Procrastinators Anonymous--post here!

[Dawn of Hope]

If you have a procrastination problem, this is the place for you! Recently some of us were discussing this on my thread, and several people expressed interest in having a new thread dedicated to helping each other with this issue.

I don't have any personal experience with AA-type groups, but here is what I had in mind (if you have other suggestions, please say so):
-- List what you want to get done that is likely to get procrastinated (or that you have been putting off already), with timeframes if applicable.
-- Post updates on your progress with completing items on your list, and your current general procrastinator status.
-- Offer encouragement to other posters on their anti-procrastination efforts.
-- Hold other posters accountable and offer redirection/2x4s if needed (sparingly, we hope!).
-- Contribute to more general discussions on procrastination, such as insights on what causes it, and how to control/overcome it, and books/programs/techniques/websites/other resources that may be helpful in managing it.

This is not a substitute for having your own thread. We are going to try to focus just on our procrastination problems here.

Ladies and gentlement, start your anti-procrastination engines! Let's help each other get to the next level in managing our own lives and taking back our own power!

Peace,
Dawn

[Dawn of Hope]

I want to offer a suggestion to start this thread off right. For those who struggle with managing their household chores, check this out:
www.flylady.net
I know some of what is said on this site will seem a little ridiculous, but I've been working with this lady's ideas for over six years, and this has made a HUGE difference in the state of my house. She has half a million people using her methods, so it's worth checking out...and it won't cost you a dime! If you think one of her suggestions is nuts...try it and prove her wrong; you have nothing to lose! And I'll tell you a little secret: people join her site because they want to get their homes in order, but if they stick with it, they eventually discover that the improvements start spreading to other areas of their lives! And she really knows about procrastination, and what to do about it.

Okay, I know this sounds kinda like a cult, but it really does work for a lot of people, so just check it out if it seems like you could use some help with this.

For me personally...the biggest thing that I have been stalling on with all my might is my business website. I run my own calligraphy (lettering art) business, and I have a website, but it is pathetic--one page of basic information, and NO samples of my work. I have all of these ideas to incorporate in my "real" site, but I have been dragging my feet on getting it up and running for over five years!! I have made a lot progress in the last couple of years, and I have a tech guy helping me with the geeky stuff, to the point that he says that it is feasible for us to have the bulk of what I want up and running within two weeks...but that state has persisted for three months, waiting for me to get my act in gear. It doesn't help that I keep listening to all these webinars and picking up tips on how to tweak one's website, so I constantly keep changing what I think the site should be like. I need a kick in the seat of the pants to just get the blasted thing done!

I don't know why I have kept procrastinating on this to the point that it is painfully clear that it is due to a major mental block. I have some ideas, but I don't want to wait until I can go through a few more years of therapy and figure out WHY I am doing this...I just want to get it done and get the relief of having the elephant off my back! So why don't I...but more importantly, how can I work around the "why" and just do it? There is no question that it is hurting my business not to have it up and running, and I really need the income now, so it's baffling why I'm not doing anything about it. I have to say that I really can't blame my H for being angry about my inertia in this regard!

Any and all insights and suggestions welcome!

Peace,
Dawn

[WCW]

I might join this thread but I will probably wait until next week.

[Virtually_Handsome]

I actually started out doing the flylady thing. W pretty much made fun of me when I attacked the sink. That was encouraging! Just another example. It wasn't her way, so it was wrong.

I might look at this later......

[fisherman]

Hey Dawn,

I posted this on your other thread...it probably belongs here, so I will repost it. I hope all is well....

Hey all you procrastinators,

Just a question. Do any of you find yourself always thinking too far ahead or looking at the big picture as a whole instead living in the here and now? If so try to remind yourself reaching any goal is done in steps...sometimes small, sometimes large, and perfect is an illusion along with many of our so called "problems" that we create in our minds that always seem to get in the way.

Move toward what you desire.....stop giving these so called road blocks that WE create any power over you. You are much stronger than you realize. Push yourselves in one way, shape or form everyday. Make an effort to change your routine just a little everyday.

You may just be surprised in time. Instant gratification is fleeting. Something worth while takes time and hard work but LASTS and can never be taken away.

DON'T STAND STILL.


BTW....Hi my name is Trapt and I am a recovering procrastinator....and yes it's a never ending battle you must fight.

Get out there today and bust some ass!!!

[fisherman]

I can't stress enough the importance of actually taking a little time to put whatever it is you desire down on paper.

Make another list of these so called "roadblocks" that you have convinced yourself are stopping you.

Examine them and yourself, and be honest.

I'm sorry, not enough time in the day just doesn't fly. Take a good look at someone you feel is successful.

THEY HAVE JUST AS MUCH TIME IN THE DAY AS YOU.

How do they seem to do it?

They are organized, know themselves and are honest with that, know exactly what they want, and have a well laid out plan with reasonable goals.

Without a plan and specific goals you will fail.

Make some.

[Mach1]

Eh.....I'll do it later....





Good thread Dawn...I'll check it out....SOON !

[fisherman]

Be conscious of your thoughts as well, and keep yourself in check.

Broken down into the smallest, most simple form....life has so much to do with attraction.

Negativty will attract more of the same.

Are your thoughts positively focused on your desires?

Simplicity is a beautiful thang!!

[SoCo]

LOL!!! Yeah, I'll jump in here.. I am definitely a recovering procrastinator. Drove my parents INSANE when I was in school. Science project??? Sure, I'll start on it the night before... and it will be GOOD, and win a ribbon!!! My parents just quit fighting it eventually.

Can I be one of those people that says I work better under pressure?? LMAO. I know... excuses excuses... they get you nowhere.

[Dawn of Hope]

Eh.....I'll do it later....

I might look at this later......

Of COURSE you will...! Just like the rest of us!

Good thread Dawn...I'll check it out....SOON !

Thank you, I hope it becomes a valuable resource and a fountain of collective wisdom.

I actually started out doing the flylady thing. W pretty much made fun of me when I attacked the sink. That was encouraging! Just another example. It wasn't her way, so it was wrong.

Good for you! Yep, the Flylady "shine your sink" is one of those things that seems totally cracked until you try it and discover that somehow or other it actually works! It's the first domino to fall.

I'm sorry, not enough time in the day just doesn't fly. Take a good look at someone you feel is successful.

THEY HAVE JUST AS MUCH TIME IN THE DAY AS YOU.

How do they seem to do it?

They are organized, know themselves and are honest with that, know exactly what they want, and have a well laid out plan with reasonable goals.

Without a plan and specific goals you will fail.

Make some.

Trapt, thank you for coming around and posting your wisdom here. I recently had one of those lightbulb realizations that was in line with what you said here. I was thinking that the president of the USA runs the country with no more time available to him than I get (that is, 24 hours a day in each case). Yes, I know, the president doesn't have to do dishes and vacuum and all of that, and has assistants out the wazoo, but I don't have to spend lots of time schmoozing with slimy politicians and foreign dignitaries whether I like them or not, so it all kinda comes out in the wash.

Anyway, that was the first part of my lightbulb moment, which happened a while ago. The second part was my more recent realization that I was not conducting myself efficiently enough to run a country, even a small one. For example, as those of you who keep tabs on me know, my sleep schedule is all screwed up, and I really don't think the president could get by for very long if he were going to bed at dawn and getting up in the middle of the afternoon, as I have been doing a lot lately.

I mention this because although I'm sure not everyone reading here has this kind of extreme situation, the principle probably holds for all of us who have procrastination issues. Ask yourself, "If I were president, what would I need to change about the way I run my life?" Never mind the superficials, like maybe you'd be in a lot more meetings...concentrate on the overall patterns of time-usage and prioritizing and so on that you would adhere to simply because you knew they were necessary to accomplish what you needed to get done. Would you start getting up earlier? Would you exercise more faithfully and eat better because you knew you had to keep your personal temple running smoothly? Would you pray more because you knew how inadequate you were to the monumental task you had taken on? Would you rearrange your priorities because you knew how easy it can be to let work take over your life? Would you make it a point to be clearer about your goals? Would you spend more time in certain areas of study because you knew you would need that information to get where you were going? Would you make sure you had some fun every day to balance out the grind of the job?

How would YOU consciously change your life if you knew that people's lives were depending on your success or failure? Well, guess what...they are! Even if the people are (unlikely as this is) limited to you and yourself!

Great comments! Please, everyone, add your thoughts and suggestions, and tell the rest of us what you want to be held accountable for completing!

Peace,
Dawn