Sunday, November 20, 2011

Procrastination, I Heart You

Posted by: Seleste deLaney/Julie Particka
So, I was sitting in my office all relaxed and trying to figure out what we're going to do today. Then, while perusing my email, I got one from Here Be Magic and wondered why I started shaking. It wasn't a bad email--not like they're kicking me out (right, peeps?). I couldn't figure out why I reacted so oddly. And then it hit me. I was supposed to post today.

D'oh!

And now I sit here, frantically typing since the day is half over and I have nothing ready to go. Truth is... this is kind of my life. It's much rarer when I'm ahead of schedule and have all my blog posts out and scheduled and on time. Quite honestly, with blogging it often works better for me because I can blog about something that's on my brain right now and I won't wonder what the hell I was thinking when it posts. This is me. Today. Raw.

But hey, at least I showered.

The funny part is I'm in the midst of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and for the first time in ages, I'm ahead of my goal. No procrastination there. I haven't had any killer word days, but I'm averaging over 2100 words a day. If I really buckle down for the rest of the month, I could even have a completed draft by the first of December.

Yay, NaNoNovel!

On the other hand, I don't think there's a blog post I haven't written on the fly this month. I have stuff I was supposed to mail weeks ago. (One letter is sitting in my car right now, waiting for me to remember to get stamps.) The house gets cleaned in fits and starts (which means it's never really clean.

Hello, my name is Seleste, and I'm a procrastinator.

*everyone* Hello, Seleste.

*jerk in the back corner* That's not even your real name!

*me* Shut up, dude, that's really not the point.


Because of today's posting oops, I'm back at wanting to "cure" my procrastination sickness. And I'll probably bust ass over the next week and get crazy-ahead on life. Holiday cards will go out, blog posts will be written (and in a few weeks, I'll wonder what I was smoking when I wrote them), the house will get cleaned, decorations will go up. My writing might suffer a little, but hey, it's just my NaNoNovel, right?

Er... Back the truck up.

Out of four NaNos I've done, two of those novels (in some form or other) have gone on to be published--includingBadlands. A third is in limbo at the moment because I'm being very particular about who I'm willing to sell it to (at some point I'll let everyone know how that worked out).

That means this could be the NaNoNovel that changes everything, the one that breaks me into the big leagues, the one that makes me a household name (hahahahahahaha--okay, I don't really believe that). But it's important too. Arguably it's more important than the cards and the decorations and the cleaning. Maybe not more important than the blogs posts (I am ahead, after all), but I'm one of those people who generally needs to embrace my procrastination.

Without it, I'd never get the most important stuff done.
Now if you'll excuse me, my son wants to teach me how to play Lego Harry Potter.

7 comments:

  1. "Procrastination" is just another way of saying "waiting for the right moment." I almost always write my blog posts right at the moment. It feels much more connected that way to me.

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  2. I tweeted today that coffee goes really well with writing. Some wiseacre replied with this question: In that case, what goes well with procrastination? Well? Do you have the answer?

    I've always been one of those weirdos who started the final project in the beginning of the semester, and I'm ALWAYS 15 minutes early to any appointment. I'm the other extreme, and it too is a sickness! I can't tell you how many times I've had to hang around with nothing to do because I'm so freaking early. Now I keep an e-reader in my purse. It's easier than "the cure."

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  3. Vodka goes well with procrastination. Then again, vodka goes well with most things :P Parties in my family would never be ready to start when you showed up, Barbara LOL

    Janelle & Jeffe: At least I know I'm not alone! Procrastinators unite!

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  4. I like the idea that procrastination is really prioritisation. Works for me!

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  5. I'm a procrastinator but I work well under pressure so it turns out in the end. I'm doing nano too and yeah everything else gets pushed aside but it's good. It's kind of an excuse to say this month I'm writing, it's important and I'm making the time to do it.

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  6. Yeah, I'm all about the priorities. Sadly this morning that meant phone calls. To set up some stuff for the holidays. Done, but what a pain.

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