045 - Procrastination V. Laziness

[captain_slinky]

I think I mistake my natural laziness for procrastination most of the time. Today, however, I am full-on PROCRASTINATING.

If I have a list of stuff to do, obligatory and desired tasks on the same list ("Do The Dishes" and "Read That Comic Book" given the same degree of urgency) and I instead choose to sit in my chair and scroll through Facebook? That's LAZINESS.

If I have a short list of things that has more desired tasks than obligatory ones, AND the desired tasks have a higher priority than the obligatory ones, BUT i choose to do any and all of the minor obligatory tasks first? That's PROCRASTINATION.

I should be making lamps for Oddmall. I have the time, I have the space, I have the desire, I have the need. Everything is PERFECT.

So far I have started cooking two meals (while it's still relatively cool in the morning because it will be hot tonight), updated my MyFitness app with current goals, re-cleaned the kitchen, cleared the table, took some pictures of stuff for my Instagram account, updated my calendar, verified the next few weeks of doctor's appointments and finished my cup of coffee because you can't be creative unless you've got your full cup of coffee in you right?

Oh, and I better update Livejournal, too...

Comments

[aurora77]

As I once said to somebody, "It's not procrastination unless you actually intend to do it." ("It" being the thing you're putting off.)

Motivation is a weird thing. I've learned to put all the stuff I need/intend to do on a list. I'll read through the list and determine which item feels like it's ready to be done. Note that I didn't say "which item is most important". It lets me work with myself and what I feel like doing. If I just can't concentrate on a certain type of task right now, it's not much use to force myself. At some point, I feel like doing each type of task. It's about working with my natural motivation. Putting things on the list also means I don't have to expend mental energy to remember them, so I'm less stressed about them and can put more focus on what I'm doing now.

I like to think of it as not exactly procrastinating, usually, just that my motivation is driving me to do something different. Laziness is a temporary lack of motivation that everybody experiences and it probably has a positive effect on our mental health when we don't fight it and let it happen occasionally. I like to think it's my brain saying, take a short break. A long-term lack of motivation is typically depression-related.

[captain-slinky.livejournal.com]

I like that! I'm gonna use it!