Hello from a procrastinator. All I can say is that this post has been a long time coming. Please forgive me if I use the subject of procrastination to try and get another blog post out because I have been procrastinating like mad over NewlifeSteev for the past few weeks.
And why? Ah! If I knew the secret to that then maybe I could turn the tide on something that has been the bane of my life.
It is not as if I don’t want a blog, or even that I don’t want to write – I have been writing about other subjects for myself quite happily – no, it is the combination of having a blog and then having to do some work for it which seems to be key. One of the myths about procrastination is that it is unproductive. It is not. I can find many things to do rather than write the blog, many of which are a good use of my time. My Portuguese is improving, I have been reading up on subjects such as the tarot and psychotherapy and I have completed at least two courses on FutureLearn. So why are these activities so much easier to start and complete that the smallest blog post?
I think part of the answer is that I don’t see them as work but as things I do for my own pleasure. There is probably some contradiction there as the blog doesn’t pull in any money for me (in fact it costs me to keep it going because of hosting fees, etc.) But, is part of it the fact that I know I am doing the other things just for me, whereas the blog is going to be read by others who might make a judgement?
For example, I have scheduled time on my blog for so many minutes per day – but I don’t associate this with things that I do “for pleasure.” That gives the blog a bit more of a sense of having to do it because it’s work. However, I am also conscious of the fact that if I don’t block out time for it, I would probably never get any writing done at all.
I am also aware that in the past, I have been able to do some things on a regular basis for such a long time that they become part of who I am. I then struggle to imagine life without them. Because of my history, that might put you in mind of gambling; but believe me there are other things – such as walking. At first, I had to schedule walks into my life but now I find that I walk for at least 30 minutes (usually an hour plus) every day and I sometimes I have to make a conscious decision NOT to walk, for instance when I am short of time or the weather is really bad. Walking is me. Blog writing is not – yet!
And that is part of the procrastination problem too. Often it is the thought of doing something which is unpleasant but when I actually get around to DOING it it is not too bad at all. In fact, usually it is really good! Walking in the rain is in that category. The thought of doing 3 miles on muddy tracks doesn’t feel like something to get out of bed for but when I am actually there, hearing the soft noise of wind and water, seeing the trees blowing about in the breeze, all really helps me to renew; and I appreciate the break from the computer screen.
Can I say the same about hoovering the floor or cleaning the oven, to give examples of some of the other things that I procrastinate about? Well I have done both of these things on a regular (hoovering) and occasional (oven cleaning) basis and I am still here to tell the tale.
The oven cleaning brings up another important point: the longer I leave something, the more of a problem it can become. If I clean the oven regularly, the grease doesn’t build up and so the task is easier, whereas the longer I leave it the more baked on it becomes and thus harder to clean. Maybe that could be a metaphor for life!
Has my life been one big procrastination? For procrastination, perhaps read Compulsive Gambling. I have said before that I think one of the things about gambling is how I blank out from the rest of my life whilst in action. When I gamble, I am in the moment: I am totally focused and nothing else can touch me. I occasionally get that from other things: work, for example, – especially when I am totally focused on a client – or even reading / watching TV.
But the difference between those examples and gambling is that the latter stays with me, even when I am not actively betting. My mind is taken over with the remorse about what I have done, the fight (in my head) between the side that wants to bet today and the side that wants to leave it alone forever, and continual thinking about strategies for getting more money for the future bets which I inevitably will make.
So what are the reasons for procrastination? Well for this I decided to look at the internet and read some of the books and articles that I have accumulated over the years on the subject.
I know, it occurred to me too, that all I was doing was more procrastinating and not getting this post written… .
But seriously, some common themes came up.
Firstly, that we procrastinate because what we are trying to do is too hard for us. I know that I have had an idea to do some video blogs in the future, but learning what I have to do in terms of lighting, editing and so on is doing my head in, so I don’t move forwards with it: in other words, I am procrastinating.
Secondly, that we procrastinate because what we are trying to do is too easy for us. I know that’s the complete opposite of the previous point – and in one case I saw the two issues brought up in one video on the subject. Well how can it be both? Too easy, perhaps means too boring. I want to do more interesting things like post on ‘Facecloth’ or clean my oven.
A more interesting idea came from the guru with the foul language, Mark Manson, who suggests that we procrastinate on things which conflict with how we see ourselves. That one had me scratching my head. I mean I have the blog. I see myself as a traveller, perhaps not a global one yet but certainly a European one. I have been an adviser for several years and was a compulsive gambler for decades so I tick both of those boxes.
So how does my blog writing procrastination conflict with how I see myself?
After thinking about this for some time, I did concede that I don’t see myself as a writer. Strange because I guess I spend an enormous amount of my day tapping away at the keyboard. So is it to do with that? I am afraid to write on the blog because if I do and it is crap then I have failed at being a writer before I have even begun, or if I don’t see myself as a writer in the first place, do I wonder what I am doing here?
There is the thought that we procrastinate on things that we perceive (rightly or wrongly) that we are not good at. I have a shirt that needs a button sewing on. Because I know I am not good at sewing I put it off. Maybe that helps to explain how long these blog posts take to come out too!
Another issue I am aware of, even as I write this, is the effect that stress plays on me. As those of you who have read other parts of my blog know, I have a couple of bowel conditions which are exacerbated by stress and although I don’t feel I have that much in my life right now, my bowels sometimes disagree. They certainly seem to disagree when I am attempting blog posts and even in the midst of this one they informed me of how MUCH they disagree. I will leave that to your imagination. But as you can see, it is hard to keep writing a blog when even your bowels have an issue with it.
So what is the solution? How can I stop myself procrastinating and do I even want to? I did have the fantasy of finding something that I want to do even less that blog writing that I could procrastinate on by writing the blog. Cleaning the oven comes to mind – but then that is very much a one-off (well maybe a twice a year off) and so wouldn’t work that well.
The “experts” in procrastination have a variety of solutions and I guess it might be a good idea to experiment with them all.
- 1. Trick your mind into thinking that you are only going to do part of the thing you don’t want to do. In my case it might be just typing a sentence or two, but then carrying on for 30 minutes. It might be buying the oven cleaner and just trying it out on one small area of the oven…
- 2. Doing the thing that I least want to do first and then I know it is over with and I can get on with my day. (I find that that only works for a few days and then the thought of having to spend the first hour of each day blog writing makes me want to curl up and die!)
- 3. Ensure that the “work” is made as enjoyable as possible by including new ways of doing things or just being silly. In this case, I found someone to interview me (Svetlana) and that worked. I was quite excited to be working with her but I can’t do that every time.
- 4. Involve others in your project so that you know if you do procrastinate you will be letting other people down as well as yourself. Not sure about this one, it did help that when I involved Svetlana I didn’t want to let her down, but then felt guilty if I actually did! A friend, Fiona, had the idea of having people connect with you online whilst you do a task to ensure that it gets done and I found that that really helped. The time was shared and people came with all sorts of things they wanted to do, such as clearing clutter, preparing lesson plans or working in the garden. When they asked me, it was always “write the blog.” I think that says a lot.
- 5. Only do the things you feel okay with doing and outsource everything else. Okay, I know there are people who outsource blog writing but if I was to pay someone else to do it what would be the point of having a blog in the first place. There are also oven cleaning companies, (I know I used to work for one – to be fair I only lasted a week!). There is the point that when you realise how much some of these tasks cost to outsource, it motivates you more to do them yourself.
- 6. Reframe the procrastination into something else. I have now decided that my reluctance to tackle blog posts is because they are so important that I can only do them when I feel stress-free. That is, when everything else is done and I can give it my all (including after a nap when I am feeling fresher.) That still might mean that I am writing at 10.30 in the evening, but at least I am getting it done.
These are just a few ideas. If you want to find out more you can have quite a time of it just browsing the articles and videos on how to stop procrastinating yourself. I guess if you do this you need to think, “am I actually doing something useful here or am I just procrastinating?”
Was reading this post just procrastinating for you? I would love to hear all your experiences! So if you can get around to it, leave me a comment below.
Comments
I’m wondering whether you’ve already decided your next blog topic and would like to share it with us? Or not. Does the topic and having interesting things to say make a difference?
Thanks for your comment Jo. The fact is that I have several blog posts on the go at different stages. Some are just outline thoughts and some are into 2 drafts or more. Topics at the moment include my travels in France – specifically Brest and Bordeaux and on the recovery side – a post about “experts in gambling” and links between gambling and physical illness. Anyone of these could end up being the next post depending on which one takes off!
I find I have a few interesting things to say about the topic – but often not enough for a post, (I try and post at least 1000 words.) Developing what I have is a major issue for me.
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