - 1 hour
  • O.C. duty - prepare E on system P - 30 minutes
  • Review U install - 1 hour
  • Project Z meeting - 1 hour
  • Take vitamins
  • Quiet time
  • balance checkbook; pay bill - 15 minutes
  • added: discuss matrix with the BIC - 1 hour

Here goes, I'm gonna go ask the BIC for help now before I chicken out.  

Update 12:00  Well, I didn't talk to her to but I asked for help and sent her all the info so she can get back to me, so the hard part is done.     I just realized I was planning to go out to lunch and now it's too late, which is a good thing because I brought a frozen lunch and never put it in the freezer, so now I can just heat it up.   Wow, this day is going by fast once I actually started working.

Now prepare for my 3 pm meeting, once that is done I can do some lower priority stuff.

Update 2 pm: Had a long productive talk with the BIC about several aspects of Project Z and apart from a couple of mildly snappish comments, she was quite helpful.  Now back to preparing for my 3pm meeting, which is also about Project Z.

Update 3:40 Project meeting went well, now to write up the minutes, informally, before I forget stuff.   I'll polish them and send them out tomorrow.

Update 5 pm:  a quick look at the U install, just so I can check it off  :grin:, balance the checkbook, and I'm outta here.   Picking up dinner on the way home and DD *should*  have done the laundry today so I don't have any chores tonight.   I need to stop by Petsmart, don't let me forget!

Jo

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.' - Elbert Hubbard

kromer 9:20 CI

OK, lots to do today.

Top priority is to do 3 hrs of (logged, focused) research on my thesis project, and to ask labmates about my ideas. (update 1:40--2 hrs done. Step by step... Will do the rest later in the day)

Next priority are to:
*send clustering advice to S
*deal w/ WM issue
*work on organizing papers
*do a few small tasks (harambee email, deacon email, look for paper, order RA)
*figure out how to use bt (working on this now)
*call IA, email RH, email SS, email PR (will send email to RH soon)
*get list of GC genes up after VAD, look at U8 in VAD. (very quickly did second part, but need to go back and do more carefully)

Lower priority are:
*plan for working on presentation skills
*read RNAseq paper
*go to bank
*call home
*work on diffEQ project

I'm hoping that I can get through all the top priority and next priority tasks. 

Going to start with one of the "next priority" tasks for warm-up, then I'll work for an hour on thesis proposal. 

 

Mama_Cat's picture

MC to-dos for 7/21

Hi all - 

This morning:

::jawdrop:: 50% DONE ::jawdrop:: ****  Write 4 thank-us to fam. Maybe start w/ 1!  **** ::jawdrop:: 50% DONE ::jawdrop::

::jawdrop:: 50% DONE ::jawdrop:: ****  Address, add stamp to, and mail out card(s) **** ::jawdrop:: 50% DONE ::jawdrop:: 

:-) DONE **** Text confirmations to clients about today's visits ****  DONE :-)

;-) DONE ****   E-mail GM my CP paper & QR stuff ****  DONE ;-)

:-P DONE ****  E-mail references to LB & KG ****  DONE :-P

:-D DONE ****  Confirm tonight's meeting time with KG ****  DONE :-D  

:grin: DONE ****  IF TIME--update summer school projects post  ****  DONE :grin:

 

 

Mama_Cat's picture

Believe it or not...

I got them all done.

Yes, it's true - every SINGLE one! Cool

Don't know WHEN that last happened.

Pretty cool!

Night, all -

MC 

tuffl CI

not in good mood today. feel like i can't be who i want to be if those close to me don't put their trust in me that i can. if i have to convince them constantly that yes, i am trying to change and be a better person. it's just not gonna happen within a single day or week! *feeling a bit alone* but anyway, will try to not let that get to me.

today's to-dos: mostly things that i didn't have time to do yesterday

 

MORNING

  • DONE Smile CI
  • DONE breakfast & shower

AFTERNOON

  • review JI (30)
  • DONE tidy study (15)
  • mail form E (30)
  • go to D (15)
  • go shopping (1)
  • draft email to H (20)
  • email T (H + F) (10)
  • call SST (5) tried, no one answered, will try again later
  • DONE Smile try and call SK again (10)
  • do some research for JTT (40)
  • DONE backup (10)
  • call A (10)
  • call J (10)
  • DONE call M (10)

EVENING

  • go running (1)
  • maybe cook
  • start letter to S (20)

 

kind regards ((tuffl), relate

♥Prayers & guidance needed & appreciated for my Yoffee's healing.♥

tuffl you're not alone!

You have *us* and we understand!  

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.' - Elbert Hubbard

update

Thanks hope4meandu and journey! being here makes me feel that i can be a better person if i try!

 

MORNING

  • DONE Smile CI
  • DONE breakfast & shower

AFTERNOON

  • review JI (30)
  • DONE tidy study (15)
  • DONE Smile mail form E (30)
  • DONE go to D (15)
  • DONE go shopping & help mum (1)
  • draft email to H (20)
  • email T (H + F) (10)
  • call SST (5) tried, no one answered, will try again later tomorrow
  • DONE Smile try and call SK again (10)
  • do some research for JTT (40)
  • DONE backup (10)
  • DONE call A (10)
  • call J (10)
  • DONE call M (10)

EVENING

  • DONE Smile go running (1)
  • DONE Smile maybe cook
  • start letter to S (20)

 

chick CI

work hard on main task-- ready to copy--lots done :)

be sure to check some things off in all other activity areas--a bit so far--some more done :)

Rexroth Check In

Done:
Up prayer and reflection

Todo:
Go out for voluntary work
Buy fresh fruit and veg on the way back

and then...

Regards Rexroth

Rexroth Check Out

Home late as staff shortage and decided to stay to help out and once home have achiedved nowt.

Night Folks

Rexroth

My Day Today

Things I will do today (Thursday)

1. Go to the telephone 7:00 a.m. DA meeting

2. Prayer and Meditation

3. Go to the telephone 8:30 PA meeting

4. Call a college professor to get a academic plan together

5. Have that college professor to sign the plan.

6. Bring the plan to the Financial Aid Office

7. Resolve the debt in the school library

8. Go to the hospital to resolve the debt.

9. Take a shower

10. Get dressed

11. Eat brunch

12. Eat dinner

13. Get my clothes ready for the next day.

15. Empty two storage boxes

16. Clear off the couch

17. Clear off the tables

18. Post Al-Anon literature for the day

19. Clear up the floor

20. Make bed

21. Wash dishes

22. Get sleep apnea stuff ready for tonight

23. Do hair 

24. Call for a debt repayment

25. Go to the library website to renew some books  

26. Test my sugar twice 

27. Get my numbers caught up.

28. Went to the work support group

29. Go to the Face to Face NA meeting

That's all I have.