Oct 17, 2018

Gardening as Procrastination - Annie West

If you're like me you probably know that procrastination can be hard to resist. For some reason I find it particularly difficult when I have lots of things I really, really need to do. When I'm feeling swamped I do get in and work hard, but I also find myself procrastinating over the tasks that are just a little bit more complex or take extra thought.

Take this week. I'm trying to finish the draft of a book. Trying, very slowly with lots of interruptions. In addition to that my to do list included:
writing a newsletter to send out tomorrow for the launch of my new book,
updating my website with review quotes for said book (still not done - baaad Annie),
writing this blog,
reading (and paying close attention to) a copy edited version of a book to be published next year and marking necessary changes,
completing detailed art fact sheets on the book I'm currently writing (including plot detail on how the book finishes when I don't know yet),
doing an online interview,
updating my bio,
investigating how to organise print copies of my self-published ebooks (and DOING it),
learning the behind-the-scenes of a new website which hopefully won't look different to you but is to me,
plotting my next book,
etc.

That's on the writing side. Let's not mention other things. I know you understand what it's like. We're all busy, right? There always seems to be so much to think about and plan and actually do.

I can report that I'm slowly getting through my list of jobs but along the way I've diverted for some serious procrastination. I give you exhibit A:


Spring is here and everything, especially the weeds, are growing well Chez West.
And exhibit B:


More proof of spring, this time in the form of orchids which came through my family from my Great Aunt Ethel. As an aside, I love being able to say that Auntie Ethel's orchids are flowering.

So, of course, when I started to feel snowed under by what I had to do over the weekend and into this week, I found myself away from the computer, contemplating exhibit C: a newly denuded and fertilised vege garden, just waiting for some plants.


Which meant I really did need to go to the market to get some seedlings. Did you know you can get black cherry tomatoes? I love cherry tomatoes, partly for the flavour and partly because they ripen quickly so I've a chance of getting to them before the birds and possums. So here is exhibit D, all ready for the vege garden.


But not wanting to stop there, I went for E - roses,


and E, pelargoniums to put in hanging pots.


The only difficulty is that, despite my hard work in between gardening procrastination my other deadlines became really urgent. So now I'm finishing my writing work and my exciting gardening projects will have to wait. Now I fear I might be accused of procrastinating over the gardening too! :)

What's your favourite form of procrastination? Or don't you delay? Do you get in straight away and finish all your tasks before you play?




14 comments:

  1. Hi Annie

    Oh I am terrible at putting things off until the very last minute and I normally read when there are things that need to be done, although I really need to finish packing today as we are off on our cruise tomorrow and it has to be done. I am sure all will work out and that garden looks lovely

    Have Fun

    Helen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helen, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one to delay. I don't usually wait till the last moment, but the lure of the 'other' can be so hard to resist at other times.

      Good luck with the packing. I hope you have the most wonderful time on your cruise.

      Delete
  2. I'm a huge procratinator, Annie. IN fact I'm doing it right now :-) But sometimes I think you have to embrace it, but know when its time to sit you ass down :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy, I know what you mean. Sometimes nothing will do but getting the work done. At other times...! :)

      Delete
  3. I am the queen of procrastination. My senior year of college we had to write a detailed case study for my nursing program. It was assigned in September, and due May 1st. The last week of April be as spring break, and I was a delegate to the National Student Nurse convention in Miami! My first flight and with our group of 45 soon to be nurses, we were ready for a lot of fun and fun between meetings! We got home late on the 29th, and I spent all day writing that paper....directly on to my typewriter (1978) from start to finish. I got a good grade, but I am sure it would have been better if I actually took those while six months to write it! I also spent the morning of my son's 2pm wedding running around, finishing taking up the straps on my dress, when I remembered I forgot to dye my hair. I had to be at the hotel at 11:45 to have my makeup and hair done....I made it just in time, although the color I had at home wasn't my usual dark brown, it had a burgundy tint because I grabbed the wrong box at the store. At least my dress was a dark aubergine, so it matched!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, wow, Laurie, that really is taking procrastination to a new level. I'm glad you managed to get a good grade for your final paper. I'd have been too nervous to leave it so late to write. Love the fact your hair matched your dress at your son's wedding. A lucky coincidence!

      Delete
  4. When I don't want to do something that has a deadline, it is amazing how many other things around the house I get done in the meantime. I tell myself that if I did the one thing that NEEDED to be done right away, I would never have gotten all the other things on my to-do list done! (Don't knock it until you've tried it, LOL!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great way of looking at it, Laney! :) Amazing how busy we can be when we're avoiding something else!

      Delete
  5. I like to garden sometimes when I'm procrastinating but The TV is the main problem.Gardening is the better option because it relaxes me and is doing something creative. Writing seems easier after a spell in the garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dora - I agree! Writing does seem so much easier after being in the garden. I wonder why? Far better for us than TV probably, though I enjoy watching something good too.

      Delete
  6. Your garden is going to look gorgeous, Annie! As I'm not a gardener, it holds no procrastination value for me at all. Mind you, give me a box set of an intriguing TV show, and I can be tempted away from the work in a flash. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, that might work too. It's just that when I work I look out on the garden and it draws me at this time of year. Love your faith in my gardening abilities! It will be interesting to see if the weeds thrive more than what I've planted.

      Delete
  7. With the exception of gardening, not my thing, I can use almost any activity as an excuse to avoid doing something tedious or tough. Usually reading, or spending way too much time on websites. I don't know how authors ever finish. Your to-do list made me tired ;-).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grandma Cootie, it makes me tired. So I'm still working and procrastinating... :) Strange how we put things off, but then, maybe it's that we need a rest sometimes.

      Delete