Procrastination is so prevalent in my life, it no longer bothers me. It is like having a bad knee or shoulder that you must be careful of injuring. You just live with it. You manage your life around it. And carry on with what is essential, perhaps, while leaving so many unfinished tasks in your wake that you lose track.

But there is a cure. It was given to me as an aside when I asked a friend who was a successful writer what advice he would give me. “Set deadlines,” he said. Two words. Very powerful words it turns out because they work. This week got away from me, and no blog post raised its head above the several that are in an unfinished state on my computer. Then, just by chance, I found an old post where this advice was written down as a way to be a successful writer. But I have forgotten about it. Oh well.

Now, I am determined to find time today to write a finished post instead of fooling around with many differing subjects. Life is so interesting. There are so many things to write about. The morning mists, the way the sunrise layers light as it shines in my windows facing east, the warm snuggle of dogs in my bed, the knowledge that my youngest grandson is sleeping upstairs, the movie The Quiet Man (old-fashioned and dated, but so good!) which I watched last evening and on and on.

The desire to put it all down on paper or on my computer is irresistible. But time will not allow it and my fingers get tired. My dogs want to be let out. My grandson needs to be fed. The bed should be made and some laundry tossed in the machine. AND I must finish a blog post! Earlier in the summer, I made a plan to write two blog posts a week. It did not work out. I have not done it, and in fact, it may have been an impediment to writing even one per week. Was that biting off more than I can chew? I can easily write a fun little blog post in an hour if inspiration comes to me to talk about a particular subject. But my problem often stems from my voracious curiosity. In looking up a fact or date, or photo for something that is in progress on the computer, I find so many other fascinating things to learn about that I go off on a tangent of exploration. This often has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of my blog post.

Setting deadlines makes it impossible to keep going down the rabbit hole, or wherever it is that my mind is headed. I must turn back because time is limited. Sighing, I click off those extra tabs and get back to work. It is frustrating but getting the actual work done is so satisfying that it is worth it. Sometimes I feel it is a choice between being willing to learn about potentially unsettling but life-changing truths by taking the time to do the research or remaining content with ignorance. Ignorance is a choice I cannot make. I must be satisfied that there is no stone unturned before it is finished and published.

An effort is made to make my blogs varied. Subjects that may offend some people are interspersed with something amusing or interesting which carries no stigma of Red or Blue political leanings. Today is Sunday, and it is way late to be discussing what is most important. I know what is most important in my life. Most important is to be contented with what I have, nice to people I deal with, and full of gratitude to a Higher Power for my blessings.

The secret to being loved is to love. The secret to being interesting is to be interested. The secret to having a friend is to be a friend. The secret to a happy family is all of the above, with forgiveness and love in abundance.

And if you want unconditional love, I suggest getting a puppy.

Copyright©. 2022 Bonnie B. Matheson