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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.

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Welcome to newcomers - please read (this will help).

This wise message was posted in response to a new member message. I'm making it sticky here so all new members will see it.  Thanks, movingalong. -pro

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Motivation Follows Action -- and "Microbursts"

If you want a face-to-face meeting, READ THIS!

To start a meeting, post a message on the face-to-face meeting board so others in your area can respond. P.A. Meeting Materials are on the site. The person who starts the meeting should have previous experience in a 12-step program. That's all you need.

UPDATED: Sundays 7:30pm GMT: online 12-step meeting of Procrastinators Anonymous

Starting a NEW thread for our NEW "meetings chatbox". Laughing Thanks, Pro!

Online 12-step meeting of Procrastinators Anonymous

Sundays 7:30pm GMT  

Meeting is held:

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Chronic Procrastination is NOT a Time Management Problem!

Not a Laughing Matter!

The jokes about procrastination infuriate me. This is not a funny problem - not if you are suffering from true, chronic procrastination. Lawyers have been disbarred due to procrastination. Small business owners have lost their businesses due to procrastination. People's lives fall apart and are destroyed due to procrastination. This is not a funny problem.

The blindness of the psychological community in not recognizing procrastination as an addictive disorder also infuriates me. Every book or article I've ever read about procrastination talks about getting to the "underlying reason" why you procrastinate so you can solve the problem. Knowing why you're procrastinating on a particular task can be helpful, but it's not the whole solution - not by a long shot. That's like saying an alcoholic can stop drinking if he can only discover what's really bothering him. An alcoholic drinks because he has an addictive personality and alcohol is his drug of choice. A procrastinator procrastinates because he (or she) has an addictive personality and procrastination is his or her "drug" of choice.

What do you think is the most important thing(s) you need to overcoming procrastination?

Building up your self confidence
20% (3 votes)
Strengthening your willpower
7% (1 vote)
Remove distractions around you
7% (1 vote)
Letting go of control (be less controlling)
0% (0 votes)
Overcoming a fear (failure, success)
7% (1 vote)
Counselling or therapy
0% (0 votes)
Making yourself start a task
13% (2 votes)
Involvement with a program (e.g. twelve-step)
7% (1 vote)
Changing your attitudes toward the task you're delaying
13% (2 votes)
More effective time management and scheduling techniques
0% (0 votes)
Acceptance you have a procrastination problem
7% (1 vote)
Combination of the above (please comment)
20% (3 votes)
Other(s) (please comment)
0% (0 votes)
Total votes: 15

What do you tell yourself (in your head) when you are procrastinating?

"Just 'x' more minutes of doing this then I will work on it later!"
47% (8 votes)
"I deserve to take a break now!"
0% (0 votes)
"I got plenty of time to do it later!"
6% (1 vote)
"I don't feel like doing it now!"
12% (2 votes)
"I'm going to do it later, I promise!"
0% (0 votes)
"There's no point in doing it now if I can't do it well!"
0% (0 votes)
"This is more important to do now. That can wait till later!"
6% (1 vote)
a combination of the above
24% (4 votes)
you don't tell yourself anything at all
0% (0 votes)
other
6% (1 vote)
Total votes: 17

What do you believe is the root (main cause) of your procrastination?

Lack of mental focus (not being clear about intention or purpose)
11% (2 votes)
Fear (of failure)
17% (3 votes)
Pleasure seeking (avoid activities which cause pain in favor of fun or pleasure)
11% (2 votes)
Perfectionism (things must be done perfectly or not at all)
17% (3 votes)
Easily distracted (not being able to maintain attention for periods of time)
6% (1 vote)
Sheer laziness
6% (1 vote)
Lack of self discipline (or will power)
17% (3 votes)
Poor sense of time management
6% (1 vote)
Weak planning or goal setting skills
6% (1 vote)
Impatient (tendency to want immediate results)
6% (1 vote)
Total votes: 18

Signs of Compulsive Procrastination

Compulsive procrastinators may not have all the signs listed here, but if you identify with many of these characteristics, you are probably a compulsive procrastinator.

  1. Disappointment is a way of life. We constantly disappoint other people and ourselves by not keeping our promises.
  1. We have enormous difficulty getting started on new projects, or transitioning from one project to another.

P.A. Tools for Recovery

From the P.A. Meeting Materials...

  1. Break It Down: Break down projects into specific action steps; include preparation tasks in the breakdown.
  1. Visualization: Plan what to do, then imagine yourself doing it. The more specific and vivid your visualization, the better. See yourself doing the task, and doing it well.
  1. Ask Yourself Why: While you are visualizing doing the task, see if you can detect what it is about the task that feels odious to you, what uncomfortable feeling you are avoiding. Knowing what's behind the avoidance can help you get past it - for example, address real problems or ignore irrational fears.
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