Am I Procrastinating?
Well, let’s be honest – if you’re asking that question, then chances are that the answer is yes. There you go. But you’re procrastinating aren’t you, so you probably want a longer answer than that.
So, the times when you actually ask yourself that question are probably not a problem. Whenever I think that question, I can be pretty sure that the very reason I am thinking it is because I am putting something off.
There are loads of ways I procrastinate when I sit down to write. And as I write at my computer, they almost always involve the internet or something. In fact, I’ve realised it has developed into something of a routine when I am at home. I boot up, and the first thing I open is not a text editor, but iTunes. I download the single of the week, I update my podcasts. I then open Steam, and check the offer of the week, and see if there are any game updates. I’ll probably then scroll through a few twitter updates to see what’s going on.
All this is obvious time-wasting when I could be writing. Sometimes though, I find myself procrastinating in more subtle ways. I do love to research topics and write notes, for example. This is all well and good, but you can do too much of it.
Recently, I had to admit to myself that I was doing more research than was strictly necessary for a short(ish) story idea I had. This is not so clear-cut. How do you know when you’ve got enough research to make a good start? Well, I guess the only way is to make a start. After all, if you are worried about a particular fact, you can check it, and put it in a later edit.
I’m sure that there is much more procrastination to come. It’s just a matter of self-discipline, backed up by encouragement and goals. I expect to get better over time, even if I never fully overcome it.
Any ways you guys procrastinate?