One Month Off

When I started writing this blog I never thought I would take a month off. After all, the point was to sharpen my writing skills and use it as a way to be more transparent to my friends and family. As a note, not writing doesn't help either of these things. Not writing causes my life to fade from view, at least for those not involved with me personally. Not writing means I sit I front of my iPad wondering what to write and when I finally start the words are like pouring cold syrup. At this point, if you ignore one post, I haven't written in two months. I never decided to take a month or two off, I just did.

The thing about this gap, these lost articles is the quiet way the moments slipped away. Yes, day by day I made my excuses, I looked at my work, my con planning, my schedule and told myself I would write tomorrow, or next Monday or just when I had time. It is a psychological game which allows me to never quit, never admit defeat, just push out when I'll actually do what in my mind I'm doing. If on September 25th you had told me I wouldn't be writing for two months, with the exceptions of one rogue article, I would have bucked, balked at the idea.

It is the power of procrastination, it lets you mentally say you do something, you don't actually prioritize doing. I workout everyday, just not today because I had to rush this morning, I'm cleaning out the garage, just not this week, because it is Thanksgiving.

This happened to me for two reasons that I can think of. First, I believed my own lines, my own thoughts I was doing something the evidence shows I was not. Secondly, I bought my own excuses, if I say I'm too busy I must be too busy. So what if I've completed a new game, been playing Minecraft and watched more than a few TV Shows, obviously, I'm too busy.

So, how will I battle this, how will I kill my ability to procrastinate? First, I will not just document what I am doing, but be honest with myself how long I have put something off. This requires some discipline, but a todo list with dates can help me do that. Don't push forward the dates on todo items, own the slipping dates. Secondly, I need a sounding board for my excuses. If I'm slipping on something important, I'll ask an accountability partner to challenge my excuses. Yes, this is annoying, but it is also motivational. You all can do this role, if you would like. If I'm not writing ask me why, don't go easy on me, don't let me make excuses.

On that note, I'll be back tomorrow.