"Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the "last minute" before the deadline." More on my thoughts on that mouthful below that meandering orange thing.
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I wrote this whole long thing on what an awful procrastinator I am, but then decided: whatever. It's all subjective. What's wrong with leaving something until later? Maybe it's not a time-sensitive task or maybe ideas need to percolate and it helps to switch your focus for awhile (true in my case when it comes to creative projects or problem solving). Who determines what's more urgent and what's more fun? One person's pleasure is another person's pain, so it's up to the individual to choose what to tackle first and what to put off to a better time (note the use of "a better time," instead of the vague and defeating term "later.")
Besides, priorities that really can't be avoided tend present themselves (like earning a living. That remains at the top of my to-do list most days, for better or worse--sometimes that includes some creativity, other times, it doesn't--at all).
I'm delving into this word because I tend to beat myself up with it. I think we all do. It's true that I could save myself some headaches and stress if I planned a little better or stayed on top of a few tasks, or stayed focused on one project at a time (my interests are many, so that's asking a lot), but the truth is, the sky hasn't fallen and the roof hasn't caved in because the laundry hasn't been folded, or the garden is full of weeds, or the quilt I'm working is still unfinished.
My quilt-in-progress (you're probably more interested in this than semantics) faces me every time I walk into the living room. I have accused myself of procrastinating on this project, but I've decided I'm simply working on it when I'm moved to, and the unavoidable priorities that I mentioned above have been taken care of.
This looks all tidy and tucked away, but it explodes easily. I usually have to pack it up in a hurry because there's a meal ready to be set on the table. If I'm really engaged in the project, I tell everyone to go eat somewhere else.
click on the photo to make an even bigger mess
I'm starting with 20-24 12" nine-patch squares to create a queen-sized quilt. I've manged to finish 16. I got bored with simple squares, so I started sewing strips and cutting those into squares.
Here's a close up look at one of the scrappy squares in the nine-patch:
If I'm frustrated with an idea or a project, for instance if the colors of my fabrics start to run together or look horrible in combination when they started out looking fine, I switch gears and go do something else. As I mentioned above, sometimes it helps to step away from something to distract yourself and let the problem-solving percolate in the back of your mind. Moving on to something else for awhile is
not procrastination.
By the way, sitting on the floor or at the table surrounded by fabric with a cup of coffee or glass of wine in hand instead of a pair of scissors or a cutting wheel is not procrastinating. It's part of the creative process, as is staring out the window or into the fire while you mentally sort through your colors and patterns. Feel free to tell people to be off and to leave you in peace.
P.S. Deadline pressure works wonders for me, so putting things off to the last minute isn't always procrastinating, but also part of the creative process.
So, what sort of quilting have you been up to or not up to lately? Share your projects and your creative process.
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