It’s About Procrastination

My name is Agnes and I’m a Procrastinator.

Don’t get me wrong! I have a huge amount of energy and I always have something on the go… but there are certain things I can predictably avoid.  Difficult phone calls.  Financial statements.  Facebook ads.

I was blind-sided recently when I found myself procrastinating over almost everything, even sitting down at my computer.  It took a while to pin-point the reason, and when I figured it out, I was puzzled.

Hint: Rain, Rain, and More Rain

It was the incessant rain and almost continual grey skies.

Now, 99% of you will shake your head and say “Where’s the surprise there, Agnes?”  I have, however, spent almost 60 years on the west coast of Canada, and some of that time was even in the middle of the rain forest where 100+ inches of rain each year was the norm. I’m the person who, after a long dry spell, has been known to go outside in my shirt sleeves and bare feet to absorb the rain when it finally arrived.

So… Yes, it was a surprise to realize even I was tired of the oppressive skies that have been our constant companion here this Fall, Winter and Spring.  That I, Ms. Webbed Feet, had finally had her energy levels depleted, sucked into the grey beyond.

Procrastination Was Not an Option

Well, I knew total procrastination was not an option. Despite the siren call of my lovely bed, getting back into it had to be avoided!  What to do?

I picked up a book I had been meaning to read but couldn’t concentrate.

Be silent, my duveted seductress!!

Really.  I couldn’t get back into bed because that would mean I’d be awake all night and you know what sort of self-talk that results in.

Antidote: The Creative Zone

Finally, my logical self surfaced.  My default activity when real procrastination comes calling is something creative.  It has to be creative in a tech capacity – no freehand endeavours here! – but ‘The Creative Zone’ really soothes my soul.

If I wasn’t going to find the wherewithal to be productive, I would be creative.  I decided it had to be business-focussed but I would let the creative juices flow – at least it would keep me out of my bed!

I browsed my video files but that didn’t pique my interest.  I browsed my blog posts file but writing felt like work.  I opened up my browser and reviewed my websites folder.  Three of them are current and active, one is in process, a future expansion.  And there it was.

An update to my About page on this site had been on my list because I was also using it as a redirect on BoomWithABang.com.

Ta-Daa! (Ta-Daas are always good!)

Ta-Daa!  It worked!  It only took a few minutes before the call of The Creative drowned the Silly Siren!  My brain became absorbed, my two monitors flashed with activity, and a business task was completed.

In reality, it was a task that could have waited.  However, it was important enough, it was business, and the Grey-Sky Procrastination did not win!

Judith Told Me To!

In case you’re wondering why I’m telling you all this, it’s because Judith thought it was a good lesson to note.  Judith is my friend, colleague and accountability partner.  Every 2^nd Friday we meet up on Skype and, after catching up on the mundane, we check up on each other’s business commitments from the previous meet.

I love Accountability in business, and I take it really seriously.  That is perhaps one of the bigger reasons I couldn’t let my doldrums determine my behaviour throughout the week.  I might not have been able to say I accomplished what I had planned to accomplish, but I was able to say I had pushed through and accomplished something pending in my business, and that was better than napping!

Judith decided it was a good topic for a blog post, so here it… before our next meet.

Do you ever get tired of rain and grey skies?

Do you ever procrastinate?

What are your solutions?