Master Procrastinator

Sidetracking the Inner Procrastinator

I am a master procrastinator. I will do anything, and I mean anything to avoid doing something I don’t feel like doing. It doesn’t matter whether my reasons are valid, or as putrid as last week’s garbage that’s been sitting in the trash can under 90-degree heat. I’m like a 4-year-old refusing to eat her vegetables, and nothing short of an 8.2 earthquake will budge me until I’m ready.

Of course, I’m an adult, and I can focus on the task at hand. I can stop making excuses, and see opportunities rather than a trip to the dentist for a root canal in what lies before me. I don’t need to experience a crisis like a dysfunctional garage door opener, or a toilet induced flood to get off my duff and knock a few dozen tasks off my list. But there are times it sure feels like I need to be knocked off my perch so I’m forced to move in any direction at all instead of remaining at a full stop.

My latest excuse for inactivity has been pain. Granted, I know keeping busy helps in many ways, not the least of which is taking my mind off it. I’ve already proven getting up and moving; sweeping the floor, taking ballet classes, dancing, walking…basically anything other than sitting on my butt in mindless pursuits improves my condition. The pain lessens, and healing occurs when I am proactive about it.

Getting off the Stress Hamster Wheel

Any fool knows the more you let things slide, the more stressed you become, and the more pain you feel. I guess I’m not any old, garden variety fool. I need reminders over and over again, and sometimes a virtual sledgehammer to the skull.

This week, I barely got the first Medium post set up for the beginning of October. By barely, I mean I set it up on the day it was due. I currently have exactly one blog post scheduled for this week, though I do have a second one written and awaiting editing and formatting. It only takes a single glance at my blog queues to create stress in my shoulders and neck, and I know allowing it to spread will reverse the progress I’ve made with physical therapy the last couple of weeks.

Needless to say, my aversion to pain is winning out over my propensity for procrastination (with a little help from a Facebook outage). Medium posts for October are scheduled, I finished the blog post I started on Saturday, and am moving ahead to fill those sadly neglected queues. I have learned, when inspiration gets a kick in the keester, to keep my expectations reasonable.

Setting Manageable Goals

Sure, I could probably write three more posts before I sleep tonight, but the last two would be like pulling teeth from a rhinoceros. A better, and more achievable goal would be to finish this one, and begin one more. It’s a great deal more than I’ve managed the last month or so, but not such a lofty goal as to overwhelm, or worse, burn me out so I make no further progress this week.

I know I can manage to edit and format two posts tomorrow, and finish writing one more. I might even be able to write another. I also know I’ve spent far too much time playing computer games, watching mindless TV for the last month, and falling into one of those ruts I abhor. Granted, I’ve also been dealing with feline health issues, and twice-weekly PT visits, but there’s really no excuse for my extended sloth.

One of the best courses out of said rut is to reinforce my visions. Today, I saw a shelf full of books with my name on the spine. Given that imaginary shelf is currently empty, I have a long road ahead of me. Yet I know a journey begins with a single step. It doesn’t even have to be in the right direction, wherever that might be. It simply needs to involve getting off the couch, detaching from the computer games, and starting to move.

Keeping the Momentum Going

You’ve heard the old saying: “a body in motion stays in motion”. The same is true of a body that’s not in motion. it’s all about maintaining the status quo. Going from action to inaction isn’t overly taxing, but going the other way can feel like an act of whatever power or deity you believe in.

The beauty of it is, once you’re up and moving (or in my case, letting my fingers scurry across the keyboard instead of flipping cards, or letters, or hidden objects) it gets easier as you get your momentum going. For me, it’s often a case of awakening my stagnating brain. It isn’t happy in those places where nothing worthwhile gets accomplished, but it can get stuck there for lack of momentum and motivation.

Thankfully, getting out of a rut is far easier these days because most of the time, it means doing something I love to do anyway. I get lazy, and lose sight of what love now and then, but it’s never gone, nor truly out of reach. Sometimes, it just takes a bit of fog clearing, and perhaps a cat who’s on the mend, and causing me less worry.

Finding Joy in Productivity

I have to admit, I feel lighter, stronger, and happier when my day includes a few hours of productivity. It doesn’t really matter whether I fix something around the house that was broken or malfunctioning, tend to a cat who needs my help, fill a blog queue, or get a little further on one of my writing projects. Progress is progress, and anything I decide to do is important at that time.

Long ago, I had a mental scale of importance for everything in my life. As a result, anything that truly made me happy was usually pushed to the bottom of the pile, and never allowed to see the light of day. Now the pile is reversed. What is important to me, and makes me happy comes first. I finally learned when I allow myself to do things that bring me joy, I have more energy to deal with the rest of life, and can accomplish so much more without realizing I’m wading through that pile with joyful abandon.

The Seven Dwarfs really had it right. Whistle while you work, and everything falls into its proper place without a lot of effort. Everything is fun, no matter what it might be. I know what’s fun draws me like a moth to a flame. When everything is fun, I’m dancing from task to task, seeing each one as a sugarplum I get to pop in my mouth as I move to the next one.

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author.

Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming releases of ” Rebuilding After Suicide” and “Sasha’s Journey”.