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...
Contemplated the nature of procrastination for a day (yes, I procrastinated) and realized many of the times I've put things off for later (which is usually something I don't do) came as a result of an intuitive feeling. My gut told me don't do it now, do it when the time is right. When I was looking for an agent something inside said, "You'll be sorry." I was. It didn't work out. This is not to say that agents are bad news. It's just that the gestalt part of my noggin' somehow knew the book I was working on would not attract the right individual to represent it at the time. It's much akin to times when I need to call someone about some pressing matter and a part of me says, "Not now--call later." When I don't listen to this bit of advice from my unconscious invariably the conversation doesn't go well. When I do, things go better. So, I've learned to trust my intuition. Writing is the same. Some days I can sense the words will pour out--others not so much. Do I write when they don't want to emerge? Yes, and sometimes the little that does appear on the screen is much better than the words that come in a torrent. (This is why I never ingest anything to facilitate creativity: alcohol, sugary food, I don't smoke--anything. Making the torrent arrive doesn't work for me.) In a nutshell I've found procrastination a function of intuition.
ReplyDeleteAh intuition...if we are quiet enough to listen to it, I do believe it will always point us in the right direction.
DeleteI agree about forcing the torrent: the result is rarely what you were looking for.