My Pesky Patterns of Procrastination
Here’s a fun fact: our brains are built to recognize and pursue patterns. The temporal lobe is to blame for a lot of these tendencies. It’s also the part of our wonderful minds that makes random things look like faces.
Why do I bring this up? Well, I’ve come across a bit of a problem recently, and while I’m not a fan of blame-shifting, I think it’s safe to say that those pesky patterns have something to do with it.
I recently moved away from my parents to a nearby apartment with a family friend. While I’m happy I did, I made a mistake. See, I had some difficulties with my internet provider, and I had two weeks where I didn’t have any connection to the world wide web, outside of my phone. That meant I really couldn’t do many productive things. Actually, let’s be honest, I COULD be productive, but that would require extra work, and I just simply chose not to bother. BIG MISTAKE.
I spent the entirety of those two weeks doing nothing valuable long-term. I just worked, went home, and played around on my phone. I love YouTube, and I’ll often fall down several-hour rabbit holes, and stay up way too late learning how Mort from the Madagascar franchise is an ancient, eldritch demon. Seriously. Again, this was a HUGE MISTAKE, and I’m now reaping the consequences of my actions. What’s so bad about a short, two-week break from life?
I hate to say it, but I created a mental and physical pattern. All it took was fourteen days. And now, I’m having a hell of a time trying to escape its grasp.
For the past month, I’ve been procrastinating harder than I think I ever have in past. It’s bad, shockingly bad. See, I’ve discovered that once you get into a habit of doing something, it becomes REALLY HARD to break away from it. Even just a couple of days ago I was beginning to panic. I was never going to escape. Or so I thought.
The truth is, I realized that if I didn’t start writing now, I might NEVER start.
I had a choice to make. Do I stay in mediocrity, or do I grit my teeth and begin the road back to productivity?
I pose that same question to all of you who may find yourselves in a similar boat. Are you going to allow that slippery slope of laziness to drag you away from your goals, or are you going to fight for what you know is worthwhile?
I’ve chosen the latter, and I hope you all do the same.
It’s been a while friends, but just as always, choose joy.
