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So many creatives find themselves procrastinating on things they want to do. We have all been there and it sucks.
First the most obvious- it does not help to berate yourself! It actually makes you feel bad and creates an internal friction that makes it harder and harder to get anything done. It saps energy. So when you start to hear the berating internal voices saying things like you are lazy and incompetent, it is a signal that you need to look at some questions: 1. Am I giving it the time that it needs? This is both the amount of time and a time of day where there is the energy and focus. If you are trying to get yourself to do it at a time of day when you are exhausted for example, your inner rebel will wake up to protect you. 2. Are you thinking of it as one BIG thing? If you break it into steps and focus on just the first thing, you will not feel as overwhelmed by it. 3. What is competing with it for time? There might be other priorities that you need to weigh. What is the most pressing thing that you want to attend to? Maybe it is OK to wait for this other thing to be complete. Or maybe you can have a more realistic understanding of how long it will take. 4. What is it about the thing that you are trying to do: Do you need more support, either co-working/accountability or to talk it through with someone? Do you need to do more research or learn some skill in order to move forward? Listen for the message that your resistance is trying to give you! You may need to think about what you can edit out of what you are doing with your time, or figure out a way to budget your time so that you can get the self-care, rest and nourishment you need in order to do the thing you want to do. Remember as you ask yourself these things to bring a sense of compassion. Say to yourself "OK, I am not bad, so what is it that I need in order to move forward?"
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 I dropped "Persephone's Dream: A Prayer for Peace" off at Parkhill Orchard the other day. What a pleasure! Russell met me and gave me a golf cart tour of the place, (including drive by berry sampling- Yumm! I'm going to the market today to get some of those berries!), and showed me where all the sites where new pieces are going to be installed- including my own. And then we looked at the stones he had to mount her on. She is going to look great. The picture here is trying out one of the the stones, but not in its real location. I have an admission to make. I have a history of having a fear of galleries- a fear of approaching them- like they are the big bad wolf for artists. I tell you this in the off chance that you know someone who has had a similar fear. Because it has become abundantly clear to me, with experiences like meeting Russell, that my fear was ill founded, and maybe yours, or your friend's is too. 
Ahh the holiday is over and my joints are creaky and achy again! This is not too surprising- I have not been able to avoid the candy dish and there is desert after every dinner. And wow the wonderful pancakes, bagels, homemade rolls, waffles, and cookies not to mention the extra coffee inserted in an effort to peel myself out of the over-eating stupor. Yup sugar, flour and caffeine are definitely taking a toll on my body again. The good news is that after trying to cut back on them for the months before the holiday and finding that indeed my joints were feeling better, I now have even stronger proof that those are the culprits. Ok and I admit that the lack of long walks might be a contributing factor as well.
So what to do? I could start harassing myself about it- and wake up my inner rebel who appears any time I give myself restrictions or rules. Does this sound familiar: My inner military officer commands, “no more sweet luscious delights- must get back in shape! Serious backsliding! Look at that scale- look at yourself- you are never going to fit any of your cloths again if you keep doing this.” And then my inner rebel says, “Get lost you hard-nosed bully – you can’t talk to me this way! I will eat what I want, I deserve the treats! I work hard- I am a mom, and I have a lot of responsibility- I need to have a little something just for me- a little pleasure in life!” I don’t know about you, but as soon as I begin a diet concept, and I have tried a few, I immediately have to eat more and worse. Some part of me cannot stand the feelings of restriction and control. |
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