If you’re avoiding doing something and you have been for the last two weeks and 7 hours and that thing has to be done by 3am EST which is about 8 hours away and if you actually just DID said thing it would take you about 90 minutes…but you don’t want to. So you don’t. If you’re in that situation you’re clearly procrastinating. The things that you do in that space of time do you say that’s what you do TO procrastinate or is that what you do WHILE you procrastinate?

Either way, let’s take a look at the ways that I have taken my procrastination to a new level:

1. Re-write the list of things to do- this is really easing into the procrastination…..it’s on the outer edge it may not even be procrastination yet. You may just enjoy doing it.
2. Reading every post in your blog reader
3. Going back to posts that you’ve starred to re-read or to really read when you were just trying to get through your blog reader
4. Clean out Inbox
5. Clean out your Deleted Items folder
6. Organize your folders
7. Archive
8. Evaluate if your list should be on one list – or maybe you should use some of your NEW post-it note index cards (because the Sheer ones were literally NO where to be found) to separate the lists into more functional groupings.
9. Figure out if you can ask a vendor that works with you ALL the time that happens to be IN Canada if she’s seen the Sheer Post-its and if she would mind picking you up a few cases and shipping them over to the state side of life.
10. Decide that’s probably a bit much to ask and then start to think about the handful of people that read my blog that LIVE in Canada and see if I could put such a task on one of them.
11. Think about what to have for dinner. Nothing is low sodium that I want.
12. Think about what you’ll say to the nurse tomorrow morning when you get on the scale – does it sound better to say “I had Chinese food last night so I’m sure it’s a lot of water weight” or “Maybe the Chinese food last night wasn’t such a good idea.” or “HOW did THAT number GET THERE?!?!!” I think I’m going to go with that last one and I’m going to act REALLY surprised and outraged at the NERVE of her scale.
13. Decide that the list really should be multiple lists.
14. Sort the recycling
15. Wash the down comforters
16. Take the laundry directly out of the dryer when the buzzer beeps, fold the laundry and then put it away….all in a row. This is NEVER been done at my house before.
17. While putting the toilet paper away realize that it would be more efficient if you stored it outside of it’s container so you’re not wrestling with it with your pants down because your husband is not capable of changing the toilet paper…not sure the exact reason but he just can. not. do. it.
18. Empty the De-humidifer from the basement – decide to fill up the watering cans with this water to water the plants on the deck and around the house.
19. Break down the boxes that are in the hallway and take them out to the recycling bin.
20. Empty all the garbage cans in the house and then decide the vacuum cleaner bag probably needs to be changed. Do all of that and then take the garbage out.
21. Wash the top of the washing machine and dryer.
22. Feed the cats.
23. Write a few thank you notes.
24. Go on the USPS website to see if there are prettier stamps you could use.
25. Order your Chinese food and realize that the delivery will take 45 minutes and it makes NO sense to start working on the project before dinner – I should wait until after I eat dinner for sure.
26. Consider renting a movie ondemand to have on the background while doing the project…that would make it better….or would that take away my focus. Hmmmm.
27. Remember that you had bought white spray paint so that you could re-paint that heating vent in the bathroom that’s a little rusty – get all the stuff out for this so the FH can do it for you when he gets back on Friday.
28. Plan what you’re going to wear tomorrow while fretting that you HAVE to get this project DONE and that you’ll have to wake up early to shower tomorrow before the doctor and do your hair too so really you should start work on the project NOW and try to get 1/2 done before your dinner.
29. Decide to write a blog post about your procrastination.
30. Think about what you’re going to do with the weekend it’s Thursday already tomorrow so you’ve really been way to relaxed about not making ANY plans for the WHOLE weekend.
31. Remember to add pedicure and the like to the list because the shower is a week from Friday.
32. Look back at your list and see that you’ve forgotten to mention that you also emptied the dishwasher
33. And then reorganized the silverware drawer because it was ALL wrong.
34. I ALMOST forgot the blackout liner for Pocklock tomorrow – thank goodness I took a few minutes to review my lists to see what I needed to bring down with me tomorrow for the Doctors.
35. IM with Pocklock some more and realize that with less then 40 minutes until dinner is coming you couldn’t possibly start working. It would be awful to get going and then just get interrupted.
36. Look out window to see an adult walking something on a leash. Realize that something is actually a child…..how do I feel about this? I think about this for a while.
37. I turn my attention to the list that indicates what exactly needs to be done by 3am
38. I open the web browser to think about starting this work.
39. I think about ways to get an extension.
40. I think of GOOD reasons to NEED an extension.
41. I come up with nothing.

I’ll let you know how it goes.