| So, for my first official blog as a Leaguer, I thought I'd talk about procrastination. Serious procrastination. The kind that comes from deadlines, revisions letters, and that sinking should-be-working-on-that-now feeling. I got the revisions letter for ReVamped from my editor at Pocket a couple of days ago and I've got six weeks or so in which to get the changes made- and only two big conventions in that time. So what am I doing? Procrastinating, of course. TOP TEN WAYS TO PROCRASTINATE in the face of a WRITING DEADLINE: 10) Change all the light bulbs in your house. Brighter, isn't it? 9) Decoupage the bathrooms in comic-book du jour. 8) Take out the trash, do the dishes, cut the lawn, and water your wife's petunias. 7) Take your kids to see a movie... Wall-E, Kung-Fu Panda, Indy 4... maybe all three. 6) Brush the dog until no more fur comes off. Knit the fur balls into Tribbles. 5) Lie down on the floor of your office for a good think. (Pillows and sleeping bag optional.) 4) Write a few short stories. Actually submit them to magazines. 3) Build something with your kids... like a new desk. Use Legos. 2) Research. Surely there's something on the internet that will help with those revisions... 1) Catch up on all your blogs. Volunteer to guest blog. Write blogs for indeterminate dates in the distant future. Have a favorite way to procrastinate? Help me list at least 40... I've got a lot more procrastinating to do! |
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Teach yourself a new skill, underwater basket weaving, for example.
Reorganise your kitchen cupboards, catalogue and alphabetise your foodstuffs. This can take days if you do it right.
There's always...
Feverish masturbation
It's just a suggestion.
Take up needlepoint, cross-stitch, or hardanger.
Clear off the DVR by watching (and then deleting) all 100+ hours of programming.
If you decide to use Mark's procrastination tactic, I highly recommend you keep lots of lotion on hand.
Then if you haven't exhausted yourself by that, you can always rearrange your furniture. After an hour our so, decide you don't like and put it all back the way it was.
Daelith--Keep lots of lotion 'on hand.' Did you really mean 'on hand' or just 'handy' as in 'nearby'? 'Cause the double meaning there of on hand had me rolling with laughter.
Hee hee.
If you /really, really/ want to procrastinate: call your mother. Not only will she take up hours telling you everything going on in her life, the neighborhood, at her social groups, and with all the siblings, cousins, and various childhood friends of yours, but if you ask she'll have lots of ideas about what you can do to keep busy (though mark's suggestion isn't likely to be on her list...)
Of couse cleaning out and detailing the car takes time. It can also be a study in neighbor-anger if you pick the wrong kind of music to blast from the radio.
And then there's a long-term procrastination, takes several days to do this: study which of your favorite beverages get you drunk faster. How many Dos Equuis on Monday, verses how many choclate martinis on Tuesday verses how many mai-tais on Wednesday and how many margaritas on Thursday. Problem with that one is remembering to hit the timer when you'r officially looped.
It's always fun to alphabetize every CD in the house, followed by creating an Excel spreadsheet with each title, artist, release date and star rating. When you're done with that, do the DVDs.
I tend to be on the internet... major way to get out of housekeeping..or writing.. or just about anything i need to do... lol..
I find reorganizing your trash in order of decompestion works wonders. That and editing the TV Guide. Oh, those pesky sentence fragments!
One word: Youtube.
Youtube doesn't just waste time, it slaughters whole hours with the click of a button.
You could re-organize your books and update your current "book" list.
Help your kids "clean" their rooms by going through the closets, drawers, and under their bed even though according to them...their room is spotless.
Write your Grandma a letter...she loves to get mail from you...as you are her favorite.
One of my favorites is to hit the local libraries and bookstores and stare at where my book will be when it hits the shelves. There's nothing like vizualizing your book sitting next to a Pulitzer winner to keep you from actually writing the book.
Easy! Get addicted to some stupid TV Series!
I can suggest -
Dr Who
Torchwood
Supernatural
Bones
CSI
Peep Show
House
Buffy
Angel
and anything else you can get your hands on ;)
Bake a cake! :D Re-organize your bookshelves...I do this.
Here's how I procrastinate...
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