Hello, oolyps. 

I'm hoping you can help me.  I have a big problem with procrastination.  Somehow, I managed to get myself through graduate school, but since I graduated about a year ago, I have spent a lot of time with my proverbial digits up my proverbial derrière.  Each day, I think about doing a wide variety of things, and each day, I put them off.  I do spend a lot of time on the internet and watching TV, which I know is a waste of time.  I am productive at work, but it's the home situation that's really the problem.  In the meantime, I continue to get fat and lazy and frustrated with myself.  What should I do to break the spell of procrastination on my life?  Thanks in advance for your insight.

Sincerely,
Lethargy in Oly

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Dear Lethargy in Oly,

We are of the camp that believes procrastination is not necessarily bad.  Social pressures and negative connotations of idle time and leisure have caused a backlash for those who enjoy things such as watching TV and spending time on the internet.  We live in an age when we do not have to till the land from sun up to sun down.  Unless your bills are not getting paid or you hate your life, cut yourself some slack.  If you are a person who would choose TV over a walk, or the internet over dancing, so be it.  If you'd like to be productive and watch TV, look into something like knitting or oragami arts.  So the question that you need to ask yourself is whether you really want to be more active or whether social pressures are forcing your hand.

If you do indeed want to become more active, then find ways of being active that fit you.  This may need to be forced in the beginning, but if you find an activity that you actually enjoy, the habit will come much more easily.  You might want to set a start date.  For example make the decision to bike to work 3 days per week starting May 1.  Or if you cannot bike to work, take a walk during lunch or after work starting May 1.  Or get Dance Dance Revolution.  The key is to find something you enjoy rather than loathe. 

You could also choose an event each week to go to.  There is always something going on in Oly.  Make a calendar for the month and write things in and do them without thought.  One easy solution is to pick one event posted on OlyBlog every week and attend it.  We canceled the cable and can't say enough about the benefits of that decision; perhaps that is a solution that would work for you as well.  Finding people to be active and productive with is another avenue that can help as you can act as a support group of sorts.

Best of luck and keep us posted,

The Taelliouses           

"Nothing would get more efficient without lazy people."
     -Jason's former shrink

 

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Dear OOLYPS,

I am trapped in a plane between the two worlds, placed
there as punishment for being on the losing end of a
war that happened long before the human race appeared
on planet earth. We were rulers once of your planet
and we will be again. In places of desolation our
followers today, who have preserved the true knowledge
of our existence down through the generations of man,
gather in circles and perform the rites, waiting for
the day when the stars come right again and I can
escape from my place of torment and assume my throne
as ruler of your world.

But here in the endless wastes between being and
non-being I cannot get a date. I try and I try but
we're all former powerful superbeings here and there's
not much I can do to make myself stand out. I've tried
jokes and interesting hobbies but the former feminine
leaders of the dark side just say "That's nice,
Zuthulu, but I'm just not interested." How can I make
myself more attractive for the superbeing who has
everything, for beings who have been cast into the pit
of torment after ruling planets for ten thousand years
with an iron hand, who have had monuments erected in
their name and have  received worship as...well...as
goddesses, and who can have her pick of similar male
beings if they want to?

Signed,
       Zuthulu

Zuthulu,

That is quite a predicament you are in, but 2012 will be here soon enough.  Clearly, now is the time to focus on you.  Yeah sure, you've had the admiration of the masses for tens of thousands of years, but this time has to be about you.  Self-love is where it's at.  The "endless wastes between being and non-being" is the perfect place to develop some self-reliance.  Besides, what better way to stand out from a crowd of super beings reliant upon sychophants than to be your own god?  Survey says:  none.

The Taelliouses

“The Gods cannot help those who do not seize opportunities”
                     - Chinese proverb

 

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Oly, send questions and comments to oolyps(at)gmail(dot)com. Your identity will be posted as anonymously as requested.