Dawdling, postponing,
stalling, dabbling, delaying, dilly-dallying, loitering, frittering, playing, frivoling,
idling, loafing. They all mean the same thing: to put off. I am good at it. Too
good, I fear.
And when I am questioned
about my progress (the project matters not—it could be anything from making a
grocery list to editing my next novel), I have perfected the hemming and hawing
answer that is sure to baffle the interrogator into a frustrated fit (90% of
the time the interrogator is my husband who has learned over the years that
it's safer not to do too much questioning unless he wants to end up walking
away, scratching his head, and muttering, "What the heck did she just
say?").
Just this week, I was
interviewed by an editor of a popular romance novel review magazine and I told
the woman, "There's nothing better than being your own boss." And
here I sit this morning, blogging, reading e-mail and tweets, checking Facebook,
pacing from window to window, nibbling on a granola bar, doing anything and
everything besides what I should be doing: starting the next chapter of my book.
One negative about being your own boss is that there's no one to light a fire
under you when there's work to be done.
Here's my best advice
regarding procrastination:
·
Just do it!
·
Break larger tasks
into smaller ones.
·
Complete the most
difficult task first.
·
Reward yourself
when the job is complete.
Now THERE'S advice everyone
should follow, right? Are you a procrastinator? What do you find is your
biggest distraction? And what's your best piece of advice for me…er, ah, people
who procrastinate?
~~~
Her sweet romance novel, TAKE ME I'M YOURS, is on sale this week for just $0.99. Find it in the Kindle Store.
