Productive Procrastination

It’s been pretty tough to stay focused enough to even write this blog post.

I know I’m not alone in that. We’re all having weird dreams that throw off our sleep, eating piles of sugar and flour that end up throwing off our endocrine systems, and perhaps drinking a little too much?

But that’s okay, right? We’re suddenly forced to interrogate all these systems that held our lives in place and noticing that, hmmm, they may require some maintenance. These were systems propped up by schedules and processes that were a given, and now they’re not. Or at least they’ve changed.

I feel like a kid who stayed home from school, faking an illness: I get to dig into any snack I can devise, watch all the TV I was never allowed to, and stay in my pajamas all day. Except now I’m an adult, so I can also have a beer at 2:30. And making sure I don’t do those things? Well that’s a job in and of itself!

We’re suddenly forced to interrogate all these systems that held our lives in place and noticing that, hmmm, they may require some maintenance.

A quote has been echoing around the internet since social distancing sent us all home to work: “You’re not ‘working from home.’ You’re at home, during a pandemic, trying to work.” Its attribution is up in the air, but it has been very meaningful to me on the days, like today, when I’m trying to get things done, be them for work or life, and just can’t quite get there.

So, with my focus divided amongst perhaps 4,297 things, here are some of the things I’ve been doing when my brain isn’t cooperating:

1. Take the dog for a walk (dog not required, but mine complains when I leave them home).
2. Check on houseplants – does anyone need water? (if you need houseplants, I have cuttings; hit me up in the comments!)
3. Drink water. Then drink more. NEVER STOP DRINKING THE WATER.
4. IM or text a buddy (it’s usually our Director of Business Development, Brett Thacher, and it’s usually to send him a meme).
5. Donate money, because I’m lucky enough to still have an income. Here are the places I’ve been giving.
6. Read a chapter in one of the four books I’m currently reading (eternally true); it will remind you how necessary art is and also immerse your brain for a few minutes.

What are your ways of redirecting your mind when it gets overwhelmed? Happy (productive) procrastinating!

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