Saturday, 1 May 2021
Happy May day!
I enjoyed a quiet moment by the river this morning, soaking up the peacefulness and tranquility and would like to share that feeling with you in this video.
Procrastination
Procrastination was the topic of this month’s CreativeMornings Ottawa talk. Procrastination is something I have been very good at and, at the same time, something I’ve been trying to rid myself of. Heck, I even painted a painting a day for 365 days hoping it would end my habit of putting things off. But it didn’t.
During the event, we were launched into breakout groups within Zoom. Talk about a terrifying moment…not knowing who would be in the room…and, as always, it turned out fine. We chatted about what we’ve been procrastinating and it was nice to see others in similar situations. Once we were back in the main Zoom conference, the speaker explained what procrastination means, the misconceptions and ways to overcome.
I didn’t realize how impactful this talk was until I found myself faced with a task I’m not fond of – cleaning the cats’ litter – and was about to walk away from it, telling myself I’ll do it later. But I stopped and asked myself “why later? why not now? It will only take a few minutes and then it’s done and it won’t be weighing me down as something I should be doing.” So I did it, then moved on to something else. I felt like I had more time on my hands, having released that chore I usually put off. I felt light!
One thing I’ve been procrastinating for almost a year is the boat safety course and test. I signed up and paid for the course last year but kept putting it off. I had a year to take it and if I didn’t, then I would lose it. Time was a-ticking! I believe I kept putting it off because it meant a day indoors, glued to my computer, something I do five days a week for work and the last thing I want to be doing on my weekend. Every day a reminder would pop up on my computer and I would hit snooze…every day for almost a year!
Until today. The weather was cold, the ground soaking wet from yesterday’s rain, I’m still recovering from a sore back so gardening and yard work are off the table a little longer. It was a perfect day to take the course. And yet, I procrastinated by going for a walk, cleaning the litter, tidying up, making a big breakfast, doing the dishes… I laughed out loud when I realized what I was doing. I stopped procrastinating once again and finally sat down in front of the computer, logged in and took the course. And then I took the test and… I passed!
I was giddy to have that task finally accomplished. Giddy and light. It feels good!
Creativity is the calling of the soul 