A Mrs. G. Social Inquiry
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 5:53PM Mrs. G. 
Usually when Mrs. G. says she's going to unplug from the internet it's because she has things to do which require concentration she's incapable of maintaining when so many social networking/surfing opportunities are at her fingertips.
Usually when Mrs. G. plugs back in before she should and against her better judgement it's because she is avoiding what she really needs to be doing.
How do you avoid procrastination?
p.s. One of the things Mrs. G. is doing during her break is Fall cleaning her house, rearranging furniture, hanging family photos and and arranging horn shaped baskets of motherfucking gourds. Would it be boring and lame to show you before and after photos of rooms when she is not known for her decorating skills. She's thinking it might be motivating...or another form of procrastination.
Reader Comments (44)
IT'S DECORATIVE GOURD SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS!!! So glad you reminded me of this.
I don't avoid procrastination so much as I panic at the last minute and rush to keep whatever I've ignored from crashing and burning.
I totally want to see photos. Post them immediately. I need to be distracted from the debate. <g>
I love before and afters – particularly when they involve horn shaped baskets of motherfucking gourds! Don't underestimate your decorating skills ... chances are, they're better than mine!
Before and after pictures would definitely NOT be boring. Those are my faves.
Oh lord! Please distract me from this boob that is trying mightily to convince the American middle class he suddenly cares about us and wants to lead us into the Promised Land wearing his magic underwear. He was a nightmare in Massachusetts (highest Sales tax), real estate market inflated, unemployment in double digits during his "governing", I could go on and on.
Bring me MF ing gourds or rooms of splendor, better than a fool anyday.
I avoid procrastination by taking a nap.
If you learn the secret to avoiding procrastination, please let me know.
I am getting really good at procrastination these days. I used to be a bit more inspired, but recently I am easily distracted from my "need to" tasks...I'm like those dogs in the movie "UP"...."squirrel!" (if you haven't seen it, every time they think they hear/see/smell a squirrel, they stop mid sentence and say "Squirrel!")
Before and After pics are fun!
Before and after photos are the best! None of us is a perfect decorator/arranger so we all can appreciate good seasonal efforts made by anyone. In fact, that might be an excellent motivator for any of us attempting most anything. Feedback is often gratifying after a strong effort.
I don't so much avoid procrastination as negotiate with it. I plan in advance when I'm going to do something, and remind myself enough so that when the time comes, it's just a natural thing to do. It doesn't always work, but it works better than anything else for me.
But when it comes to "decorating", all bets are off. I don't. I can barely be bothered to set out some Christmas stuff, and I LIKE my Christmas stuff. So you're a couple steps up on me already.
Is it inappropriate if I amend my earlier comment to include two quotes about procrastination?
1) "procrastination is like masturbation; they both feel good in the moment but in the end you realize you've just fucked yourself. "
And my personal motto: if you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute!!
Both of those sayings were submissions from someone for my high school's class motto.
I'm a planner and a goal-setter. However, I tend to procrastinate over things I don't feel confident about. That's when I sit down and set up a plan of action. I always feel better after I take that first step. Believe it or not, this is how I keep moving forward, wether I'm dealing with housework or a large work project.
By all means lets see before and after photos. They may give me some ideas.
Photos photos photos! Always good. Gourds and baskets!
Now, me? I have no gourds and baskets. I've even procrastinated at putting my furniture and books back into my living room after having our floors sanded a month ago.
I don't avoid procrastination; I just put it off until later.
You know we'd love it, Mrs. G. We generally love everything you do.
Reading blogs is a big procrastination tactic and also a big pleasure, but I really know I'm procrastinating (from anything except cleaning) when I start cleaning. I like a clean house, but I HATE to clean. Would love to see the gourds and any other decorating you're willing to share!
Tomorrow: the family room.
One of the worst things about no longer being in school is not having a clean house at the end of finals. Somehow cleaning was much more important/desirable/attractive when I was procrastinating the studying for finals thing. I also had to have very clean hair for finals. If I had 2 finals in one day, I washed my hair twice that day, unless the finals were back-to-back.
Photos, please! They just might inspire me to take down the spring/summer wreaths from the front doors (we have two.. I know it's weird... one is actually the kitchen door but
weI decorate both. Plus I am an expert procrastinator (I'm told it actually means I'm a perfectionist but I sort of doubt that).Cara and SC both made me chuckle.
Aunt Snow, I have no doubt that you and I could sit on your deck and drink wine while totally ignoring any mess around us. Someday, I look forward to such an event!
I am meant to be meeting a friend in exactly 10 mins and I haven't had a shower yet and am sitting in my dressing gown having checked all possible social media. Procrastination? I haz it nailed.
Four minutes. I really should go...
My only fail safe cure for procrastination is an unavoidable, unalterable, hugely significant motherf*cking deadline. Everything else is negotiable.
Pictures? Oh my yes!
sorry, I was putting off answering this while I figured out how to put off grocery shopping for another day or week.
We are now out of onions, celery, carrots, bananas, apples, meat, and soon out of beer.
This is one of those things I put off until we have no food left.
I can squeeze out another meal but Mark is looking wild eyed and thinks maybe he needs to go hunting.
The best way, learned from my Mama, is to help others, that way there is no time left to get my own stuff finished...
I am so busy, I have to do X for X they NEED me...
Cleaning- please, not unless I am having some fun at the end of it.
My friend and I stole an idea from a craft show that requires chrocheting, which I didn't know how to do. For Christmas, my SIL and I exchange gifts, rule is, they have to be handmade....so this scarf thingee looked awesome. My BFF said..."it's easy, I can teach you"....so crocheting I go. After plodding away, they didn't turn out so bad, now I've decided to make one for my DIL's birthday.....next week. So I'm trying to get that done during TV time, fall decorating (instead of gourds, I spraypainted those craft pumpkins and have artfully (hahahahaha) arranged them outside, cooki......SQUIRREL
I guess this will sound trite but
1a) start small - set an easy task you can accomplish, like dusting, or picking up all the crap on the floor
1b) set yourself a reward - after I clean the living room, I will go out for lunch/take a nap/goof off on FB
2) delegate to other members of the household, or at least enlist their help. This also helps keep you accountable.
3) outsource, especially things like cleaning. It is money well-spent in my experience, it frees you up to do work, and it forces you to pick up the house every 1-2 weeks.
I make lists. And on paper. Something about the satisfaction of crossing off the things that I've done works for me. I also try to do the worst job first thing in the morning - kind of 'eat that frog' approach.
I would love to see before and after pic's - we have lived in our new home for almost 2 years, and I have not hung one.single.picture on the wall to date. I feel ya sister. I love to look at decorating stuff, and the way things look when 'staged', but I am just not motivated enough to do it!! Maybe if you post your B&A's it will inspire me to get off my a$$!
The only way I avoid procrastination is when I have a ton of stuff to do. It's a _itch! I find I procrastinate only when I have too much free time. I don't think this is what you wanted to hear! ;-)
Pictures? Absolutely!
Bramble- That made me laugh out loud! Thats the perfect description of him! I think we just need to show America the magic underwear and no one will vote for him. We dont need that in the white house!
If it makes you (or any of us) feel better, I've had the gourds for a week. They're still sitting on a kitchen chair in the bag I brought them home in. Maybe this year I'll get them up on the mantel before they fade and start to go bad. Maybe.
I'm so glad to be surrounded by like-minded derfs. Gourds??!! I'm happy if I can get a few pumpkins carved ON Halloween day, and then I just turn them around so the uncarved side is showing thru Thanksgiving, if they last that long. And I still have my little artificial Christmas tree on the front porch. You know.. spring came, then summer.. and now I figure I'm ahead of the game because Christmas is coming. haha. Cara, never heard those sayings before, but they're going up on my board!
I've become a great procrastinator, so I need to come back and read everyone's responses to this.
Go forth and arrange the gourds.
Yes please. Would love to see pics. When you get around to it!! I tend to worry about whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing and put it off until the last minute, then I'm scrambling to get done. I always say I work better under pressure. I've noticed lately though that if I don't think about it and JUST DO IT, it's handled with less stress. Imagine that!
I think I handle procrastination by getting better at letting things go... If I take a big picture view of my life, vacuuming the living room doesn't seem so crucial, so it's ok to put off or not get around to... Most of the things I put off aren't so important. And then the things that I really *want* to do surface, and I don't feel inclined to put those off.
For the things which are not 'fun' but I 'have' to do, I figure out why they 'have' to be done, and the desired results make me *want* to complete the action. I may not feel like filling out the insurance paperwork, but I want that claims check, so that means I must want to make it happen... I may not want to clean/gourd the living room today, but I want to have people over in a clean/fun environment, so I *want* to make it happen.
I have to inspect my motivations pretty carefully on a regular basis (I used to be a massive procrastinator) to get past the procrastination, but that's what works for me. :)
Also, I don't do gourds after a very traumatic gourd-rotting incident years ago. Don't forget to *remove* the gourds, is what I'm sayin'.
Trash---A dressing gown? Sounds fancy. I don't even know what one is, but I can google it, right?
Later....
@knittergran don't get too excited. It is mahoosive, pink, fuzzy, 100% acrylic and been through the washing machine at least one time too many.
Procrastination? Let's see....I think I owe you a recipe.....
My motto of late, "I really should be practicing." And yet, things always seem to get done eventually.
I go in spurts of being extremely organized (I'm a planner) and not getting much of anything productive done so if you figure this one out, please let me know.
I seldom avoid procrastination...until it gets down to the wire and then I'm a whirlwind.
It's a skill...procrastination I mean. Don't we all dislike those people who've written their Christmas cards in October? Who does that?
It forces you to develop what I call....just in time management.
I don't tell people I'm a procrastinator (huge!HUGE!)....I tell them I work well under pressure:)
BTW: Mrs G, even if you're unplugged, PLEASE GOD PLEASE have a Full Confessional Friday. Please?
When there is something that I don't want to do, I end up getting so many bottom-of-the-barrel jobs done---it's crazy. Things that I have put off for months will get accomplished just so I don't have to do the one thing that I dread.
I think your decorating pics would be great fun...even if its a gourd strategically placed here and there.
Hey derfs, let's be a little more mature on the "magic underwear" comments. There is no reason to fear Mitt's underwear. I also wear magic underwear. It's really not that weird when you think about it. Lots of people wear religious symbols, jewelry and clothing. If you have a question about Mormonism, I would be glad to answer.
As far as the procrasinating question... I rarely procrastinate important things. Something in my personality, I guess. That, and I also find it terribly embarrassing to be unprepared. That's enough motivation for me.
Gourds, pictures and cleaning would probably fall into the unimportant (although fun) category for me. So Mrs. G, there's no need to feel guilty about a little decorating procrastination. Just enjoy!
I am ready to see photos. Maybe it will inspire me. I need some inspiration.
Thank you Jennie in NC. I know nothing of the undergarments, but some comments of late have been hurtful.
Yes, Jennie, I would have said something if I knew what they were. I like to keep this site free of bashing the religions and looks of everyone (famous or not). I'll keep an eye out for such comments.