What's your version of being organised Manda? I consider organisation a strength but I bet you have some good tips. However being proactive is my big problem. The anxiety and fear (yep, fear) immobilise me. Though I've been pretty proactive today. Not for a regular person but definitely for me.

I am very organized, but I often feel I'm not organized because I set impossible standards of organization for myself. But when I compare myself to people I know, I realize I'm pretty organized.

I like to make lists of everything I need to do and put it all in order of when I want to do it, and set goals for what I want to do each day. I try to tell myself that I can't stop working on that day until all those things are done. I break things down into very small tasks so I can feel like I'm making progress fairly quickly and it stops me from getting overwhelmed. I use a lot of post it notes on a bulletin board to remind me of last minute tasks and I get a strange satisfaction out of ripping them up when I finish those tasks, haha. Sometimes I am a lot more productive when I add some silly or fun or extremely obvious things into my to-do lists, like "go for a run" or "take a lunch break" because crossing things off my list is motivational. Haha. I also find it very helpful to have a daily to-do list that is seperate from my long term to do list because it only let me focus on what I need to do NOW, instead of feeling swamped by everything I have to do over the next few weeks or months. And I like to set out everything I need to work on the night before, including my to do list, so when I wake up I am just ready to start working and I don't end up procrastinating with finding all my materials and deciding my goals for that day. I am really productive in the morning because stress hasn't built up yet...and I tell myself I can finish quickly and then have stress-free relaxation time in the evening. Haha I would go crazy if I didn't force myself to be hyper-organized....I get overwhelmed easily otherwise.

Thanks SO much. I honestly do a lot of that already but you've mentioned some new stuff I'm going to try! I use the app "wunderlist" and it's awesome. You can create endless lists, you can highlight important items, you can change the order if stuff, when you check something off it goes "bing!", and when you check something off it goes to the bottom of your list in a seperate list and its translucent, so you can see what you've completed. I have a "project list" (big to do stuff) and I have a "to do list" (individual specific small tasks). But thanks to you I've now created a "daily to do list", woo! I also don't create my to do lists the night before but I'm going to start doing that, so thanks :) I also like the idea of adding fun stuff to the list :)

Thanks Manda!

Daily to do lists are my main way of staying organized. If I have all of stuff on one big list, I still don't feel accomplished until I finish everything on it, no matter how productive I am in one day. Crazy how much changing the visual representation of it changes the perspective so much!!

I used to have daily lists when I used paper lists, but when I started using wunderlist somehow I got out of the habit. I'm very happy to be using them again! I too, totally get overwhelmed when I see a big long to do lists with lots of stuff unchecked, even if I've checked off heaps of it.

Grr, a 5 or a 6 yesterday, and a 5 so far today today (it's 5:35). I wore a hair scarf for a while and that helped. I must keep one at my desk. Just for reference, for me a 5 is 15-24 hairs and a 6 is 25-39 hairs.

I started keeping a scarf on a hook attached to my desk at home....it's helped a lot. The trick is to put it on before urges come along...once I have urges I mostly have no motivation to put on a scarf.

Ah yes, that's true for me also.

Grr I've already pulled 3 hairs this morning and it's only 8am. I woke up and started thinking about what I'm doing today, "pounding the pavement". Maybe after I get into the swing of things and I'm applying for jobs regularly, the anxiety will simmer down. I expect to still get a little stressed and uncomfortable, but that's normal.

Wow, I found an article that I really related to! Here it is: http://m.psychologytoday.com/blog/crazy-life/201201/the-vicious-triangle-perfectionism-anxiety-depression

The first paragraph was like BAM! That's me! Here it is: "It's official. I have a healthy...err...unhealthy dose of perfectionistic procrastination paralysis. Well that's my term for it. The inability to start a task or the consistent delay of starting said task because of the need for the outcome of that task to be perfect."

A lot of us are quite similar in a lot of ways, so I was wondering if anyone else identifies with this?

I sometimes have a mixture of that feeling combined with feeling too overwhelmed with the task to actually start it. I think the second one is the more common reason for my own procrastination. I'm usually pleasantly surprised when I start working and realize I'm able to handle the task. But the techniques she listed to deal with it, the "then what" part and the part after that about imagining positive outcomes, was part of CBT I did awhile ago and it was incredibly helpful in helping me see that I often imagine negative scenarios happening to me in ways that are not realistic.

Mm I feel overwhelmed often too, but mostly because of the perfect thing, and fear of it not being perfect. I'd like to get CBT some time for my fears, anxiety & perfectionism. But for now I'll practise those techniques.

Ah I was SO proud of myself yesterday. Even though I had low-medium levels of anxiety I was on a 2 all day, then slipped into a 3 in the evening. Still, a 3 is good. Then late at night I got anxious/angry over something and landed on a 4 :( Ah well, lower than a 6!

Those techniques alone are powerful enough to create long lasting change, I think. Good reminder for myself to use them more, as well.

Evening is the most difficult time!! Focus on the improvement you've made - 4 is still not bad!

It's good to know of them, and to know they're CBT techniques.

Thank you Manda :) Well I got a 3 yesterday. Even better!

CBT, hurrah! I can relate to this, as what you describe is exactly what I noticed. Having techniques, and learning the patterns of the techniques is awesome, and it really does work!

Hurrah!
Hurrah!
Hurrah!

Way to go, both Manda and Confident! You both rock!

Hehe good to know. And thanks!

Another 3, for yesterday.

Well done.

Have you read about growth mindset? I think you might find the ideas useful x