| Purposeful Procrastination? What on earth am I talking about?
We all have those days when we just don’t wanna. No matter how important it is that we know to get something done, we don’t have the energy or the reserve to follow through. Know what I mean? I have a trick to get you on track. For the past nearly two weeks, I have been ill. (NOT Covid. Just the side effects of a flu shot and not having had a cold or flu in nearly three years.) So, finishing things has become a serious task, a huge pain and a nuisance. I really don’t wanna. At the same time, I carry enough self-imposed guilt about being lazy and wasting precious time. This means I still do not value the peace that comes with rest and recovery. So I gotta stay busy as long as my temperature is not in the fever zone. I developed a compromise. I call it I put the don’t wanna time to something necessary, low on the priority list, fun, and/or enjoyable. So organizing files, cleaning drawers, pulling weeds, tending the garden, walking the dogs, shredding mountains of papers and even making massive amounts of soups, stews, and chiles rise to the top of the ‘must-do today’ list. I might not wanna do some stuff, but I do not wholly waste time doing nothing, watching tv or even aimlessly scrolling. I hadn’t realized that I had utilized this little trick, Purposeful Procrastination, for most of my life. And it is one of the reasons I can stay in control – even when I can’t. Y’know, when you are this close to a goal or objective and can’t seem to make faster progress to take it over the finish line? Like those times when your plans go topsy turvy, and the path we thought we were on becomes crooked for some damn reason. That is the best time not to take everything so seriously. Because something better is always beckoning. Purposeful Procrastination gives the right amount of time and space to lighten our hearts so that in concise order, we see that no matter how crooked the path may have been, we were on the right one all along. Purposeful Procrastination (often referred to as detours or distractions) serves us well when we use it correctly. It can give us space, grace and an attitudinal adjustment. The trick is to stick with the right stuff on the never-ending to-do list and not get sidetracked for excessive periods of time. Could you let me know how useful you find it in your world?
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