I’ll do it tomorrow. I cannot stop watching this movie or toss
my bowl of popcorn. Doing so would be wasting.
In these words, finding time to sit and write is
over-the-top obvious, but in reality, it isn’t. Time has no boundaries. Yes, we
have timepieces that inform us as each hour, minute, or second passes, but
responsibilities and commitments do not adhere to a timeline.
Before I enter my writing sanctuary in the morning, I have
routine chores needing to be completed. On a normal day, my domestic
engineering duties eat up the better part of an hour. Sounds good. Lots of time
left. Well, not quite. When I started, I didn’t notice a honking big hair ball
stuck to the hardwood floor in the corner of the living room. Twenty minutes
later, it’s cleaned up and disinfected, but I’m well over my assigned time.
Then, the phone rings. That wonderful piece of technology
that keeps us all connected. What would we do without it? I could ignore it,
but that grating voice coming through some part of the contraption is telling
me the caller is my daughter, whom I can’t ignore. She’s in a talkative mood,
and my last glance at my watch told me she’d been talkative for the last
sixty-five minutes. When we finally said our goodbyes, my morning was spent.
I’m left with two options. My procrastinating personality
screams turn on the television and watch
“Days of your lives.” Your day is messed up already. You’re never going to
climb into your writing frame of mind.
I reach for the remote and my responsible personality
whispers you need to write.
And the battle is on. Days
or write? Days or write? My head doubles in size as my opposing
personalities duke it out. Slowly, my responsible side wins, and I head for my
desk.
Before I do anything,
I ask God for help me calm my scattered brains. Once peace settles over me, I open
the document needing my attention and read what I’ve written. If it’s a novel,
I read the latest chapter. Before I’m half way through, I’m pulled into my
thought stream and my fingers itch to hit the keyboard. Most of the time.
Those times my brain remains stubborn, if it is summer, I
leave my desk and work in a flower bed. Something in handling the soil brings
my wayward thoughts back into focus. In winter, a brisk walk through
snow-covered trees and bushes have the same effect.
Temptation to procrastinate is a daily battle but it doesn’t
have to win. Recognizing it and making positive steps is the beginning of
defeating procrastination. If writing is a priority, there is always ways to
outsmart the pesky time gobblers. They just need to be found.
