Procrastination at its FINEst

Procrastination… hmmm… well… what can I say… I’m an EXPERT at it! Ha!

It’s late Tuesday afternoon as I flop down on the couch, finally prepared to write this first post (which is due tomorrow, might I add).  I get all snuggled in and place my handy water bottle and a bowl of almonds next to me on the side-table… hunger and thirst aren’t going to keep me from writing this.  I’m determined! I open up my laptop and start a new Word document.  Oh hey, I should make an ICMB folder on my desktop to put all my drafts in? While I’m at, I might as well reorganize all my other tabs.  Hmm, I think I’ll scroll over to Safari and check Facebook real fast; see if my friend messaged back. {Glances at the digital clock in the corner of the screen} Ope, time to switch the laundry over. And what’s that sweetie, you need Mommy to help you brush your teeth before bed? Yikes, I better hurry up and vacuum before small group tonight. You get the picture! Procrastination at it’s finest.

Whenever I have a task that actually requires me to use my brain, all I can think about are all the mundane tasks I could do instead. For instance, I hate dusting! I honestly don’t really know why. It’s just one of those dreadful chores that makes me want to put each family member into a bubble so we can’t shed skin cells (that’s the main contributor to dust… gross, huh?) Anyways, guess what I did today? I dusted! Yep, I’m telling you, I’d do pretty much anything to keep from having to sit down and focus on writing this blog post. But alas, I’m back, and I am forcing myself to do it!

I don’t just put off writing assignments; I procrastinate in other areas of life, too. Recently (ok it was almost 2 months ago) my sister-in-law and her husband bought new living room furniture. The couches came with these rather ordinary throw pillows and she wanted to spice them up a bit. Knowing that I have always enjoyed crafting and have some pretty decent sewing skills, she asked if I would re-fabric them for her. Of course, I said yes. We scoured Pinterest for inspiration, then made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby in Coralville to pick out some fun fabrics and coordinating ribbon. I took everything home with me that afternoon and planned to work on them that evening.  I was excited for these; they were going to be super cute (who doesn’t love those shabby chic and chevron patterns)!!! Well, of course I “distracted” myself, and here it is 8 weeks later and I have yet to pull them out of my crafting cupboard to start this pillow project (other than to snap a quick pic for this post). I feel bad; after all, I even promised her that my first blog would be a “tutorial-of-sorts” about her newly recovered throw pillows. **My apologies, Jennie!** Thankfully, she’s pretty good at hounding me to get these done, so I’m sure you’ll see a blog post SOON with the finished project. (Wishful thinking, right?) Hehehe!

Anyways, back to working on this post. It’s not that I don’t particularly enjoy writing; I’ve actually grown fond of it over the years. I’d like to think the root cause of my procrastination is just a personal struggle with another P-word… perfectionism! I have in my head that it needs to be flawless or nobody will enjoy it. So, I put it off and put it off because the thought of doing it makes me anxious. Here’s the thing though… once I finally FORCE myself to do it… it all turns out FINE!!! If I wouldn’t make such a big deal of it to begin with, I wouldn’t have this reoccurring battle. I know, I just need Nike’s inspirational phrase, “Just Do It” plastered on every wall in my house. Ha! So, once I get over that first hump – getting words on paper – it all flows out and I’m usually pleased with the end result. It’s fine. =)

So in closing, I’d like to grace all of you wonderful readers with a picture of my never-ending pile of projects that I wound up COMPLETING. {round of applause, please} These were from a dish on my microwave that collects random hair-bows, jewelry, beads, my daughter’s flower clips, fabric swatches and other little trinkets that need repaired. It’s a constantly growing pile of to-do projects. However, I finally stopped putting it off, and mended them all back into shape (thanks to the help of my trusty hot-glue-gun). And, it feels great knowing that I finally accomplished something that I’d been putting off forever!

What I’d like to know now is:  which of you moms have a preferred membership to the Procrastination Club? How do you help yourself kick the habit and get motivated to finally perform your task/duty? And lastly, be proud of what you do accomplish!  We’re all moms after all, and that’s an enormous task in and of itself. And for those that don’t struggle with procrastinating, I envy applaud you! How do you do it?!