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 December 22, 2011

HAPPY THURSDAY, EVERYBODY!

Have a great proactive day!

Peace

Smile Laughing Wink Kiss Cool

clement ci

i will c.i. soon, but i was catching up and reading 4change from dec 21, and this phrase caught my eye, cuz it's exactly what i need right now:

The important thing for me is to keep moving and not get stuck.

My problem today is that all the things i do i know are not going to be good enuf. But i am going to do them anyway, because i feel like it's the right thing to do. That God would want me to do them anyway.

and then this from tracy-la on resentment, insecurieites, and crisis motivation http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/comment/reply/3882/51037#comment-51037

  1. right now i am nursing resentments, and it is sapping my power. This is also what i needed to hear. Altho i think i will need Someone's help putting aside those resentments. I will pray after this. It's going to work. I can feel it.
  2. quote:
    When I'm shut down like that -- I am out of action and my life is getting worse. Because I am out of action. But now there's a crisis. And in a crisis? In a true emergency? I rise up and you see me at my best!

    So the overriding question of life is: Who will produce the crisis? Fate or me? How will I now live? Waiting for outside emergencies and challenges to wake me up? Or living another way? The way of the warrior.

    Chapter 7, Time Warrior, Steve Chandler

    I'm not sure i would use the term "at my best" in this case. For procrastinators like us, the burst of motivation we get in a crisis does compensate for our chronic under-motivation.

    But i'm not sure we should live our lives in chronic crisis mode, just to compensate for our cronic procrastination. There are probably people who live in chronic crisis mode that dont even know (yet) that they're procrastinators, because they haven't had to provide "their own" motivation for doing important, but not earth-shattering, and not urgent, tasks.

    I have been working explicitly along different lines. I am trying be motivated when there is NO crisis. When life is just going along regular, and there are things to do, it's in this circumstance that i want the power to choose a task and just do it. Like "normal" people.

    But, dunno. What would God think? Does he want us to be ever so passionate about doing his will that we should be in crisis mode all the time? Maybe.

    What do others think?

and tracy-la post today is relevant to my life.

BOY checking in here has done very good things to my spirit!

i have a centered, safe place where i can be in. It is when God is present in my heart, and i can feel his spirit, his love, his solace, his power. Nothing can faze me in that place. And i can tap his power to do the next right thing.

And i know that at all times he is inviting me into that place. Or should i say, he stands at the door an knocks. If anyone hears his voice, and opens the door, i [God] will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me. What an incredible promise for a Christian!

And so i am going to go now to pray, and to open that door.

the touch of the master's hand: http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1898#comment-27748

fall down seven times, get up eight - japanese proverb

bookmarks

crisis mode

I don't believe operating in crisis mode is good for us physically or mentally.  Therefore I can't believe our HP would want us to stay in that mode continually.   But we do need to find ways to motivate ourselves, remain committed to our goals, and build habits that will help us "keep calm and carry on" even when we don't feel like it.

Be confident.  Stay focused.   One thing at a time.

Anxiety returns in force

I am feeling down today. Fatigued, the realization I won't be ready to travel on Saturday sinking in, I am struggling to get started. I have made good progress this week, but it just keeps coming, and between the new and the old, I am getting that anxious, overwhelmed feeling I know too well. I was reading through a case and I just...didn't... want...to be doing it. Okay, nothing I can do. Checked online, and there are flights available Sunday and Monday as possible backups. Will let that rest for now. Time to crank away a little and try to clear my head. Got my ibuprofen handy, one hot and one cold caffeine drink, and will try to fake my way to feeling a little pluck. So here I go. 

Goal 1: up to 30 minutes per case until 1:30

Goal 2: Lunch

Goal 3: up to 30 minutes per case until 4

Goal 4: work on one big project until 6

Goal 5: break

Goal 6: up to 30 minutes per case until 8

Goal 7: Leave at 8

Goal 8: Personal time until 10

Goal 9: To bed between 10 and 10:30

Back to report. 

Thanks tracy-la

I really like your posting of these book excerpts. The one today is particularly inspiring. The chance to "re-invent" yourself, or one could say to get in touch with the "real" you on the inside, is very motivating. Thanks!

((you're welcome - helps me too!))

Although I've read the chapter, rewriting helps me internalize this more . . . the lessons we know but we seemingly don't know till they're pointed out to us. tracy-la

ditto

Be confident.  Stay focused.   One thing at a time.

tracy-la check in 12-21

READING FOR DAY 

WHY AM I NOT STICKING WITH MY GOALS?

There is a story about a professional football player named Deuce Lutui. Get his amazing story at  www.222.tolitnfl.com

 Deuce turned his professional life around in a single day when he declared himself to be, from that moment, from the heartbeat forward, the best offensive lineman in the NFL. He sent a text to his coach with teh acronym at the bottom TBOLITNFL.

From that moment Deuce began playing differently. Living differently. he had come into preseason camp out of shape and overweight and disgruntled about his contract. But once he declared his commitment on the inside, everything changed on the outside. he began playing like a man possessed. People asked him: "Deuce, what's gotten into you."

Notice how powerful that question is. What's gotten into you? Not "where are you headed?"

Because Deuce's commitment was internal, not external. it did not depend on any outside factor or circumstance for him to begin playing and living as the best offensive lineman in the NFL. the whole point of the "goal" (actually a transformation) is that it was internal. it was totally up to him, not others.

He had a short version of it. he called it "I am."

If I AM something, I don't have to worry about anything happening in my favor in the future. it's already in me. Like my heart.

Looking back on my own dysfunctional life, I remember I would always set goals and then worry about them.

Then I realized everything was distended, out into the future. No wonder it was hard for the mind to hold on to.

So I made my goals shorter. Short-term "process" goals that I always finished and felt good about. I no longer thought about long-term goals. Therefore I never had to worry about "sticking with" something.

I wrote on my wall: Be brief. Be swift. Be effective.

Process goals encouraged me to enjoy the present moment. They are brief and achievable. I set up process goals and fun tasks and projects so that I never had to worry about future "outcome" goals.

The best futures get created in the present moment.

The worst thing is to be so worried about your future that you miss creating it right now -- right here in the present moment. The only place it can ever be created.  

 Process goals should be very precise. Two miles. 21 pushups. 30 minutes writing the new book. 5 sales calls. $23k in sales proposals this week.

But. . . . isn't that reducing life to the mudane/ "Mundane" is a story we add to very interesting and exciting small challenges. Adding a negative word like "mundane" to a colorrful task is like painting a wildflower with black paint.

Only you yourself can fire you up. Challenge yourself more. Get creative.

Create projects and small adventues that lead you to the grand vision you want. None of this has to be experienced as pressure. Ever. The great quarterback Fran Tarkenton used to say, "If it's not fun you're not doing it right."

So forget considerations fo "happiness" and just get into action. Happiness is something you notice you are feeling later. . . after you've been in action for a while. It's not something to worry about ahead of time.

And don't hold your happiness hostage to the achievment of a long term goal. If you do that, your happiness is always in the future. Always a hostage. And the future doesn't exist right now, does it? Notice that Deuce Lutui's commitment is to be the best offensive lineman in the NFL right now. How else could he access that commitment? One cannot access the future until it is thoroughly internalized!

Don't create your year, create your day. Figure out the perfect day and then live it. The year will take care of itself. So will your life.

Chapter 8, Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

 

 

 

tracy-la

Journey 7 am

Last day of work before vacation!  Although I'll be babysitting for a while tomorrow so the kids can go Santa shopping, I'm off for the rest of the year!

I'm going to exercise, make my todo list for today, and I will run those errands at lunchtime today. 

Update 9:45 TDL - I've mixed up work and personal todos here but it's good enough, I've planned enough, time to get started!

  • Update cert with DR
  • Print application
  • errands
  • time sheet
  • cat litter
  • straighten car
  • straighten dryer
  • seat res
  • QT
  • TM web site
  • Work on goals for next year
  • Review OPM
  • Dinner
  • Dishes - I should go do  those right now 
  • Laundry started I'll put away what I folded and be done for today
  • Use any remaining time for RH

Jo

Be confident.  Stay focused.   One thing at a time.

Max Barraclough

Mind, Body, Spirit

- Meditate for 20 minutes
- PAI, PA before after, MMB
- Stretch, 75 pushups, 10 pistols, 0 pullups (DAY OFF)
- 1 pitcher of protein shake, vitamins, pill
- Brush AM, PM

Reliable/In touch/Communicative
Respond to all e-mails within 12 hours

Read:
WSJ

Tasks:
Forms to LS reg
e-mails to LS reg

Budget: get L formats, format, add sports/gym, tidy

Remaining gifts
Order muscle milk
G recontact
BH contact
call bank fraud & stolen laptop

Streaks:

Morning routine - 3 (3)
Meditate – 13 (13)
PAI – 27 (27), MMB – 18 (18), PA - 22 (22) after 3 (3)
Stretch - 22 (22), Pull-ups - 0 (4), pushs & pistols 15 (15)
Shake - 12 (12), vitamins - 21 (21), pills 0 (12)
Brush AM/PM - 11 (11)
Read: WSJ 3 (3)
Respond to all in 12 hours: 3 (3)

My Day Today

I want to thank my Higher Power for this program, this website, the telephone and online meetings, and my life.

Things I will do today

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

2. Take shower

3. Get dressed

4. Go to group therapy at 9 a.m.

5. Go to individual therapy at 10:15 a.m.

6. Go grocery shopping

7. Go to a movie

8. Go to a restaurant and eat dinner.

9. Pick up stuff off the floor near the bed

10. Clear the tables near the computer

11. Get medicine ready for the next two weeks

12. Go to the 8 p.m. telephone CLA meeting

13. Go to the 9 p.m. online EA meeting

Thanks for letting me share

5.