When I have tons to do, I procrastinate. I’m going to take care of filing that quarterly tax payment (which involves math and looking things up, and a lot of double checking and stuff) after I check my Bloglines, update my Facebook status, check out what’s new at KnitPicks and oh yeah, maybe there’s a new Dale of Norway book out, let’s go see, tra la tra la…
And then I get to the end of the day and realize I haven’t even started the tax filing process and I’m all, “@*^&@!!!! It’s due by the fifteenth! What is wrong with me! AH! AH! AAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”
I confess that I usually work best under some pressure. Nothing lights a fire under me like a looming deadline. But at the same time, that same pressure sets off some kind of “I need to relax, I’m getting too anxious here” lever and I start granting myself permission to look at the LOLCats “real quick” or to spend a little time reading through knitting magazines or perhaps I just need to grab a soda and watch the last half of CSI:Anywhere.
The thing that irks me about it is that I know I’m doing it. It isn’t that I’m not aware I’m
In fact, I’m doing it now. I have errands I need to be running right now. I need to pick up my business check binder, drop off my daily allotment of empty ink cartridges (I get $3 per cartridge and up to three cartridges per day at Staples, and have an insane number of the things that have been building up for the last couple YEARS in a drawer) (see? Procrastination at work, right there…), finish shopping for a party tomorrow, HELLO, get a nail fill/file (they’re a little too long, so I’m buzzing more than ringing on the old harp strings).
Then I need to install my new accounting software, prepare the 2008 tax forms for the business, pay the bills, take out the recycling, change the sheets on the beds and iron labels into the middle two kids’ clothes so that they will quit fighting about who got which shirt for Christmas.
But instead…I’m checking out the Friday sale at Amazon and puttering around with website design and going back over old statistics books trying to remember how that formula worked…you know, the one for that thing, with the three parameters and then you figured out maximum profits given you could make X widgets in Y time for Z dollars, versus blah blah blah?
Sigh.
Right. OK. I’m going. Errands. Here we go.
…but first I need to grab a soda. And check my email one more time. And…
12 comments:
Yep.. me too. Still have wrapping paper laying in the living room from Christmas. Everytime I walk by, I think..hmm I should put that away. Oh wait..what did that guy on TV just say?
I am right there with you. That could have been me talking, only you're way better at expressing yourself. One of my resolutions was to stop procrastinating and less than two weeks later I am back at it full force. Good luck with overcoming it :).
Sister!!
:-)
You just described my life! No wonder anyone who sits on our carpet gets covered in dog hair (amongst other procrastinated tasks)......
DH read your post over my shoulder, and hustled to his computer to check on the status of the taxes. Thanks!
You've been spying on my house haven't you!
Even as a mom I was easily distracted from things I didn't want to do.
Trying to have a home based business makes it even harder.
Glad to know I'm not alone :-)
I do the same thing UNLESS I have a LIST and cross stuff off it, giving me a sense of accomplishments. Of course, i have a few things that I just can't seem to get on the list....
Clones! Separated at birth.
Yup, that's me too.
It even applies when I'm at work as a consultant, being paid by the hour, to do stuff!
I too can really identify with this.
For me, it's pretty often a sign that I need more sleep. And that I have a lot of really boring things to do I'm avoiding by procrastinating on *everything*.
Good luck, and if you find a way to avoid doing this? I'd love to hear it.
Oh that's funny - YOU are MY procrastination. I'll be at work dragging my feet at getting into the next project and think - Oh, I'd better check Den of C . . . ;-0
Amen sister! I just wrote about the very same problem in my own blog. I too have the problem (we ARE related!). The busier I get, the slower I seem to move.
Like right now, I'm supposed to be changing sheets, but I sat down for a just a "quick look" at a few blogs, and here I am at yours, and gee that commenter sounds interesting, I wonder what she writes..... Drat!
The internet is evil.
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