Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Oh, the joys of Procrastination!
Here it is, 6 days before Christmas, and I'm running around like the cliched chicken with its head cut off. I 'thought' I'd planned out all my gifts. I 'intended' to have all my cards made in October so I could leisurely address them and have them out in early December. I'd 'budgeted' my writing time in a way that I 'thought' would let me handle all of my deadlines with ease.
hahahahhahaha
Oooops.
I am scrambling to make last minute gifts, I've sent out my pitifully small cache of cards already and am trying to make them as I go now, and my writing deadlines? Shot to hell. Good thing they were self-imposed!! Some of my gifts will end up "New Years" treats, because there is simply no way I can complete them in time--especially not to have them shipped off by, um, yesterday. The stressy part of the self-imposed writing deadline is done, but its 3 weeks later than I'd intended. Now I have revisions to finish by mid-January for Risque Business, and am irritated with myself that I'll be working on them over the holidays.
I don't get it. I work so hard to be a planner. To be organized. I love spreadsheets and color-coding gets me excited. I worship Microsoft Outlook for its schedule, task list and the incredible way it interfaces with OneNote. And yet, I still procrastinate.
What does that make me? A Plancastinator?
I realized tonight, though, that the things that fell apart on me are the ones I had 'in my head' but not scheduled in Outlook. Without those annoying but necessary reminders popping up at me, I lose track of time. So my resolution for this next year (yup, starting already) is to schedule EVERYTHING!!! Including holiday preparation, gifts & projects to make (I'm thinking I should do my cards in April this next year... they'd get done that way), and ALL writing plans.
So - how about you? Are you a planner or a procrastinator? Or maybe a plancastinator?
Are you all done with your holiday preparation and cruising in relaxation mode? Or are you going nuts and jumping up and down trying to make the clock slow down?
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Speaking from one
Speaking from one plancastinator (what a great SF book title!) to another, sometimes we just have to do less. Less is more. That's your new mantra. Simplify.
I can organize to my heart's content, but it all falls apart pretty quickly. I think it's often due to me not purging enough. Also, around the holidays, I just try to tread water. I don't try to get ahead. I save that for the new year.
That doesn't mean that right now I'm not feeling totally worn out already and it isn't even Xmas yet. At this point, I just want to crawl into bed for a week.
All that being said, when are you going to share your color-coding secrets with the rest of us planners? :)
Less is More
Lovely mantra. I wouldn't follow it, seeing as I'm slightly obsessive and ambitious *g* but its a lovely mantra. LOLOL. Seriously, a simple holiday meal turns into a Martha Stewart reenactment around here. "Oh, the table looks nice, but maybe if I just scooted off and made custom name tag napkin holders it'd be better." (this would be 15 mins before the meal, of course). Perhaps therapy?
Kidding... I'm only half that bad. I do love the less is more approach and am really trying to streamline commitments and obligations. I even tried to streamline the holidays when I cancelled the cookie day, but then yesterday I felt so grinchy and non-Christmasy I started baking anyway. Of course, now I'm doing it alone instead of with 8 other people... not sure if thats better or not ;-)
Lisa, I'm so with you on the organizing thing though, its wonderful. But you're right, unless everything is on the list, the list makes no difference.
As for my color-coding secrets ;-) C'mere, I'll whisper them to you!
Singing my Song!
You're singing my song, Tawny!! I, too, thought I'd be well ahead of the holidays this year and I just can't believe they're already upon us. Then, to add more woe, my deadline has been moved up by three weeks and my manuscript is now due on 11 Jan 08 -- YIKES!!! So I've thrown out my to-do list (actually, I gave it to my husband, which just might be the equivalent of having thrown it away--only time will tell) and am going to be writing my little heart out over the holidays. Christmas cards in April?? Sounds good to me!
Holy Cow
OMG Karen!!! Hugs on the changed deadline. I'm wishing TONS of happy, productive writing energy for you!!!
I hope your husband surprises you and nails the list, and that the holidays are still bright and cheery :-)
I agree
Tawny, I agree with all you said. If it isn't written down I totally forget it. I've had the hubby yell "remember to get this, that, and the other thing" as I'm walking out the door. When I walk in the door he will ask "did you get it?" I'll say, "Was it on the list?" Well, then I didn't get it. when I make a to do list for the day I even put breaks in there. It reminds me to take them, and LOL it is another thing to cross off for the day. hahahahaha
Amanda Murphy w/a Jill James
http://www.jilljamesromance.com
You list breaks?
GO you, Jill!!
Even I'm not that organized ;-) Of course, that could be because I figure any break I take means three more things I won't get done LOL.
I'm giggling over hubby & his extras to the shopping trip. Mine? He'd text message them to me so they are in writing. He figures if its in writing, I'll actually remember it.
My Christmas shopping and
My Christmas shopping and decorating is finished. Most of the wrapping is finished.
I still have some cookies to bake.
GO Estella!
YAY for having all that done :-)
I was going to blow off the baking, but it just doesn't feel right. We do have a gingerbread house - a - thon happening on Friday, but I just make frosting and supervise. The girls love it though, so I definitely couldn't cancel that.
Right now I'm craving cranberry bread, so that might get made this week, too. What are your favorite holiday cookies to make?
A woman after my own heart...
Tawny, another plancastinator here, too... I had such grand plans ;) I don't tend to think through the timing very well, so today I have a huge stack of cards to be signed and addressed, a countertop covered with cookies to be bagged and tagged, and presents to be determined... Eeek! Maybe if I continue to avoid thinking too hard about it, they'll magically take care of themselves? (ah, a girl can dream...)
Anyway, Lisa's right--less is more!!
And happy writing, Karen! You can do it! :)
Ahhhh, the timing and those little elves
I think time is the key, Fedora. Like you say, grand plans are just... well, Grand :-) But if you're like me and figure you can do a 4 hour job in 2 (cough1cough), the timing just slides down the toilet, huh?
I think that realization, along with Lisa's Less Is More mantra, are going to be my salvation. What do you think? Does knowing the problem actually fix the problem?? LOLOL
I hope you get your cookies bagged and your cards out soon!!! Here's hoping for a little magic :-D
Well...
as they say, identifying the problem is just the first step, I think. If knowing the problem fixed it, my house would already be clean, there'd be no clutter in sight, and my cards would be out the door! ;)
Perhaps next year? (Maybe I need to add some of this to my new year's resolutions or something!)
Anyway, at least I've no truly grand plans--my inner Martha must have jumped ship years ago! ;)
Excellent point
You're right. If knowing equaled success, well, I'd be much richer, skinnier and my day would streamline without the crazy hitches it gets now LOL.
I had some problems to get into a christmas mood this year
I got all my gift very early, but somehow I wasn't in the mood for christmas, but that changed today somehow. No idea what happened, but suddenly I begun signing christmas carols.
You Better Watch Out...
I LOVE the holiday cartoons, so most of my caroling is kid-oriented, but we're doing the carols here too, Danny. I'm so glad the switch flipped for your Holiday Mood meter :-D Who knows, maybe baking will be next? Or creating a one-of-a-kind centerpiece out of cookies and ribbon? LOL, sorry, Martha Stewart attack again.
Me, too.
Hi, my name is Cathy and I am a Plancastinator.
(LOL - any guesses as to why I haven't been keeping up with the threads here?)
;-)
ROFL
Welcome, Cathy, to Plancastinators Twelve Step Program.
We'll have a fabulous list of coping strategies, organization tools and suggestions.
Um, I just haven't had time to write them yet.
;-)