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.
Monday June 11, 2012
HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYBODY!
Tool Four in PA: Focus on Long-Term Consequences: Procrastinators have a tendency to focus on short-term pleasure, and shut out awareness of long-term consequences. Remind yourself how panicked and awful you'll feel if the task isn't done, then imagine how good it will feel when the task is finished.
Have a great proactive day
Peace
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Tools & Thanks MovingAlong
I just read through all 10 tools and wrote a keyword next to each one to remind me what to do for each one.
For Tool 4, I agree with movingalong's first post of this thread, and used it to help me reword the tool. I chose "Next Right Action" as my keyword for Tool 4, and this rewording: "Quick Recall of Long-Term Chaos, Then Redirect Focus to HP's Next Right Action for You" ... truthfully I agree that focusing on the consequences doesn't work for procrastinators or addicts of any kind, as that's the whole reason we are compulsive addicts (we keep doing it despite the consequences). Maybe we can do a group conscience on rewording Tool 4?
I'll write my keywords here for each tool:
1. Goals & Actions (Break It Down)
2. Vision (Visualization)
3. Demand-Resistance, Perfection, Fear of Failure (Ask Yourself Why)
4. Next Right Action (see above)
5. Timer (Avoid Time Bingeing)
6. Microburst, 15-minute Block (Use Small Blocks of Time)
7. STOP! (Avoid Perfectionism)
8. Timesheet (Keep a Time Log)
9. AM/PM Routines (Develop Routines)
10. Check-Ins (Bookend Tasks & Time)
Hazyjane check-in
It's after 9pm here in London, I'm probably not going to write a very long list!!!
Number one: update blog. Can let off some steam...
Number two: take dogs out for a quick walk whilst simultaneously
Number three: running a bath (I have a very slow-filling bath)
Number four: enjoy a fifth episode of Breaking Bad whilst in the bath!!! You've gotta love wifi...
Number five: go to bed, try not to panic about our once more not-actually-scripted rehearsal tomorrow (maybe number one should be writing a script, really? Erm...Avoidant behaviour alert...)
Tiptree CI
to do:
1) drop off items at thrift store
2) call re exp. report issue
3) clean office
4) read 100 pp. of JK book
5) work 2 hrs on ssl feature
6) write up plan for addressing T. user issues
7) investigate dcm bug reported by customer
8) test delta script
9) tech reading for at least a 1/2 hr
10) exercise
11) sh/sh
12) meditate
record any additional items, here:
prognotperf checking in
Get up at a reasonable hourGratitudes
Read, pray
Card
Text card
Text accountability partner
Wire transfer
Buy sheets
Wash sheets
Check in
Get MF’s number
Pray
Call MF
Write thank you to DM
Email teamsForward report to LMClear emails back to June 4.
Prep crafts for tomorrow.
CR
½ hour min step study homework
½ hour min inventory
Floss
Positive journaling before bed
Agnus checking in
You might be a procrastinator if....
...you go to the PA website and have to manually log in because the server no longer recognizes you. :-)
Just because my billable workload shrank to near-nothing, aparently did not cure my problems with compulsive procrastination at all. In fact, the piles of paperwork and clutter in my house today are just as scary as they were when I started PA years ago...in some ways moreso because I *should* know better by now, right?
Wrong! When I consider my procrastination in light of these concepts from the AA Big Book page 30, these little experiments just prove that I'm 100% qualified to be here: "The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death."
I was suicidally depresssed when I got to PA, and I sure don't wanna ever go back to that. So once again I'm humbly reminding myself that showing up is Step 0.5. Back with a list shortly.
"My boundaries enclose a pleasant land." Psalm 16
@ movingalong
Your post today really helped and inspired me. Thank you!
"My boundaries enclose a pleasant land." Psalm 16
Progress: Day 2 Here, Mon. 6/11/12
Had a very successful day yesterday all because of the check-in forum right here. Can't believe how much I got done, and then guess what happened???
I got so much energy from all the healthy things I did like exercising/walk, supplements, meals, etc. that I had TOO MUCH ENERGY TO SLEEP!
All that work to plan for today with my new UA timesheet went up in smoke all because I had so much energy I couldn't get to sleep till 5am this morning! :(( :cry:
So here I am starting my day after 12 and pissed, upset, discouraged ... and tired too. How will I proceed now, start my day only to be up all night all over again? What will it take for me to get it together so I can actually work and apply to jobs? I had good intentions and this was not my fault! :( :sad:
I guess today is a good day to turn to my Higher Power and ask him what I should do now. I honestly feel like spending the day in bed now.
Any advice appreciated for what to do when plans don't pan out ...thanks.
My list 6/11
Attend a UA phone meetingDownload AA Big Book (even though I'm not an alcoholic, I've heard people use this in other fellowships)Eat fruitJourney 10 am
Busy weekend, and busy day today . . . quick check-in to say hello and have a productive day!~
Embrace the suck!
Vic 6/11/12
Show up (done)
Praying for willingness to be willing to be willing.
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 12 noon telephone ACA meeting2. Go to the 1 p.m. telephone CLA activity line3. Cook and eat breakfast4. Warm up lunch5. Take shower6. Get dressed7. Go to the pharmacy to fill my perscriptions
8. Eat dinner9. Go to work at 5:30 p.m.11. Go to the 11 p.m. telephone ACA meetingThanks for letting me share
Movingalong's Monday list and also thoughts on Tool #4
Thank you Lennon, for today's thread-starter!
(-- from the list of PA's Tools of Recovery)
My personal thoughts (How I interpret and use this tool for me):
Personally, I find the word "consequences" to be triggering.
Therefore I choose *not* to focus on the bad feelings,
because that might lead to
"awful-izing" or "catastroph-izing".
Instead, I simply do a QUICK remembering
of how procrastination leads to chaos,
but then I re-direct my thinking to FOCUS as follows:
I contemplate the following:
Higher Power, Greater Wisdom, what is the Big Picture?
What long-term goals do you envision for me?
How does this action fit into that?
What can my next right action be -- right now?
What will lead me on the path to *real* joy?
...
My focus for Monday:
UPDATE:
I got way off track doing a perfectionist job at something that wasn't a priority.
Sigh.
Refocus now.