creative procrastinaor

Procrastinate.

That word is an everyday truth for me. Often, it is what keeps me spontaneous and it lets me play off of my spur-of-the-moment inspirations. Other times, it is responsible for my crashing to meet last-minute deadlines and it plagues my ability to stay on any sort of a schedule.

Anyway, for my birthday, Heather got me a planner that is entitled "Do it Later! A 2009 Planner (or Non-Planner) for the Creative Procrastinator." It's by Mark Asher, and I don't think I've met the guy but he must know who I am, because this planner was written for me.

It's just hilarious. And it's perfect for me and anyone out there who has a tendency to "put off and play with time."

Every week is accompanied by a quip of "Procrastinator Wisdom." Then beneath that there are 4 areas for you to list items that fall into any of these categories:

1. Things I have to do but that can wait a day, or two, or three...
2. Small things I have to do before I can do the big things I have to do
3. Things I absolutely have to do unless I absolutely don't want to do them
4. Things people have been bugging me to do for a really long time

There is also a "doodle block" for each week with a big rectangular space to draw whatever you want.

Then, of course there are spaces to write in your actual scheduled appointments and life meetings for each day of the week. At the end of every month, there are 2 pages designated to fun ideas and advice. Among these include "How to Survive a Deadly Boring Workday," "Play the People Watching Game," and "Quick Time Fillers," which give directions for each. At the end of this month, I also have this little piece of fun to keep me busy sometime:

"If you were a performer with one name (like Madonna, Sting, Bono), what would it be? (List 10 possibilities.) And then there are 10 lines for my possible choices.

So, thanks to Heather, if I am late to an appointment or forget I was supposed to give you a call, I am most likely scribbling away in this planner on my doodle square or trying to come up with 10 new names for myself.

I'm kidding... but really, this is a fun little planner and I laugh every time I look at it!

Today's Top Ten Tuesday will be the top 10 "Procrastinator Wisdom & Activity" pieces it sprinkles throughout the planner. Vote for your favorite.

1. How can I be a procrastinator if I always eat my chocolate right away?

2. WARNING: Finishing every item on your to-do list can cause boredom, disorientation, and emptiness.

3. A to-do item is nothing more than a suggested activity to be undertaken if desire meets opportunity.

4. Buy two bags of your favorite chips and count how many chips are in each bag.

5. A wise man said long ago: The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

6. From time to time, reflect on the things you could have done... then forget about them.

7. Overcoming procrastination is like overcoming ice cream. You can do it, but you'll regret it.

8. Paying your bills on time creates cash flow problems.

9. E-mail has become an indispensable form of communication. It is imperative that you check it every 5 minutes.

10. Separate your laundry into whites and dark. Then separate your darks into individual colors. Then separate your individual colors into regular, light, and dark.

So, this planner is quite possibly not the best medicine for my "put it off and do something else" tendencies, but you have to admit, it is quite humorous, and for those of you who fall into this category, it has some truth to it!

Enjoy.

Love you all.

T