Summertime and the Productivity is Not Easy
by Cindy Layton
I just wanna play.
Why is that so bad?
My inner critic says I’ve got query letters to send and editing to finish. Besides, I’m itching to write something fresh and new.
A lot of what I’m tackling is avoidance. Queries and editing are drudgery compared to sunny days on the deck. The advice runs the gamut: I should use the Pomodoro Method, or redesign my office to enhance productivity, or just screw it – take the summer off.
Somewhere between nailing my butt to a newly purchased Herman Miller chair and lazing sleepily on the sands, there’s a realistic compromise.
Whatever those less-delightful tasks are, they don’t just go away, so most conventional advice won’t actually dispose of that deep-seated avoidance that has a death-grip on my mouse.
It isn’t a problem of laziness or warm weather calling. Avoidance is a state of mind that creates an emotional treadmill - it keeps me walking but I never get anywhere.
An analysis of this is broken down into three possible emotional roadblocks, as Paula Engebretson says in her podcast I’m Busy Being Awesome:
· Fear of Failure or Success: You might worry about not performing well, making mistakes, or being judged. Conversely, you might fear the increased responsibility or expectations that come with success.
· Boredom and Lack of Variety: Tasks that are monotonous and tedious can be paralyzing. Your brain might avoid boredom at all costs.
· Uncertainty and Paralysis: Not knowing where to start or how to approach a task can create a sense of paralysis. This ambiguity about steps involved can lead to procrastination.
Every one of these three factors resonates with me. I can redecorate my office, indulge in days off, force myself to focus for 25 minutes at a time, but in reality, until I can answer the question – am I scared? Bored? Uncertain? I’m going nowhere.
Maybe it’s all of the above. That’s not something Herman Miller can fix, despite claims to the contrary.
What Engebretson recommends is to then remember why you’re doing the task in the first place. And also know that we frequently overestimate how long a task will actually take. Breaking it into smaller segments helps and, yes, the Pomodoro Method is popular, but also, practicing self-compassion is called for (although it’s easy to go overboard with that).
These late-in-the-project tasks seem disconnected from the art of writing and the thrill I get when I figure out a scene or write a perfect sentence. It’s easy to lose sight of the whole picture – the why of doing the task. Distractions are powerful forces, but the momentum gained by reconnecting to the work can be powerful, too.
Focus on the why, and know that it won’t take long before it’s done. And sneak in a little time on the beach, too. Self-compassion, you know?
