Ways to procrastinate better...
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 763
Ways to procrastinate better...
Hi Everyone,
Looking for some collective wisdom on procrastination. Any good tips out there? I am finding that days are whizzing by with little on the long list getting done. (Maybe there is too much on the long list? It is Summer after all...)
Short list stuff-that which has to happen-mostly gets done in a timely fashion, but I am trying to avoid that feeling of getting more and more behind. I know this can lead to an attitude problem: "I am so overwhelmed, I might as well drink". Truthfully, I know that when I am sober, so much more gets done that is in my interests. The only thing I can say about returning to drinking is that it simplifies things in that you now have a very well-known and all-encompassing problem to deal with; other things HAVE to take a back seat.
All views, ideas, tips welcome,
Gianna
Looking for some collective wisdom on procrastination. Any good tips out there? I am finding that days are whizzing by with little on the long list getting done. (Maybe there is too much on the long list? It is Summer after all...)
Short list stuff-that which has to happen-mostly gets done in a timely fashion, but I am trying to avoid that feeling of getting more and more behind. I know this can lead to an attitude problem: "I am so overwhelmed, I might as well drink". Truthfully, I know that when I am sober, so much more gets done that is in my interests. The only thing I can say about returning to drinking is that it simplifies things in that you now have a very well-known and all-encompassing problem to deal with; other things HAVE to take a back seat.
All views, ideas, tips welcome,
Gianna
Last edited by Jhana; 06-21-2004 at 12:28 PM. Reason: cute icon needed
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,513
Hi Gianna,
It's funny because my downfal was in part due to the short and long list. I was such a control-freak that, I would have lists, and things would get done, no matter what. No matter that I was working, had two teenagers at home, and a husband who travelled all the time, things got done. That is, until I became overwhelmed which quickly led to the worsening of my depression and insomnia. Ah, then the alcohol came into the picture to help me cope. That worked for about a month...
So, I still have a short list and no longer put much emphasis on the long list. I do have things I want to do in my life, but I approach them in a much different way now. They no longer have to be achieved, but maybe they will be. I try really hard not to put pressure on myself. Frankly, sometimes I wish I could accomplish more like I used to, but I know it is not worth the price I paid. It's hard sometimes to accept that I'm moving through life at a different pace now, but I have learned to enjoy every day, something that never used to be possible for me.
You're a wise lady to be looking at things like this that might affect your attitude. I'm so glad you're happy, busy and sober.
Love, Anna
It's funny because my downfal was in part due to the short and long list. I was such a control-freak that, I would have lists, and things would get done, no matter what. No matter that I was working, had two teenagers at home, and a husband who travelled all the time, things got done. That is, until I became overwhelmed which quickly led to the worsening of my depression and insomnia. Ah, then the alcohol came into the picture to help me cope. That worked for about a month...
So, I still have a short list and no longer put much emphasis on the long list. I do have things I want to do in my life, but I approach them in a much different way now. They no longer have to be achieved, but maybe they will be. I try really hard not to put pressure on myself. Frankly, sometimes I wish I could accomplish more like I used to, but I know it is not worth the price I paid. It's hard sometimes to accept that I'm moving through life at a different pace now, but I have learned to enjoy every day, something that never used to be possible for me.
You're a wise lady to be looking at things like this that might affect your attitude. I'm so glad you're happy, busy and sober.
Love, Anna
Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 8,709
Yep. The dreaded long list. Hate the beast.
I find that procrastination reflects how I feel inside. If I feel like crap, I'll tend to entertain thoughts of blowing off stuff that should get my attention. And I'll just echo Anna here and say that I too love the smile in your voice these days
I find that procrastination reflects how I feel inside. If I feel like crap, I'll tend to entertain thoughts of blowing off stuff that should get my attention. And I'll just echo Anna here and say that I too love the smile in your voice these days
Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: El Paso, Tx
Posts: 5,862
I find when my list get's to long it's time to edit it. Shorten it into something you feel is resonable, doable, with the end result being gratifying. We're very good at putting to much on our plates, and in so doing, we find ourselves frustrated.
Make your list, tear it into quarters, put a realistic parameter of time in getting it one quarter of it done, and just do it. Then, take out the next piece of your list, and chip away, one day at a time. Your a highly intelligant lady, and we're just gonna help nudge you along into doing what you already know must be done. We love ya!
Make your list, tear it into quarters, put a realistic parameter of time in getting it one quarter of it done, and just do it. Then, take out the next piece of your list, and chip away, one day at a time. Your a highly intelligant lady, and we're just gonna help nudge you along into doing what you already know must be done. We love ya!
Salvador Doggie
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: The Left Coast
Posts: 49
I really enjoyed reading this thread. It is something I have been trying to get some perspective on these days. It is kind of the opposite for me though. I think since I got sober I've been trying way too hard to make up for lost time. It gets to the point where I take life waaaaay to serious.
I guess what I'm trying to achieve is some balance. That's what I'm hearing from Chy, 51, and DD here Gianna. I have been way too driven, and peace of mind is hard to achieve if at the end of my day the list contains loose ends. I feel sometimes that if I'm too occupied with the list, that I cannot really be present and appreciate the moment. Part of my goal today in sobriety is to find a deeper level of acceptance with exactly how I and everything around me is NOW. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can't just let things slide and be some cosmic hippie, letting the world go by. And I can't be too obsessed with ambition, letting the real flavor of life be lost in always preparing for that someday when the long list is completed.
So here's my idea. Tell me what you think. I want to act in the moment with the idea that I can be ready to consistanly do the next right thing that any situation calls for. This of course requires my sobriety and attention. So I only really need to concern myself with the next move. I can discard the list and really enjoy (and truly participate in) the moment.
I still have long term thinking and goals. I just don't let them take away from the now I guess. At least I'm trying. Maybe a good side effect of working the steps is having a helping hand at getting all the loose ends and the debris cleared up so we can concentrate on the moment at hand. Not being lazy is maintaining the clean street we hear about in meetings that give us the luxury of savoring each moment with peace of mind. And that peace and serenity is what helps me stay sober today. With this in mind it behooves me to stay diligent and keep that precious balance. It's getting a bit easier these days for me. I hope this made sense. It certinly wasn't like this for me even a year ago. 10th step several times a day keeps my perspective balanced.
Be well,
Rudiger
I guess what I'm trying to achieve is some balance. That's what I'm hearing from Chy, 51, and DD here Gianna. I have been way too driven, and peace of mind is hard to achieve if at the end of my day the list contains loose ends. I feel sometimes that if I'm too occupied with the list, that I cannot really be present and appreciate the moment. Part of my goal today in sobriety is to find a deeper level of acceptance with exactly how I and everything around me is NOW. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can't just let things slide and be some cosmic hippie, letting the world go by. And I can't be too obsessed with ambition, letting the real flavor of life be lost in always preparing for that someday when the long list is completed.
So here's my idea. Tell me what you think. I want to act in the moment with the idea that I can be ready to consistanly do the next right thing that any situation calls for. This of course requires my sobriety and attention. So I only really need to concern myself with the next move. I can discard the list and really enjoy (and truly participate in) the moment.
I still have long term thinking and goals. I just don't let them take away from the now I guess. At least I'm trying. Maybe a good side effect of working the steps is having a helping hand at getting all the loose ends and the debris cleared up so we can concentrate on the moment at hand. Not being lazy is maintaining the clean street we hear about in meetings that give us the luxury of savoring each moment with peace of mind. And that peace and serenity is what helps me stay sober today. With this in mind it behooves me to stay diligent and keep that precious balance. It's getting a bit easier these days for me. I hope this made sense. It certinly wasn't like this for me even a year ago. 10th step several times a day keeps my perspective balanced.
Be well,
Rudiger
Don't get undies in a bunch
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Shore MA
Posts: 7,120
Procrastination... You want to know how to stop it or how to do it better? *LOL*
If you are looking to do it better... follow me around for 2 days and I will show you how well I can procrastinate. Will take 2 days because today I will put off showing you till tomorrow.
I had gotten a e-mail about a mountain side filled with daffodils.
A list on the door post telling how such a wonderful thing was done...
Answers to some of the many questions I get asked...
I started planting bulbs in 1948
I have planted bulbs every year for the past 56 years
Though you see a mountain side filled with thousands of flowers and ask...How can just one person do all that?
I will tell you how... One bulb at a time.
Sorry I don't have the original any more but I think from memory you may still get the idea.
As in anything we do... the journey always starts with the first step.
My commitment today is... do all that needs be done and with what time remains that is available for the things on my list... I will take a first step and gather the tools. For tomorrow I will repeat and with the tools before me I will start at the task. Though it may take some time, I am 2 days effort better off now then I was just 2 days ago.
Till we make a commitment to take that first step, we go no where.
A baby step is getting us there. Sitting on my rump is getting me a larger rump *LOL*
If you are looking to do it better... follow me around for 2 days and I will show you how well I can procrastinate. Will take 2 days because today I will put off showing you till tomorrow.
I had gotten a e-mail about a mountain side filled with daffodils.
A list on the door post telling how such a wonderful thing was done...
Answers to some of the many questions I get asked...
I started planting bulbs in 1948
I have planted bulbs every year for the past 56 years
Though you see a mountain side filled with thousands of flowers and ask...How can just one person do all that?
I will tell you how... One bulb at a time.
Sorry I don't have the original any more but I think from memory you may still get the idea.
As in anything we do... the journey always starts with the first step.
My commitment today is... do all that needs be done and with what time remains that is available for the things on my list... I will take a first step and gather the tools. For tomorrow I will repeat and with the tools before me I will start at the task. Though it may take some time, I am 2 days effort better off now then I was just 2 days ago.
Till we make a commitment to take that first step, we go no where.
A baby step is getting us there. Sitting on my rump is getting me a larger rump *LOL*
Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Winnipeg Manitoba
Posts: 12
Oh man, baby steps. I have such a mess to clean up and my first thought when I read the title was that I am the Queen of Procrastination.
It is part of my coping strategy - Do Nothing and spend all my time worrying instead of doing. It so far has worked so well that my life is a complete shambles!
Thanks for the reminder about baby steps, that will be my mantra for today at work!
It is part of my coping strategy - Do Nothing and spend all my time worrying instead of doing. It so far has worked so well that my life is a complete shambles!
Thanks for the reminder about baby steps, that will be my mantra for today at work!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 763
Splendra, you don't belong on this thread if you are up-to-date with reciepts-and tax time is 3/4 of a year away!!! No procrastinator you...
Chy, I quartered the list. Good idea. The three other quarters can just sit around gathering dust. Things already feel better.
Rudiger, I really liked what you had to say about enjoying the moment. When I reread the title of this thread, which I had intended as a joke, I realized that there is truth in it too. We are not perfect, and we ARE going to procrastinate. Doing it better is not such a bad concept. If we allow ourselves some procrastination time we might do something we enjoy, or just be in the moment, rather than chastizing ourselves for all that we are not doing.
Best, I loved the story about the daffodils. For a brief period of time I considered becoming a landscape architect, and one of the things I learned is that you have to prepared to design beyond your life. Some of the greatest of them never lived to see the completion of their designs as things need to grow. Yet every year that hill of daffodils became more beautiful.
I also use the "readying of the tools" technique. One may not be able to complete a project, but having the materials at hand the next day goes a long way to encourage another step. I also quite often leave a project for the next day at a point where the next task is something I like to do. Much easier to start on it the next morning.
Diane, you will be surprised at how fast your life will straighten out. Are you new to sobriety? I know the incredible speed with which things can get in disarray when one goes back to the addicted life, but I have also been amazed that once I start straightening things out, how quickly that happens. Baby steps add up, as anyone who is a Mother or Father can tell you...
Gianna
Chy, I quartered the list. Good idea. The three other quarters can just sit around gathering dust. Things already feel better.
Rudiger, I really liked what you had to say about enjoying the moment. When I reread the title of this thread, which I had intended as a joke, I realized that there is truth in it too. We are not perfect, and we ARE going to procrastinate. Doing it better is not such a bad concept. If we allow ourselves some procrastination time we might do something we enjoy, or just be in the moment, rather than chastizing ourselves for all that we are not doing.
Best, I loved the story about the daffodils. For a brief period of time I considered becoming a landscape architect, and one of the things I learned is that you have to prepared to design beyond your life. Some of the greatest of them never lived to see the completion of their designs as things need to grow. Yet every year that hill of daffodils became more beautiful.
I also use the "readying of the tools" technique. One may not be able to complete a project, but having the materials at hand the next day goes a long way to encourage another step. I also quite often leave a project for the next day at a point where the next task is something I like to do. Much easier to start on it the next morning.
Diane, you will be surprised at how fast your life will straighten out. Are you new to sobriety? I know the incredible speed with which things can get in disarray when one goes back to the addicted life, but I have also been amazed that once I start straightening things out, how quickly that happens. Baby steps add up, as anyone who is a Mother or Father can tell you...
Gianna
Paused
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Washington
Posts: 5,093
Well... I've been putting off replying to this thread long enough. I too think of myself as the "Queen of Procrastination". Diane, we share the throne on that one. At least now I think about what needs to be taken care of. Before...I didn't care. That's step one of the baby steps.
Talia
My old to do list:
Buy alcohol
Drink alcohol
Replenish alcohol
Talia
My old to do list:
Buy alcohol
Drink alcohol
Replenish alcohol
Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: California
Posts: 233
If you cant take care of business in a timely, organized, disciplined fashion then do the best you can. If that still isn't good enough then give yourself permission to f**k off. The world wont end if you dont get something done. If your good at meeting deadlines but not the long list of to do things, Oh well. Nobody's perfect. And it sure as hell is nothing to drink over.
I've got stuff, projects to do around my house that need to be done and have needed to be done for YEARS. I'm not proud that I'm a lazy bastard and I would like to be different but I am going to be this way until I choose to be different. These projects just aren't that important to me right now, or else they would get my attention. I guess when the time is right, I will do them or hire someone else to do them. But I will not drink over any of this stuff. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins and needs attention like the other seven but if it is not going to make me drink, who gives a ****. If sloth is going to make you drink, however, then you better do something. First, talk to your sponsor or counselor or just a friend. They will help you get things in proper perspective
I've got stuff, projects to do around my house that need to be done and have needed to be done for YEARS. I'm not proud that I'm a lazy bastard and I would like to be different but I am going to be this way until I choose to be different. These projects just aren't that important to me right now, or else they would get my attention. I guess when the time is right, I will do them or hire someone else to do them. But I will not drink over any of this stuff. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins and needs attention like the other seven but if it is not going to make me drink, who gives a ****. If sloth is going to make you drink, however, then you better do something. First, talk to your sponsor or counselor or just a friend. They will help you get things in proper perspective
Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: El Paso, Tx
Posts: 5,862
Originally Posted by Ninerfan
I've got stuff, projects to do around my house that need to be done and have needed to be done for YEARS.
...gotta love ya Niner!!Sorry Gi.. couldn't resist!
Don't get undies in a bunch
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Shore MA
Posts: 7,120
Originally Posted by Chy
Gee, is that just a guy thing or what.... ...gotta love ya Niner!!
Sorry Gi.. couldn't resist!
...gotta love ya Niner!!Sorry Gi.. couldn't resist!
I wasn't going to tell of my half done kitchen, half done front porch, half done bedroom, fully done, properly working motorcycle. *LOL*
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