One of the most important things a creative person needs to learn is to recognize when you’re procrastinating. For example, I often have ideas to put on this blog – two or three times per day – but I’m a quiet person, and I think far more strings of speech than I ever put to paper. So it’s important for me to blog whenever I can.
So I’ve had several blog ideas today – “Getting Traction”, “Logic Versus Rationality”, “Rating Your Own Work (and How I Rate)” and the one I just thought of that made me open Ecto, “Advantages of Offline Blogging Clients” and its companion piece “How to Use Photoshop Filters and Photo Booth to Make Watercolor Art Because You Don’t Have Clip Art Handy.”
All of these are procrastination.
I owe my editors feedback on Traci Odom’s reading of the audiobook of FROST MOON. I didn’t get to send it after I finished it because I finished it at 3 in the morning in the hospital and then spent the next day getting my loved one back home safely before hopping on a plane and getting back to all the work delayed by this unexpected trip.
During this whole family quasi-emergency this week, I deliberately focused on taking on tasks like listening to FROST MOON or blogging or cleaning up my hard drive, all of which didn’t require building up a lot of mental state, which made them ideal for tasks for sitting up next to a hospital bed ready to help at a moment’s notice.
But the operation’s over, the result’s a success, the loved ones are back home and my reading’s done. When you’ve got an outstanding task that requires thought, it’s SO EASY to switch gears to something that doesn’t require a lot of mental effort. But no. Not this time. Time to write the notes, record the pronunciations, send the email, and get this audiobook out the door.
Finish blogpost hit Publish.
-the Centaur
