Hi guys! Sorry, I realize this is very late. I don't have an excuse for this beyond the fact that I read the schedule wrong, thought mine was this week, and then forgot to do it until now. But better late than never, right?
The link that I found was The Procrastiwriter, a blog run by a woman named Shanan. The blog is written to help motivate writers to write and stop procrastinating. She writes most of the posts, but occasionally features guest posts. I connected with this blog because I am VERY bad about procrastinating. I realize that posting this a week late only emphasizes my point further. Enjoy!
http://www.theprocrastiwriter.com/
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThis blog rocks. I am the classic procrastinator: think about doing, do a monotonous task instead, take a nap, think about doing again, and then save it for tomorrow. This blog is unlike a lot of others I have read, not in structure, but in content. It doesn't feel self-righteous or glutenous; it feels useful to the masses. What I mean by that is writing is an art, and like most art forms, it is often self-indulgent. I have read blog after blog where the content is interesting but doesn't feel like it's meant for me. Instead, blogs often feel like someone is telling me about a dream they had. I wasn't there, they can't remember all the details, and quite frankly I don't care. This blog was cool and easy to relate to, but also motivating. The writing wasn't a lot to chew, but I got a lot out of it. I appreciate that.
I really liked this link because it comes FROM a person who is a procrastinator who's writing a blog; this is important to me because it gives her some credibility. As a student who has effectively MASTERED procrastinating, I think this site is excellent for helping with strategies and MOTIVATING rather than shaming or guilting people who aren't very prepared for deadlines. I think this is a very good resource for those who like to see that others share the same affliction (joke but not a joke) with procrastination. Personally, I've procrastinated so much myself that I CAN"T write without a deadline looming over my head to kick my butt into gear. My record (and it's sad that I'm proud of it) is a 10 page research paper over the connections between Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights that I typed in 2.5 hours and got an A-. This was a final paper that I hadn't started until the morning of the final. So, seeing this resource that acknowledges the seriousness and complexities of procrastination and how widespread it is is very important to me. *Note: I'm not yelling with the CAPS LOCK but using it in lieu of italics.
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ReplyDeleteWow. If this blog pays, Shanan has found her dream job.
ReplyDeleteLike most writers, Shanan is no stranger to the act of procrastination. She is such a procrastinator that she took it upon herself to create a blog with the purpose of writing about procrastination and motivating fellow writers away from the dreaded time killer. You could say that she is almost procrastinating by running a blog about procrastinating. Again, with that plaguing much of the writing community, Shanan has found her dream job if this blog pays.
Myself, I consider on par with Shanan regarding our levels of procrastination. Whenever a paper, homework assignment, etc. is assigned well in advance, I tell myself that I am going to get started on it early so I don't have an anxiety attack or mental breakdown when I realize the due date is only a few days away. Alas, without fail, I never get started early. Even if I do get started early, I get small increments done and figure that finishing that small increment is worth a reward. That reward being me taking a break from getting more done, and when I take that break I never go back, that is until the due date is the following day.
The hard truth about procrastination is that no matter how hard you try to fight it or curb it, it is almost possible to avoid. It is especially hard to avoid if you have 20 plus years of bad habits to break. I give cudos to Shanan (last name not given) though, for she is trying to help as many people who are willing to procrastinate more by reading her blog.