Trial by Fire

Much has been written about how good it feels to push yourself and test your limits, physically, mentally and creatively. I tend to agree, whether I'm doing a January de-tox, a new Daily Burn routine, or accepting a freelance job with a tight turn-around time. I just completed such a gig, an article for Yuba-Sutter Community Magazine...in 3 ½ days. And, it actually wasn't that difficult. It was easy to say yes, especially to the publisher of the mag, who is a good friend. It was easy to come up with a brief outline after reading the parameters and doing a little research. It was also easy to have the inevitable "How the hell am I going to do this??" freak out Friday evening as I looked at my very brief outline and thought about how quickly the Monday deadline was approaching.

But as I started to write, I found the words, the article took shape, and pretty soon I had a decent first draft. After a little more research and some fact-checking, I was on my way to the finished draft. Could it be that seven years of copywriting have done more than I realized to expand my skillset? Between skin care articles, press releases, and email copy, apparently so. Writers get better by writing is the simple truth. I'm not sure I'll ever face an empty page without at least a little doubt, but the time between wondering how I'm going to pull it off and hitting the final "save" is definitely decreasing. Of course I still have to admit that pushing myself sounds like a good idea after the fact...

Sooner or Later

The dictionary definition of procrastination (proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn):

n. the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention.

My personal definition:

n. the things I do instead of sending out more agent pitch letters, even though I really want to land an agent, and ultimately, a book deal.

I could make all sorts of excuses, like my new exercise schedule, my determination to get enough sleep, a friend sending me his novel that I want to read every spare moment I can find. But if I really want to get my novel out there, I need to send more pitch letters.

So what gives? Is it just a part of human nature to put things off and not only give in to distractions but actually seek them out? A favorite college professor once told me that to avoid grading papers one evening, she had cleaned and sharpened every pair of scissors in the house. Since then I've thought of active procrastination as "sharpening scissors." I find it creeping into my work day too (I know, shocking). Write a press release about a new brand? Sure...right after I organize my new cubicle, update my calendar, go through the files from my old desk and separate what gets recycled from what gets shredded...the list goes on.

According to Psychology Today, at least 20% of us chronically avoid what we don't want to do and deliberately look for distractions. And while the tendency to put things off is indeed part of our very nature, attitudes about it vary greatly by culture. The French nobility becoming a leisure class and distaining work created an attitude that reaches into the present, as the call for an International Procrastination Day illustrates. And anyone who has visited Hawaii has encountered "Island Time."

Is it our Protestant Work Ethic/American "Get 'er done" attitude that makes procrastination a bad thing? Perhaps it's just a matter of balance and I should make a deal with myself: One chapter of my friend's book for each pitch letter I send. Seems reasonable; I'll get on that. Right after I brush the cats...