My Creative Process is Procrastination
I’ve heard that being a creative person and procrastination go hand in hand. Supposedly, procrastination can help fuel creativity. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that my creative process looks something like this:
It doesn’t matter how much time I have to do a project. I will always wait until the last possible nanosecond to get started on it. I have spent countless hours freaking out over finishing creative projects. I’m sure it’s not good for my health. In fact, the number of hours I’ve spent having these meltdowns will probably be deducted from my overall lifespan…
Guys, I just realized. I may not have much time left…
Nearly every single blog post I write for you happens this way: I have no idea wtf I’m going to write about, I wait until three days before it’s time to publish, and then I sit down to figure something out. The thing is, I always do! (Figure something out, I mean.) Other than my shortened lifespan, and the whole crying thing, there’s no incentive to change my creative process. It works. I have yet to fail.
And, my posts are freaking gold. Am I right? Of course, I am.
Why Do You Read My Blog?
I like to think these are the top three reasons you read my crappy blog:
- I’m so freaking funny
- I tell you the truth
- I do DIY stuff once in a while
So, when I write a post that’s got two out of three of those things, I like to think you’ll read it and enjoy it and not break up with me. (In case you’re not picking up what I’m putting down, you’re only getting two of those things this week. And please don’t break up with me.) Because, in the wise words of Meatloaf: two out of three ain’t bad.
Remember my post a few months back about how to clean? (Stop laughing. It was a good post.) Here’s the truth: my house doesn’t look like that anymore. It looks like this:
I’m not a good housekeeper as it is (although I really have been making my bed every single day), but these are extenuating circumstances. You see, my wedding is less than two months away!
(May 30, 2021, in case you’re reading this in the distant future.)
(And hey, what’s it like there, anyway? Do we have flying cars yet? A neck cream that works?)
A Perfect Example of My Creative Process
What’s happening now is a perfect example of my creative process. I got engaged on November 7, 2019. We booked our venue ten days later on November 17, 2019. This means I had (Psst! Did you know you can ask Google how many days are between two specific dates and it will tell you exactly? Yep.) 560 days to plan my wedding. 560 days! So, of course, I left everything for now.
I have 38 days left.
Consequently, every spare minute of my time is now being consumed by wedding projects. And so is my dining room table. (Being consumed, I mean.)
What, you don’t have Fancy Feast in your pile of wedding project stuff? That’s weird. (And yes, those are my Tool Cozies, still on the job, keeping my tools warm. Good eye!)
Projects, You Say?
Some of these projects may be of interest to you, but I don’t want to reveal them before my wedding happens. Like this one:
But other ones, I’ll be able to share with you ahead of time. Like this one:
And maybe this one:
Also, probably this one:
I’m going to make my own bouquet too (Guys, I have so freaking much to do!), so I thought I might write a post about that. I mean, flower arranging ain’t just for weddings…
I can teach you all about focal and filler and line flowers, oh my.
But not in this post. No, this post is just to let you know I am freaking busy, but I’m not going to forget about you guys. I’m going to make these projects as DIY focused as I can, to keep you interested, and then I’m going to share them with you. And you’re going to love them because they will be awesome.
Now, excuse me while I go cry work on my next project…
*sniff*
If you’re a procrastinator, like I am, you might enjoy this post about how my grandma spent over thirty years making the same afghan. (Procrastination is in my blood.)
You might also like this post about why procrastinators procrastinate on this other blog that I really enjoy, called “Wait, But Why?” The author is very smart and very funny. If you like me, you’ll like him. (No, he has no idea I’m linking to him. As far as bloggers go, he’s Keanu Reeves and I’m the person that greets you at Walmart.)
*This post contains affiliate links
20 Comments
Katherine Davies
I can actually feel your slight panic from here. Seeing how much you have left to do is giving me butterflies. But you always get it done, which I admire. It sounds as if it’s going to be a very pretty wedding. Thirty-seven days from now.
I would never break up with you because you make me laugh so much (and you are very clever and talented).
Now I need to go back and read that cleaning post which I somehow missed.
My Crappy House
My panic is palpable! I had a whole quarantined year to get all of this done and I did nothing! Even now, I should be working on a project and I’m sitting on the couch with Zero on my lap. It’s like I’m playing chicken with my deadline! Thanks for the faith and encouragement. And for never breaking up with me
Barbara Christianson
You are the kind of person who gets things done. It doesn’t matter if they get done well ahead or at the deadline. Try to not drive yourself crazy and get a friend or family member to help you execute your vision. It’s going to be lovely.
My Crappy House
Thank you for your confidence! You’re right! I WILL get all of this done! I don’t know how. I don’t know when. (Well, before May 30…) But I will!
Barbara H.
Oh yes, that is a very familiar timeline! Don’t have time this morning to follow the links at the end but I’ll come back later. I’ve stuck with you through thin (when posts were very rare and thin on the ground) and thick (love the recent weekly schedule). Don’t panic too much and remember that it’s the actual moments of the wedding that count. People will be there for YOU and really won’t care what the surroundings look like. Hah, easy for me to say, right? Stay steady, though, and remember what’s really important.
My Crappy House
I’m so happy to have long time readers who know me now. Thanks for sticking around through the years where three posts was a lot
I’m trying to keep everything in perspective, but our wedding theme is so cool, I just have so many ideas! I really want to make them all happen! And I’m really excited to share everything with you guys.
Victoria Tims
I don’t know if I ever realized that you got engaged on my anniversary!!!
I know you since we are 8 years old…I will follow you forever!
I can not wait to see pictures of your wedding!!!
XOXOXOX
My Crappy House
It’s a good date! Thanks for the lifetime of support
Margaret A. Johnson
I’m positive you’ll get done all that needs to get done to make your WEDDING DAY special. No doubt in my mind you’ll make it happen!!!!!
My Crappy House
You’re right. You know me. I’ll do it. But I will freak out the whole time. You know me…
Joan
While I’m not the worst procrastinator, I do have my days. Most of my days of not getting things are done are just due to bad weather to get anything done outside, or I’ve hurt myself sleeping and can’t move or hurt too much to even think about doing any projects. Fun times. Anyway, I have your Grandmother beat on taking forever on projects. in 1978, I was given a small Linus (of Peanuts fame) latch hook rug kit for Christmas. It’s 2/3rds done. That’s 43 years of an unfinished project! LOL Problem is, the shine of doing a latch hook rug wore off back in 1978 and only rarely do I ever think “Hey! Maybe I’ll try finishing that rug”. I’ll get it out and get about halfway through one line of the canvas when I remember “Egads, this is boring!” and I’ll put it away for another long length of time. I will force myself to finish that line, but that’s all the patience I seem to have for doing it now. And, being an adult (really? sure doesn’t seem like it — other than the ability to hurt myself doing nothing), I have so many other things I should be doing and could be doing, but am putting those off, as well!
My Crappy House
Wow! That is dedication! You’ve been working on it long enough for the younger adults to say they’ve never heard of Linus… And “what’s a latch hook kit?” Maybe it’ll come back in style like macrame!
Carol Studnicka
You, my dear are going to do well no matter what happens. It seems that the black hole of life never sucks you up because of your uniqueness!!! Steady as a rock but looming in the background is of course a deadline. You will find a way to make that deadline. It’s in you. I and all the others know this as well. So, good luck with your journey, and as always I’m in your corner, rooting for you!!! Until next time…..
My Crappy House
I swear, I must be doing something right over here to have such awesome people reading my blog and leaving me amazing comments like this. Thank you so much
Sandra
Ha, I was going to tell you that April Vicki can always leave the wedding planning to May Vicki, then checked your waitbutwhy link and recognized the guy from my favourite TED talk years ago. I have always been flubberghasted by how many productive hours I could squeeze out of the hour of dawn. Yes, very detrimental to health but also magical (kind of like Mary Poppins’ bag). You’ve got this and it’ll be beautiful. Do try to delegate if you can, though. And as for breaking up? Not possible, at this point you’re family.
My Crappy House
What a sweet comment! I love my blog family!
The Wait But Why guy is cool, right? The procrastination monkey is how I found him. I love his Ted Talk too! And the blog post he wrote about how he procrastinated the hell out of that Ted Talk on procrastination… Oh, the irony!
Frances
You’re clever! You’re smart! You’re funny! Break up with you? Nah. Not going to happen.
You’ll get all this wedding stuff done. That’s what last minutes are for, after all. I’m an old hand at last minute completions. There’s no second guessing yourself when it’s done at the eleventh hour.
My Crappy House
Hmm. Maybe that’s why I wait. I subconsciously (but not really sub…) know I suck at making decisions, so I procrastinate until there’s literally no time left and I have to just do it? You may be on to something here…
Thanks for not breaking up with me. You all are so nice to me.
Em
You’ve reached the big time, soul sister! (That means your post announcements go straight to my junk mail file, even though I look forward to them every week.)
I absolutely know all these feelings of which you speak, er, write…(especially the neck cream search). My best projects also happen at the last minute. And often are finished at 4am the day I need them. And I am completely shaking my arse to have progress to show for the last year…by Mother’s Day, when all the family will be here.
HOWEVER, I am super excited for all of the fun, inspo and LOVEliness that will come from your wedding.
(Now that you’ve established the Blogger Talent Heirarchy and you are my Keanu, I’ll sign off as your friend who removes gum from the cart wheels.)
My Crappy House
Wow! I’m so excited to be junk mail! (You’ll have to explain that one to me because it doesn’t sound as great as you’ve presented it…) I’m here writing to you at 12am, after having just finally finished tomorrow’s (er… today’s) blog post. Last minute, as per usual… This past week, many people have confessed that they, too, are world class procrastinators who do their best work under the gun. I guess I’m in good company!
You flatter me with your Keanu classification. I don’t think I’m there yet, but I definitely do aspire to Keanu status. I mean, blogger or not, I think we all should aspire to Keanu. I might put that on a t-shirt…