Three fingers of Jack Daniels on ice, my comfortable lawn chair positioned under the branching arms of the giant Poplar tree in my backyard, maybe some songs by Pacha Massive or Joanie James in the background, watching the Robins and Thrushes peck and pull their dinner out of the ground, God how I love procrastination! It is the magic salve that soothes the soul tempering the indolent beast within and dragging the words needed to fill my mental void into a thought of inspiration. Thus I regurgitate spewing forth poetry to my grandchild followed by a plaintive, “Poppy, I don’t understand!” But, one day she will and I hope I will have been a better human for giving her an appreciation for poetry through my procrastination process. Summer has thrust its finger of heat into my face and I am incensed at the intrusion. I never did like anyone or anything poking me with their finger, thus How Hot Is It? Carolee, I just couldn’t help myself, this was a poem born in a moment of procrastinating enjoyment baked by a summer breeze. Each of you is welcome to join me. How many fingers?

I’m a stiff drink kind of girl, so I’ll need a chair in can sit in for a good long while. Great way to procrastinate, donald. It sounds lovely.

It sounds, actually, like one of those moments in which we THINK we’re not composing but actually ARE composing.

In the expressive arts work I do, we look suspiciously at those moments — downtime, for lack of a better word — because they hold answers and stories, too. They’re not the “blankness” we think they are.

And I didn’t say it in the article, but a lot of procrastination techniques could be looked at that way: refueling. And also a way of looking at the actual writing project in our peripheral vision instead of looking directly in its eyes.

Of course, there ARE moments of true procrastination. Avoidance. There is a difference, I think.

This is a strange question for me. It’s like being asked how I procrastinate when I want to eat chocolate… the answer being, why should I want to?

Right now, I write poems purely and simply when I want to write poems… so procrastination doesn’t apply. I never feel that I “should” be writing poems when I don’t want to… it’s just something I often find I spontaneously want to do, and when I feel that way I just sit down and do it until I’ve had enough.

But I would certainly not claim the extraordinary virtue of a procrastination free life! If you were to ask me how I procrastinate when it comes to singing practice, that would be another matter…. everything and anything seems to serve as a distraction. Sometimes I even use writing poetry as a procrastination technique when I should be singing…

Great article, Carolee. sometimes I think I procrastinate due to a lack of belief in the importance of my words. I actually procrastinate by writing to prompts rather than writing about the themes I feel churning up from inside. It’s a kind of delaying tactic to avoid writing about the stuff that truly matters to me.

I…have the opposite problem. I try to fight for time *to* write. I work a day job, am planning our October wedding, and help my fiance take care of his aging parents (it’s not like they’re bed-ridden, in fact they’re healthy - but they need assistance in other ways). So….yikes! When *do* I get to procrastinate? I guess when I find myself wanting to procrastinate, I read.

-Nicole

I’m with Nicole on this. I spend my days with my three small children and a lot of the time I’m solving problems and having random objects thrown at me. I have to make time to write but like with most things scarcity raises value. But when I can’t write and I have time I draw or paint or cut designs into thick paper — anything to engage that chattering part of my brain.

lirone — you make an excellent point that the poll may make most “sense” for those who have, or attempt to have, a regular (maybe daily) writing practice. although i know plenty of people who promise themselves they’ll sit down and write (even if it’s irregularly) and then other things come up — and not Real Life Obligations like what you mention (jobs and family) but genuine self-inflicted distractions.
christine — that’s really interesting. how the importance we attach to our words influences where we place getting to them on our “to do” lists. hmmm. it’s a factor for sure. for me, even when i accept that my words are very important, even when i have something to say, i can convince myself to put it off. i wonder why that is …

nicole and nathan — ahh! i understand! i also have three kids and a sick parent and lots of demands on my time. sometimes i have to fight for time to write also. i think what i’m talking about here is when you actually find that time, do you always always always sit and write the entire time? or do you wander? sometimes when i get time to write, i just can’t. or don’t. for whatever reason. writing is a carrot on a stick for me to eek out free time and then when the free time arrives, i sometimes fill it with other things. bad writer. bad writer!

It’s funny, but i JUST wrote about this on my blog. I haven’t been on here in 2 weeks and I’ve felt guilty the whole time. It’s always ‘on my mind’ but I just never seem to ‘get to it’.

Aside from my recent blog entry, http://moodsandmetaphors.blogspot.com/2008/06/back-almost.html

I do things like doodle…oh, I’m really a good doodler, if anyone out there is looking for one? And reading other blogs…oh my…I spend way too much time on that pursuit. I rationalize that it helps me to ‘think’ and to ‘get ideas’ and turn things over in my mind…

Anyway, I hope to do better in the future with writing poetry, but honestly, I am TRULY finding too many distractions!

My brother-in-law asked me to write the lyrics to a song for my mom’s birthday last winter and he’d do the music for it. I put that damn thing on hold for quite a few days. Maybe because I’m not that great at rhyming or maybe because it wasn’t my idea in the first place, I don’t know, but, boy, I had a hard time gtting into it.

If I “have” to write something, I procrastinate (and feel guilty as hell the whole time!).

If there is no pressure, the words flow!

The problem solver for me - I carry a small notebook wherever I go. It fits into a purse or pocket and is great when I get sudden blasts of inspiration, whether whole poems or scraps.

Usually I rework this material at night after dinner or on the weekends.

-Nicole

yeppers, i’ll take it straight thank you very much.. nothing like a smooth whiskey to sip the day’s dust away… hey, don’t have it with my morning coffee okay.. it’s not so much procrastinating as it is the stress of life that hinders the writing… too much thought abt this and that.. leaves no room for the creation of words… now that, that is frustrating… waiting patiently to smooth out the wrinkles, calm the waters and stretch the creation… then thrz work… if too busy writing is on the back burner… thanks for the opportunity to consider and post…

I try to use all the spare time I get for writing. Sure, everything is rough, but I guess it’s better than not having words down.

Plus, the one person I write for told me today that I write really good stuff all the time, and that’s the most amazing compliment I’ve ever got.

I don’t know if it’s procrastinating, but I always desire a hot bath before I write.

I so agree with what Carolee said earlier in this comment thread about refueling. Sometimes the best thing I can do, I’ve found, is walk away from my desk for a while… and I’m a big believer in the important work that’s happening all the time, far from notebooks or keyboards.

That said, it can be tricky some days to tell refueling from slacking. The computer is a huge distraction–email, Flickring, checking out the various sites I check out from time to time, reading scathing reviews of very bad films on rottentomatoes.com, adding books to my request queue on the library website, googling random things that spring to mind, browsing Lostpedia. There’s the occasional “I can’t think properly until the dishes are washed / this room is straightened up / that laundry is folded.” And then of course there’s HGTV, which is like a crack pipe to me.

I have to say I get a lot out of this process - the poll and call & response. I wondered about how others would answer it, saw it change - a little - over the last week, and have drawn a lot of inspiration from everyone’s thoughts.

I think browsing the internet is my biggest procrastination-device. I realize sometimes I am surfing just like my husband does with the TV remote, scanning for something that stimulates me. I often check fellow bloggers sites, but if I’m in one of those grey-states I don’t comment.

It’s a matter of intention. I should probably learn to free write and journal…but strange as it seems, I’ve never been very good at that. Perhaps because I think of myself as a visual artist first (although I don’t do it too much these days) then a musician (same thing) I think I want something kinetic to do when my mind is wandering. It would probably be a good time - for both my body & mind - to go for a walk and think instead of surfing.

I always learn about myself when I take the time to think about these questions. Thanks Carolee and everyone!

Here’s the final tally before the new poll goes up:

When I’m struggling to write, I procrastinate by: (Check all that apply.)

Reading blogs (64%, 36 Votes)
Reading books/magazines (52%, 29 Votes)
Watching TV (39%, 22 Votes)
Eating (39%, 22 Votes)
Organizing something, anything (34%, 19 Votes)
Socializing (including email, phone, and in-person) (32%, 18 Votes)
Cleaning the house (30%, 17 Votes)
Doodling (25%, 14 Votes)
Other (21%, 12 Votes)
Working (20%, 11 Votes)
Running errands (18%, 10 Votes)
Going for a walk (16%, 9 Votes)
Doing some intense exercise (9%, 5 Votes)
Balancing my checkbook (5%, 3 Votes)
I don’t procrastinate (5%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 56