Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays: The Motivations, Cont.

I'm finally getting around to continuing my thoughts on the motivations behind anti-procrastinating, mostly because I realized one of my reasons yesterday while madly chore-ing around the house. I wanted Sunday to be a day of rest.

I didn't want any tasks hanging over my head that would distract me from relaxing or thoughts of "ack! I should be darning my socks!" while watching the next installment of the Hallmark-esque "Love Comes Softly" movie series (and boy howdy did I just do that. I'm going to have to watch some action movies when I'm done with this Hallmark/Lifetime stuff).

So now I can blissfully relax in the sunshine listening to Ella Fitzgerald with the Jack Russell while I pour my thoughts out to the interwebs. Only thing on the schedule this afternoon: sand volleyball with friends. My week usually starts better when I've had a weekend to both accomplish things and to relax and rest.

Sometimes we get so caught up in productivity that we forget to celebrate our productiveness by relaxing. Since productivity is often a stamp of "worth" in American culture, it's hard to admit enjoying time spent simply watching a movie or sitting outside with a cold beverage appreciating the breeze. Why would I take a day to rest? Why would I intentionally avoid certain types of commitments? Doesn't that signify a lack of commitment to excellence & a sign of laziness & dereliction?

No. I'm just a lot pickier in the activities I pursue, mainly so I can leave a time margin in my life. I don't want to waste my time on activities that aren't worth my time, just so I can have a calendar full of activities and brag about how busy I am. I don't want to wear my activities as a badge of honor. Perhaps my new love of uncomplicated has altered my perspectives in strange ways, but I inwardly cringe when I hear the line "I've been SOOO busy lately!!!" I'd rather be able to take care of the basics consistently (anti-procrastinating!) and be able to randomly enjoy extra activities purely for fun, and for now I'll only do extra activities that don't come with to-do lists, responsibilities or excessive time investments. This philosophy has been hard to implement, but I believe I have succeeded for the time being. However, I know that I will consistently need to fight to maintain margin in my life.

That being said, to prove my worth as a productive human being, yesterday I: vacuumed/detailed my roommate's car (Christmas present), swept out the garage (while sporting a bandit-style yellow bandanna & a man passing by with his walker gave me a strange look), recoiled the garden hose (almost had to write a FAIL blog about that), swept, vacuumed, dusted, changed sheets, did major laundry, washed out the dog crate, cleaned the shower & bathroom, walked the dog twice, visited a local lemonade stand, got my expenditure spreadsheet updated, clipped the dog's toenails, brushed the dog's teeth (with beef flavored toothpaste. yummy?), & much later got the name "Walter Cronkite" stuck in my head after a game of Mad Gab with friends.

So in a way, I anti-procrastinate so I can relax.