Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. ~William James
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Have you ever heard the words, “Don’t put off til tomorrow, what you can do today?” With me, procrastination seems to be my middle name. ***
I’m always putting off something one way or another. In my writing world, I’ll say, “I’ll write about that tomorrow.” And guess what, four days later I’m still trying to put it all together in my head so I CAN write about it.
Even this post, I started writing it and wound up veering off topic and wrote a poem instead. At least it is writing, right? I wanted to start a new blog, I put that off. I wanted to wash up the floor, and beau began to wash the walls. I wanted to wash clothes but instead I played computer chess (which I won a few games, I might add!)
I just want to procrastinate, I think it is in my blood, the genetic gene pool. I believe it was inbred into my system to put off whatever I can and it will just go away! I don’t believe that, but if it is genetically mutated into my system, how do I get rid of it?
How much do you want to bet that this post gets put off again. It is 9:00 am Monday morning, and this is not getting posted within twenty minutes that’s for sure!
Okay, let’s figure out what causes this Procrastination.
1. The number one cause is DISTRACTION. You can be distracted by an email, a phone call, or by surfing for things unrelated to your writing, like FACEBOOK. By allowing these distractions to consume you, you are also allowing Procrastination to fester like a mold!
2. CHORES - Have you ever had a chore to do, and put off writing, to do that instead? To be honest here, I do it all the time. My chores seem to come first where writing is concerned. Mowing, vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, all important aspects of my procrastination disease.
3. PRIORITIES - What we see as a priority, may not be a priority, and it takes us away from our only chance at the quiet stillness of the morning. The time, for me, that I can really dive into writing.
4. ATTITUDE - Yup, attitude. I have the attitude that I’ll get to it when I get to it. I put it off because I think it will still be waiting for me when I get there, not realizing someone might get there first. They’ll grab the thought right out of my head and act upon it, where me, I’ll still be sitting back with my attitude in check, and putting off what was supposed to be DONE!
5. Last but certainly not least....THE POTHOLE SYNDROME - A dear friend told me this weekend: We all have our own roads we must travel on. Sometimes during the ride we run through large, gaping pot holes. Other times it's smooth sailing. No ones road is perfect. So don't worry about it. Just keep your eyes on the finish and God will help us through the pot holes. ~ M.D.
I needed to hear that. I need to fill those potholes with the flowers of my writing and that nasty ol’ disease PROCRASTINATION can hopefully, flee! Finished 9:39 a.m.!
