Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Productive Procrastination



I have a strange habit of starting unnecessary projects right before a trip.

Something about the loathsome task of packing creates an uncontrollable urge to clean out closets or wax my upper lip. Thirty-six hours before vacation, I feel strangely justified in completing projects I could have done months ago.

This irrational and familiar pre-trip pattern annoys my husband to no end as he patiently asks:

Are you packing or organizing?

What does the label maker have to do with our trip?

Why are you painting the trim?

The simple answer is, I don't know. Also? Why am I most productive when it's most inconvenient? Why do the urges never visit first thing on a Monday morning of any given week?

Maybe the solution is to stay in a perpetual state of travel until my house is the way I want it. Travel. Unpack. Get ready for another trip. Clean out the garage the night before. Repeat.

If I could bottle productive procrastination, I would be rich.

Does anyone else have this bizarre disorder?

9 comments:

  1. yes, i too have this disorder...however, mine kicks in daily around dinner and bath time. this is my favorite time to do yard work! my husband is not thrilled with this, either!

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  2. You too?

    I've always figured that I actually work best under pressure, but not under contrived pressure--it has to be the real thing, a real deadline looming, for it to have its power. To be honest, a few blog parties have wielded this same influence on me: sort of a "I've got to get this done so that I can participate in ________ party" kind of feeling. Has to be a pretty important party to have the same sort of oomph as an impending trip, though.

    Interesting, interesting. Because I hate (and I do mean HATE) for someone else to put pressure on me. Hmmmm.

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  3. I'm with you. I of course start projects right before we have guests coming over. It's a whirlwind mess, but perfect timing to get the house how I want it.

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  4. I do the same thing. Unfortunately, this summer has been the pack, travel, unpack routine for us and I still don't have my house the way I want it or my projects completed.

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  5. YEs! One day, right before a scheduled baby shower at my house, I decided to paint my bathroom. Halfway through, everyone got the stomach flu. It took me three more months to spend the 45 minutes it would take to finish the paint job. Why did I finish? Guests were scheduled to arrive.
    SO.
    Let's not even talk about trips. I end up procrastinating, packing at the last second and spending my day reading or um...doing nothing.
    I have problems. I am SO glad I'm not alone, and I am SO glad you seem pretty normal. It gives me hope.

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  6. Yep - I've got it. I thought I was the only one! ;)

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  7. I fell victim to this tonight. My sister's bridal shower is tomorrow and I decided to do laundry, the dishes, go thru paperwork and I had a million things to do for the shower

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  8. i'm thinking of sewing a skirt or cleaning out my closet. tomorrow danny and i leave for a mini-trip. i would be outside baking in the sun, reading a book, but, alas, it is gloomy and dark today.

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  9. Sounds like you need to pack for JAX.
    Julie
    www.homeschoolblogger.com/juliestew

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