Procrastination. Help!

That is me. I make lists, then change the day at the top every morning, crossing off one or two if I’m lucky.

Such a relaxed way of living though😄

I am a procrastinator too when it comes to housework but I know I have to get things done. My method is to think of a number between 3 and 10, then I make myself tidy, sort, clean that number of things. (I don't use same number two days running) Not a lot gets done at a time but over a week it's amazing how much I do accomplish. Why don't I have the same procrastination problem when it comes to my craft work?

Item 1 on my list would be
1 Make Coffee
Next would be
2 Make list
Then I could cross both off, sit back and drink my coffee

I am the opposite most of the time!
I have a “to do” list every day, I feel more in control if I have a list and routine.

Like this, Maw?
⬅️

I am a long time sufferer and yes, it's getting worse.
Funny how if someone rings and says fancy a coffee I'm there.
If I know I've got to vacuum my lounge I'm wasting time on-line!

I can never decide whether I am lacking in motivation or just being lazy! Or am I just taking it easier the older I get? Must ponder a bit more… ;-)

When I was at school one of my teachers wrote on my report that I was a good pupil but a terrible procrastinator ( which I had to look up). Nearly sixty years later and nothing has changed. I even question myself why I’m not just doing something, especially when that something would probably take five minutes, if that. My motto still is, ‘just don’t do it and don’t do it now’

“Procrastinate now!” was always DH’s motto and it used to drive me mad. Now I am guilty of finding reasons not to do almost everything. I really don’t know myself any more.

So glad it's not just me.

I have ADHD, do I need to say anymore?

It's DH who procrastines, not me. Not that I am super-perfect, but I do try to get through something most days. But I am still waiting for him to even start most of the 500 jobs he has still to start or finish from years ago.

I am absolutely like this. In my case I blame my dog - as a pup it was so hard to get anything practical done without him chewing something up or thieving the laundry / cloth / soap /trowel/ paintbrush that our most successful days were spent on the settee / at desk.
Now he is relatively co-operative but I can't break the habit!

Join the club! 😁

I did manage to do something today that I had put off for a fortnight. It took ten minutes.

That's one thing off the list.
But it's not getting shorter because I added two things today.

Oh how that resonates with me, Rosiesmaw! I'm quite happy to do the basics like tidy the kitchen, put the washing in the machine and then hang it out on the line, but after that ........ There doesn't seem any point any more, now it's 'just me'. So I read another chapter of my book or do some wordles, even practise some tai chi moves, all of which are a much more pleasant way to pass time 😉

I retired at the end of March, not sure I've done anything since

Planning on being in M&S for 9am, still listening to radio and drinking tea in pj's lol

Absolutely me!
I am of the ‘can’t be arsed’ brigade.
“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow”. Mark Twain

Tomorrow is my favourite word regarding housework because tomorrow never comes.

DH is the opposite which drives me nuts. He seems compelled to do any tasks as soon as humanly possible then is left furious as he has nothing much to do all day and sits about fuming. I retired before him so had practice at spreading out jobs across the day or week.

My day…

Breakfast time
Coffee time
Lunch time
Coffee time
Wine time
Tea time
Bed time and repeat!

That’s what I love about retirement!

Yep....I'm in that club it seems - darn it!

I think, in my case, that it probably started when I moved here and there was so much work to do on renovating the house (translation = finding and supervising tradies to do it). Add all the neighbour problems I've had (boiling down to one intransigent little biddy next door started it - who had wanted one of her friends to buy my house and told me so!). Dealing with those two things took a lot of time away that I had planned on using more constructively than dealing with getting tradies and checking out the law (to deal with the neighbours).

Then there was Lockdown and that didnt help a bit - ie by the time I'd thought "It's STILL on...." and reached for another glass of wine. I was still "out and about" - but social life was a problem for the first few months.

Also I guess there was an element of not wanting to impose any routine upon myself - because I'd been born into an armed forces family - and so knew ALL about routine and about houses being kept immaculately clean.

I'm trying to find ways to manoeuvre myself into keeping up with necessary stuff etc. My latest idea is imposing a minimal amount of routine on myself and I've made up a rolling housework programme - which is designed to get me doing between 30-60 minutes of housework daily, eg:

Monday - half the kitchen "bits and bobs" (other half to be done the following week)
Tuesday - hall and sitting room floor
Wednesday - kitchen floor
Thursday - bathroom floor
Friday- bedroom and study floors
Saturday - change bed/any ironing
Sunday - bathroom apart from floor.

That should cover a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom/1 kitchen/1 reception room house.

Yep....tried again at the "timetable" in the last week and there was some neighbour trouble kicking-off again (ie that episode of spraying weedkiller near my organic food I'm growing to eat). Cue for research on what I can do to stop it happening again/how to deal with it/sitting around generally feeling very upset that there's neighbour hassle again and the energy to "live my life" draining away again...

That's before I think "Is that health problem STILL there - and so I'm having to deal with it. Yep...another health problem to deal with too. Summat else healthwise disturbed last nights sleep....". Grrrr... Cue for my body getting another lecture from me on it needs to behave itself better than that and stop disturbing me....

Feel soooo much better after reading all these posts from fellow procrastinators … I am not alone

Why do something today, if you can put it off til tomorrow - that’s my motto

Oh no, I am so opposite. If I don't have a whole list of things to do tomorrow I just waste the day. As I get into bed I make a mental note of why I need to get up early usually starting the day with a walk where I will sort my head out. I then have 5 things to do such as change the bed, write that letter, do the ironing, do that mending job, pull a few weeds, make that phone call. If I don't do this I will feel miserable as I waste the day doing nothing.

I don't know what has happened to me recently but I am the opposite - all those jobs I have been thinking about for years are getting done! Maybe because I know I am not getting any younger!

The dismal old staircase has been renovated, the hall painted and now awaiting new carpet.
The kitchen and living room are being decorated.
I am finally ordering a mirror for the fence in my garden so I can view it from the sitting room.
Last week when the crab apple tree dropped black bits on my white washing I decided it had to go and yesterday it was done - it is now just a stump!
I have emptied the loft and made space in the garage for the car!

If I didn't know better I would think I was about to give birth.

I am just hoping I don't run out of steam!