Introductions and some Juicy, Juicy Resources

Hello everybody,

I’m new to Procrastinators Anonymous and wanted to formally introduce myself. My name is Matthew (I generally don’t reveal my name on message boards, but I can see that there is some real community here). I have struggled with procrastination since elementary school—and school seems to be the avenue in which this problem is mostly stratified. The effects, however, have extended to all areas of my life.

*Putting off assignments and major projects had, early in my university career, resulted in my GPA slipping 0.05 points below the number required to maintain my scholarship: the dollar amount lost was $15,000 in aggregate.

*There have been years that I would begin my job search and résumé distribution too late into the summer vacation to be gainfully employed before returning to school. This has had broad-reaching effects on my academic plans and my finances.

*I consistently put off planning for holidays and birthdays—a factor that has affected every romantic relationship I’ve ever been in.  

*I am known roundly in my current program as a ‘slacker,’ and a ‘time-waster.’ I am sometimes further met by resentment because I manage to excel, in spite of my habits, to the top of my classes.  

As I had asserted in my response, to gain access to this forum, I have tried nearly everything to rid myself the bane that is procrastination: I’ve read books, gone to seminars, attended workshops, paid hundreds for therapy, journaled, and waxed poetic about this mental health issue, and to little avail. Grief and depression have been my wages.

I am hoping to find an element of unity and accountability on this forum that I haven’t found through other methods. Although the twelve steps bit is obscure for me, I can appreciate the overarching need for self-recognition, reconciliation, and recovery. As a result of my numerous experiences, I have come into the possession of many potentially useful resources, a couple of which I would like to share immediately:

Independent Workshop Modules for Working Through Procrastination

And for Procrastination’s ugly sister,

Independent Workshop Modules for Maladaptive Perfectionism

And lastly, for those to whom this may apply,

Strategies for Managing Depression (as is so common a side effect of the curse!).

These modules take time and energy, so be mindful of the commitment!

I want to extend my appreciation to the webmaster for creating this resource and, in advance, to others on here with whom I’ll soon be corresponding. Thanks for having me :)

Kind Regards,

Primox (Matthew)