Writing is something I love doing. Unfortunately, sometimes the ideas are slow to come. You know, the point where you\’re not quite at writer\’s block but you\’re pretty stuck on where to take the story, article or blog post.
Of course, rather than press through this little setback, I tend to come up with a myriad of other things to do in order to avoid writing. Here are some examples (most of them actually came from the last couple of days):
Surf the internet. It is so easy to get lost on one of those endless strings of searches. You can start out looking for a pair of shoes and end up immersed in a search for the best Kimchi recipe or all the films Joan Fontaine was ever in.
Wash dishes. (I hate washing dishes so you know this is pretty extreme avoidance.)
Categorize my CD collection by genre.
Alphabetize my books.
Dance. Not a bad thing, certainly, and sometimes the extra oxygen to the brain helps!
Organize my e-mail inbox. (And actually read or unsubscribe from the ads.)
Re-vamp my Spotify playlists. That is serious business. What if I\’m not that into Rita Ora or ColdPlay this week?
Tirelessly investigate the etymology of a word. I tell myself this is research but it\’s actually avoidance… nothing I\’ve ever written was ever that high brow.
Read a book.
Watch foreign films. These things have subtitles therefore precluding any possibility of a new chapter or post because I have to read and watch. Brilliant avoidance tactic!
Give myself a manicure.
Dust the baseboards. It\’s amazing how dusty those things get when you have all the time in the world to notice!
Daydream.
Play computer Solitaire. The hours one can waste away with this one!
Organize the clothes in my closet.
Count the tiles in the kitchen. (70, if you want to know.)
Doodle.
Number the pages on a Word document. One would think this would help or even inspire to write. It usually doesn\’t but at least the pages are pre-numbered!
Dust in between the keys on my keyboard. Canned air, Q-Tip, Clorox Wipes… whatever it takes. However long it takes.
Write lists. Like this one!
What do you like to do when you procrastinate?
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