Day Seventyeight -- Does Procrastination Count?

[JLC]

Does procrastination count as a life-destructive habit that needs to be changed? I'm horrible about it. My Dad used to tell me that if they had elections for the president of the procrastinator's club, I would win...except that I would never get around to running for election, Yeah yeah...love you too, Dad. (I DO love my Dad, by the way, and miss him terribly!)

Aaannyhow...this is definitely one of my big battles in life. It's a huge reason why it took me so long to get on with life-changing eating habits. It always just seemed like tomorrow would be a better time to start.

So what else do I put off that would change my life if I gave up on the "tomorrow" that never comes?

Laundry. That evil pile of dirty clothes and linens that never seems to shrink...no matter how hard I beat it with a broomstick. If I could just get caught up for once and then do a single load every single day, I'd never have days filled with nothing but monotonous sorting and lugging and folding. The fact that all the bedrooms are on the second floor..and the laundry room is in the basement...that should really motivate me to never need to do more than one load a day. ....you'd think!

Dentist. Trips to the dentist would be a lot less stressful and painful if I'd just get over my fears and go more regularly. I DO settle into a healthy routine when we stick around someplace long enough to establish a good relationship with a good dentist. But we've also had some AWFUL experiences with bad ones...and every time we move (which is a LOT) I have to start that scary search all over again. It's waayyy too easy to put off this little chore.

Writing. Believe it or not, some would consider me a "writer." I've completed a full (rather long, actually) novel. I found a successful literary agent who was impressed enough with my book to agree to take me on as a client and pitch my book to all the biggest editors both in the US and abroad. The book never sold. And despite my agent's never losing hope in me, I have never written more than a few rough starts of anything new. I've got a few really great ideas...and I know I have the skill-set I need to complete a novel with a fair chance at success. But I also second-guess myself constantly and have many negative voices still rattling around in my head when it comes to writing. And so...I put it off. I always know I'll get back to it eventually......right? ...... Use it or lose it, the saying goes. And now a new voice chimes in telling me I've "lost it".

But what was lost CAN be found again.

Last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, fresh thoughts about an old idea came tumbling into my brain. And once they started spinning, I was suddenly wide awake. I got up and came downstairs to toy with the ideas...and was up 'til 3am banging stuff out. So here is my pledge and promise to both myself and to those few dear readers who care....I will NOT procrastinate on this any longer. No matter how challenging it feels or how stubborn the characters are to being born....no matter how much the voices in my head clamor and rant and question....I WILL work on this project without any more putting-off...and I will continue to work until I have a finished product ready to send off to a very, very patient agent.

Tomorrow is also "Big Laundry" day. The van goes into the shop early in the morning...and hubby will be working late that night....so I'll be stuck at home aallll day anyway. I'll get caught up on the laundry and create a set schedule for staying caught up.

The dentist....that can wait until after the holidays.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
- "Amazing Grace" by John Newton

[smd58]

procrastination = a one day short vacation.

[JLC]

procrastination = a one day short vacation.

LOL...too many one-day vacations in my lifetime!

[anatess]

Last week, I took my 10 loads of laundry loaded them in the van and drove to the laundromat. Loaded all of them on 5 double loader machines and 10 dryers and I was folding after 1.5 hours. I got home put everything back in the closets and I was done in under 3 hours. All work that was concentrated on nothing but laundry.

Sometimes, when I find myself overwhelmed, I put all my efforts on one task at a time and put all my tasks in succession.

When you're working of a checklist with specific goals, you'll find that the proscatination is drastically lessened.

[JLC]

Last week, I took my 10 loads of laundry loaded them in the van and drove to the laundromat. Loaded all of them on 5 double loader machines and 10 dryers and I was folding after 1.5 hours. I got home put everything back in the closets and I was done in under 3 hours. All work that was concentrated on nothing but laundry.

Sometimes, when I find myself overwhelmed, I put all my efforts on one task at a time and put all my tasks in succession.

When you're working of a checklist with specific goals, you'll find that the proscatination is drastically lessened.

I've done that before...when laundry got so overwhelming it was ridiculous, I've piled it all in the car and did the laundromat route. I have gotten better over the years though, and things rarely get that bad anymore.

Checklists and specific goals definitely help...but I tend to procrastinate on writing those. Seriously though, some days they work well, and some days my brain just shuts down and it doesn't matter what I try, nothing works. Like today...I'm almost all caught up with laundry and only have a little bit (relatively speaking) to do today...and it's not so much that I intentionally put it off...it's that I get caught up in other important tasks and simply forget to go and get stuff out of the dryer. I look up at the clock and three hours have gone by. Days like that are frustrating, to say the least....but at least other stuff is getting done in the meantime.

And speaking of...now that I AM thinking about it...I'd better go and get that switched over now, or I really will be intentionally putting it off. Thanks for the reminder!!