I think I’ve finally defined the source of my troubles.
“Procrastination: When the task at hand is not as interesting as all the other things I could be doing.” – Bridget Higginbotham
Basically, I get distracted. I lose focus, my mind wanders. I don’t so much “put-off” as “take-on other things.”
I find that this is certainly the case when I work from home. At my internships when I worked in an office, I was a storm of productivity. But at home, I see a little mess and I think, “I’ll mop the floors, clean the bathrooms, straighten my desk, then work.” And there’s that kitchen full of food, beckoning me to munch and sip my way to being unproductive.
Technology is also a huge temptation when I’m working at home. I wouldn’t turn on the television, play games on my phone or leisurely browse Facebook, Twitter or a plethora of other websites if I were in an office.
And then there’s the people: Banks, pharmacies, charities, etc. that make me go racing to answer the house phone. The friends who send random text messages. Family members walking, talking, cooking and watching television with earshot of my desk. The dog who expresses the need to go outside or have his belly rubbed.
But I’d say the biggest distraction I find when working at home is my own to-do list. I love lists and am constantly writing down craft projects to do, things to clean, necessities to buy and tasks to accomplish.
- My unsuccessful attempt to schedule my time and tasks. Circa early August.
Because I recently accepted a volunteer position and will be moving to Washington DC in a few weeks, my to-do lists have exploded. Yet the very projects and obligations I have to complete before I move seem less intriguing than the packing and prepping for the next stage of my life.
I’m proud to say that today I did get several hours of work done on my freelance article. Granted, I wasted half the day before I could finally focus, but the writing I did eventually do was great. Hopefully tomorrow I can get even more work done, and the next day even more. It’s all about the discipline… and having a deadline certainly helps.
So what about you, my friends? How do you find yourself procrastinating and how do you handle it?
Vingtaine 