Saturday, September 4, 2010

Procrastination

Ah, quiet! The kids are at school, and for the first time in 16 years, I have six hours in a row all to myself. I will definitely revise that novel. Definitely.

But first, I think I'll mow the lawn. Our grass is too long, and it will only take a few minutes. I open the front door and walk around the house to the garage, only to see a newspaper on my driveway. I keep meaning to read that newspaper. I really enjoy feeling informed.

I'll just nip back inside and glance through it at the kitchen table. Pushing a place mat out of my way, I notice a cereal bowl near my elbow. My mother-senses are tingling! Rice Crispies and milk are drying in that bowl. Once that happens, the rice glues itself with near cement hardness to my ceramic ware, and it takes repeated soaking and scrubbing to remove it. No way can I read a paper with that happening. Not on my watch!

I get up and begin sluicing down the bowls and dishes like a maniac. After loading the dish washer, I return to the paper. My brain instantly reminds me of the pile of laundry in the basement. I'll just throw a load of towels in so they can be washing while I'm reading that darn paper.

On my way to the laundry room, I make a few beds and mentally note that it's bathroom clean-up day for the boys. I put the dirty stuff in the washer, dump the soap in and slam the machine door shut. Back on the main floor, the air feels stuffy and warm. It's going to be another hot one in an hour or two. I should go mow the lawn while it's relatively cool outside. I glance at the newspaper, at the computer just visible through the door of our home office.

I'll definitely revise my novel today . . . Or tomorrow.

Definitely.

Okay. Now you know I have the attention span of a border collie. But do you ever find yourself doing this sort of thing? Do you procrastinate, writing buddies?

27 comments:

  1. Oh, I hear you girlfriend. I keep saying that I'm going to quit procrastinating...tomorrow. Great blog. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.

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  2. Housecleaning; the bane of my world, and the last thing on my to-do list. Until I definitely committ to sitting down to write. .

    All sorts of dangling projects get attention just as my muse shows up for serious conversation.

    .......dhole

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  3. Hello there wondeful and ever so fabulous Roxy!!! Where have you been?!?! I hope you had a suitably mad and manic summer hols with the family!!

    Now procrastination. My middle name (just before Craig - hhehehe!). Anyway yes procrastination. I think I'd be lost without it. I'd be bereft without this p word. I need to be doing this all the time otherwise my life will not be complete.

    Oh but seriously!!! I wish I were one of these fab writers who writes everyday, for an hour or more 24/7. I really wish I were that focused and disciplined. But distractions abound - the mind (female mind?) is a multi-tasker, a jack of all trades, a finger in every pie-hole!!! How a novel gets completed is just amazing with all these things swirling around us that must be attended to or else the whole universal equilibrium will collapse.

    I'm talking rubbish now. Sorry!!!

    I'm just so glad you're back!!!!

    Take care
    x

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  4. Hi, Roxy, I'm happy you found me. Love your blog! I'm following now. Nice to meet you! *waves*

    Yep, I procrastinate.... "with all these things swirling around us that must be attended to or else the whole universal equilibrium will collapse." Totally understand!

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  5. Oh My Goodness, yes. Im so glad to know that others out there suffer from a scattered brain. I don't have kids around anymore, but there are still endless distractions. You put it squarely and truly.

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  6. OMG, this is the story of my life! Dried up Rice Crispies, (and mashed potatoes) are the bane of my existence!

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  7. I am an artist and many a canvas has stood waiting for its masterpiece while I take "just a few minutes" to clean up, weed the garden, throw in some laundry, vacuum up after our four dogs (three of whom happen to be Border Collies), make that important phone call, gather up the compost bucket to go dump it...on and on...pretty soon its' 1 pm and I'm ready to flake out...

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  8. I do this all the time! I have to clean before I sit down to write for a while, otherwise I will constantly get up and "fix" something!

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  9. Happens sometimes! I tend not to jump into chores too early in the day, so weekends I have a couple hours before obligations pull me away.

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  10. *hee* I did this on the weekend! All the time to write and yet never actually got there.. darn it!

    http://damselinadirtydress.blogspot.com

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  11. Funny you should ask! Let's see, what have I done today... besides knitting, going out for brunch, visiting family, blogging, what have you... Does thinking about your story and trying to work out plot problems, even if you got no words written, count for anything? :-)

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  12. By the way, Google Chrome seems to be having trouble with the Follow button today - will try to add you tomorrow!

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  13. Hello
    New follower from Karen's BBQ.
    Is that called "multi-tasking" or "perils of working at home?
    Enjoyed your blog.

    Manzaniga
    wanna buy a duck

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  14. It's amazing how things just get in the way! I prefer to let my house go and then let the kids do chores when they get home from school! LOL

    I do have my 3 yr old still, so I LOVE nap time!

    Anyway, thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm going to follow yours!

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  15. Hi Roxy! Oh, how I can relate to everything you're saying! Love your blog and will be following you, too! Thanks for stopping by!

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  16. Procrastinate? Me? Big time! This Labor Day weekend I thought "Wow, three whole days to write--maybe I'll even get TWO chapters done!" Here it is Sunday night and I'm only at 1,000 words. But I HAVE gone to the grocery store, done my laundry, unclogged my disposal (yeah!), worked out, laid out in the sun, attended a football party, wrote one review and started reading a new novel, so I guess it's not too bad. The blog barbecue was definitely fun this weekend. Great blog you have here, Roxy! Jen xx

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  17. Procrastinate you say? Oh no, I never do that. Never. It's just that sometimes there are REALLY IMPORTANT jobs to do, like, you know, arranging my bookcase by genre....

    Anyway, thanks for stopping by! I'll be following you right back :)

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  18. You mean that's procrastination? For me, that's just the way of life. LOL

    Nice to meet you. Looking forward to visiting.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

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  19. I procrastinate to. It's amazing how much time can pass when putting something off.

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  20. Hi Roxy, stopping in from the barbeque. Love your blog. I also spent the last week at procrastination place. Though, unlike you, nothing was acccomplished in my household. I participated in online chat rooms, hung out with friends and did everything except write.

    After giving my week some thought, I came up with a remedy for the problem. My blog is hosting an anti-procrastination challenge. This forces me to set a good example and concentrate on writing. If you're interested stop by and pay me a visit. I look forward to reading more of your posts.

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  21. Good to meet you during this BBQ. . . sounds so good, though I tend to get distracted by reading blogs, Facebook, and Twitter . . .

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  22. Hullo!

    Procrastination - every writer's frienemy!

    I try thinking if the lawnmowing etc as "treats" for when I'm done with a hundred words or so.

    Good luck with future write urge/procrastination battles!

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  23. Procrastinate is my middle name. Sounds like you have stepped into my shoes. I am desperate for this type of thing.

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  24. You sound a lot like me. :) I can get distracted by anything ... squirrel!

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  25. HAHAHA! I just did this yesterday - instead of starting my short story, i went through my spice rack and combined spices. Yeah. Like that needed doing...

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  26. I'm having a day like that. There's always tomorrow, right?

    Hope you're enjoying your freedom. Welcome back. I've missed you!

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  27. Enjoyed reading this.
    Like they say, procrastinate in public.
    Then you cannot postpone further.

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