Procrastination

Oops… It’s been a while since I wrote anything.

About twenty drafts are sitting quietly, waiting for me to show up and release them from storage. It feels as though their time hasn’t come yet. Still, I thought I could at least push one simple blog — just to say I’m coming back to writing, and maybe that small step will help me begin again.

So what really happened?

Did my writing brain go on vacation?
Did I become lazy?
Did I lose interest in writing?

None of these feels true.

One day, my daughter asked me a playful question: “What is the most populous nation?” I knew it was a trick. After thinking for a moment, I realized I’m already part of it — the grand nation called Procrasti-Nation!

Ideas were never missing. My mind was full of topics, reflections, and little stories waiting to be shared. Yet, day after day, nothing made it to the page. By evening, I would feel as though I had done many things — but not the one thing I truly wanted to do.

And the longer you stay away from writing, the stronger the resistance becomes.

Work, chores, gardening, walking, and reading — all good things filled my days. “No time to write,” I told myself. But honestly… how is that even possible?

While reflecting on this, I came across an interview with Rory Vaden about procrastination. It felt strangely personal. I began to recognize the clever disguises my procrastination had been wearing — not laziness, but creative avoidance, distraction, and priority dilution.

Creative avoidance means keeping yourself busy with meaningful-looking tasks so you feel productive. I realized I had mastered this art. Reading felt necessary. Organizing felt useful. Completing small chores gave a sense of accomplishment. Yet writing quietly stayed at the bottom of the list.

Distractions pulled my attention in different directions. A little bit of this, a little bit of that — enough activity to feel busy, but not enough focus to complete something fulfilling. By night, I would feel tired but oddly unsatisfied.

And then there is priority dilution — when urgent but less important tasks quietly take over the day, leaving little space for what truly matters. It doesn’t come from laziness; it comes from scattered priorities.

I think most of us experience these forms of procrastination in different ways. Some more, some less. Maybe only robots can execute tasks without inner debates, doubts, or resistance.

People say, “Just do it.” And yes, that works sometimes — especially when distractions or creative avoidance are in play. But when priorities feel blurred, even motivation struggles to find direction.

Being an ordinary human, I get carried away too. I’m trying to reduce these patterns — not to become perfectly productive, but to find my own rhythm again. I’m not trying to match anyone else’s pace. I’m simply learning to show up when I can.

So here I am, publishing this small blog today, without waiting for the perfect idea or the perfect draft.

Maybe this is just the beginning of opening those twenty waiting drafts… one by one.

And tell me — which type of procrastination do you recognize in yourself?
The classic version… or one of these sophisticated disguises?

— Anitha KC

Images: Google images