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.
Anti-procrastination coach?
I'm wondering if anyone has worked with an anti-procrastination coach? If so, did you find it helpful? If not, why not?
Thanks!
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Vic 3/4
No, for the same reason in my other programs: If there was any other way, I would have found it, only an act of my HP could save me as laid out in the AA Big Book:
Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone.Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent...Back :: Next...upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God
Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!
I have not been able to get past step 1 in PA.
What do do when you need a coach but can't financially do it?
I desperately need a coach or someone I can be accountable with. I can't financially handle a coach right now, and so I am reading books and trying to use To Do tools like on my iPhone. I can't rely on friends or family, they just don't understand. They either think I need medical help or I'm just lazy and I need to just move!
I feel like I'm just stuck. I can't even do what I first set out to do a few weeks ago with reading books. I have even procrastinated on getting here.
I talked to my family doctor about my issues and they just suggested to up my zoloft.
It can't be just medical. I have always had these issues and I can remember even back in elementary school. There was no name for it and I was even tested for learning disabilities for it to come out that I had above average intelligence and abilities. So, in short this has always plagued me and I am just sick and tired of it.
My house if falling apart, my marriage, my work and now I see my kids following in my footprints. The last part is what is taking me to "enough is enough".
Hoarding - I am not at this point at all... but I can see how the hoarders get. If I just go a couple more steps in my procrastination hole I can see myself get there.
I'm just spilling my guts because I have nowhere else to go, but down! So, I'm reaching out for HELP and suggestions.
Thanks for listening and I hope for some feedback.
Looblue!
Suggestion for when you need a coach but can't financially do it
Hi Looblue
I have two suggestions for you:
1. Contact good coaching training programs in your area to see if any of their trainees need practise clients as part of their program. When I trained with CoachU we had to do 20 hours coaching with a minimum of 3 clients. You will either be charged a low fee or no fee. Although the trainees won't be experienced you will still benefit and it could get you started.
2. Have you worked out how much it will cost you to get a coach? Exactly how much? Brainstorm on ways that you could earn that extra money - ebay, part time job.
When choosing a coach you need to make sure you have a good fit with them AND you need to make sure they are trained. Lots of people out there say they are coaches but they've no real training.
Hope that helps.
Group life coaching can be a
Group life coaching can be a cheaper option. Or there are a few DIY life coach books out there which teach the principles and way of thinking
had second meeting with coach today
I have a new list of strategies and to-dos. It's very customized. We go over what I did (I have a time log), and then analyze what kept me from doing what I intended and make a strategy to fix it.
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
just met with somebody GREAT
All,
I just this morning had my first meeting with a personal organization consultant. She helps individuals and businesses streamline their spaces and work habits to reduce clutter and noise, and then implement more effective strategies for managing their homes, schedules, budgets, etc. Her approach was to schedule a 2 hour visit in my home, where she asked me a bunch of questions about every aspect of my life. She said that, in the past, when she didn't ask all of those questions, she and her clients ended up getting halfway through a project and then uncovering the real source of an issue. So now she likes to get it all into the open up front. After the 2 hour strategizing session, she can be hired in 3-hour increments to help execute the plan. She's quick and smart and very efficient. I found it very helpful, and the cost is high but that's also a good motivating factor to really get it done quickly and for good.
I've been diving into this process of opening the shutters, so to speak, and exposing all of the lurking beasts in the corners of my life... projects started and left unfinished; things "To Do" laying out all over the place; vagueness regarding my time, money, and resources; etc. The organization consultant is one more step in that plan, and she's really providing the bridge to finally executing each of those lurkers. With each one I extinguish, I find myself becoming more free, peaceful, and productive. Procrastination is becoming less of a destructive force.
The consultant/coach reminded me this morning that everybody procrastinates about something in their lives. This is an important thing for me to remember, because it helps take away some of the guilt and shame. The point I'm trying to reach, though, is having a sense of control over my urge to procrastinate. It had really gotten to a point where it was such a destructive force that I felt like literally anything could potentially happen and I would not be able to stop myself from a behavior that was making the situation worse. What I'm learning is that my sense of control is directly proportional to the level and extent of transparency in my life. I tend toward secrecy and shame; I have been hoarding all sorts of plans and wishes concerning how I can be a "better" person, and I didn't want to let go of that sense of control. Slowly, though, I have begun to approach the situation with more humility and less ego. That change has allowed me to expose these shadowy corners, bring things out into the light, and (MIRACLE!) realize they're not actually as terrifying as I had made them out to be. People are good and they want to help. I took things to such an extreme in my own life that I needed to pay someone to help dig me out of the mess, but once it's more controllable I might even able to recruit friends or a support group to manage this necessarily cyclic process of transparency.
great job with your coach!
Alexa,
I am happy to hear about your meeting! It sounds like a you took a big step. I think you should affirm yourself for the courage and insight to take the step you took. Great work!
freer
alexa - what kind of questions?
What kind of questions did she ask you when she visited your home?
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
She worked off her usual
She worked off her usual form with me because we had a rapport and I launched into my own descriptions, so I don't really know what questions she usually asks. Sorry I can't be of more help.
just hired a coach
I just hired a coach I found by googling "procrastination coach nyc". I talked to her on the phone for a long time and had a good vibe. My first session with her is on Monday. It ain't cheap, but hopefully it will be worth it. I'll report back!
Anyone else trying coaching?
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
Outlook reminder: Time to Water the Plants
An Outlook reminder just popped up to remind me it's time to water the plants. I put that reminder in during my Monday meeting with the anti-procrastination coach. I guess this means I should go water my plants now. I also have 30 minutes of paperwork to day. Hmmm... I might. I'm going to try a trick she taught me to ease into it.
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
a trick to ease into paperwork?
did it work?
I knew what to do, but I didn't do it...
I didn't do too well last night in getting work done - got nothing done, actually. But I think I know why. My coach says that if you can figure out why then you can design a "habit" or routine for yourself that will get around the problem.
She talks about easing into work with a time-limited pleasurable task - for example, doing a crossword puzzle. I had a crossword puzzle I could have used for this, but I didn't.
Right now I'm in my computer-before-breakfast stage. I'm hungry, but the deal is I can't eat and work at the computer - I have to do a time-deliminated task when I eat like reading the paper or doing the puzzle. What's delimiting my computer time right now is my hunger. I want to eat breakfast!
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
time limiting things
unfortunately, that is the way I often procrastinate! I will try to ease myself into things and find myself extending the time until it is eating my day! Is this working for you?
first session with anti-procrastination coach
I had an interesting first session with my new anti-procrastination coach. She specializes in helping people who procrastinate because of ADD (which is my problem), and one of the really good things about the session was feeling very understood. I felt like someone was helping me to work with myself instead of my constantly trying to fight against my own nature.
We talked about many things and I have many actions to take this week. We talked about strategies for getting started and breaking piles and other tasks into manageable pieces. She also helped me to work out new routines and habits that will work for me, and helped me plan my days and evenings. She helped me work out a way to get out of my apartment earlier in the morning. And she gave me an exercise to help improve my sense of time (of which I have none).
Next week when we meet, we'll go over what I did and what I didn't do, and when I didn't do something we'll talk about what got in my way so next time I'll do it.
So far so good!
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
great!
I am so happy this feels good for you, Pro! Let me know about the time issue: my son cannot get going in the morning at all: it is a constant source of stress and disappointment for him and the rest of the family.
morning details in the day thread
I posted more about the "morning solution" in my check-in just now. It's about designing a morning routine that addresses my needs and has natural endings so I move.
What I like about this process is the coach is helping me work with myself rather than fight myself all the time. That's a big difference.
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
homework assignment from anti-procrastination coach
She said to buy a notebook and list all the tasks I want to get done. For each task, I'm to write down the specific things that need to be done to complete the tasks. Off to buy a notebook today.
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
notebook for e
off to buy a notebook like pro's
Update re: coaching
I wound up having a free initial telephone session with a procrastination coach. I'd decided that if I felt good "chemistry" and optimistic after the phone session, I'd go forward. I didn't. Maybe it was just the wrong person for me.
coaching approach?
What was the coaching approach? What did the person say to you? What was the strategy for helping? I don't have a sense of what this is like.
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
Coaching
The person asked me something like what my major concern was and I talked about procrastination around writing projects. I explained what I experience, some things I've attempted to try to improve the situation. She made a couple of practical suggestions. Honestly, it didn't feel that different from talking with a friend. It didn't feel to me like there was a strategy or a particular approach. It may be that if I'd actually hired this person, it would've changed (this was a free sample session), but I just didn't come away from it believing that it would really be helpful. And given what the person indicated to me about their level of training, I felt like it was a lot of $.
same for me
I hired a coach once a long time ago, it was no more helpful than talking to a friend. In fact, we became friends and she started telling me stuff about her own life, which was time I wasn't that into paying for. And it was expensive.
That said, I did have a friend a long time ago who was a naturally good coach. I'd check in with her before and after doing stuff I was procrastinating on (notably, writing), and she could always get me moving. But I don't know that a professional coach would be into check-ins.
For me, nothing has been more effective than check-ins. That's why I started this site and board. I knew it was the one thing that worked for me, and there wasn't another site that offered it.
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Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.
coaching
I had a coach once, briefly. It wasn't very helpful, though, because she wasn't a very good coach. I think coaching can help, but you need the right person. I don't do it now because I'm broke.