There's No Substitute for Time

Almost a fortnight into the new year and new decade, and only now am I finally sitting here writing my first post. And on my list of reasons for why it has taken me until now, you will not find the words neglect, writer's block, or ennui. You will however, find the word procrastination.

As you've perused my blog, you may have noticed that I enjoy writing it. Not only to get my own thoughts and opinions in order, but also to spark yours. And it's a choice. Nobody tells me what to write or how and when to write it. So for this particular entry, being the first of the decade and all, I wanted to create an out-of-this-world reading experience. And thus, expectations were raised to a new level. However, given the way the human mind distorts time, I realize that if I just sit around waiting for divine inspiration to strike, there are chances we could be well into the next decade before I write my great masterpiece.

A couple weeks ago, I was surprised to learn that procrastination is not unique to work we wished did not exist, such as studying or responding to emails. Apparently, humans have a tendency to postpone enjoyment. And since there is no deadline for fun, it just never happens. It seems counter-intuitive, but you are your best case study. Think about how, time and again, you decide to stay in and "get all your work done" for that grand reward later. I do it all the time. But the truth is, the work never ends and you end up with the same amount of work as those who did get to have a little bit of fun. Or you might think back to the times you saved up gift cards so that you could buy that one "big" item or flight vouchers so that you could go somewhere paradisaical, only to find that when you finally got around to it, the offer had expired. We get sucked in by the ideal situation and block out everything else. The phenomenon is so widespread that there are therapeutic ways to deal.

When I was younger, I used to collect stickers. From scratch and sniff to velvet, window to bumper, I had them all. I kept them all in pristine condition on the wax paper, and, when it got even more serious, in sticker books (for the amateurs in the audience, these are the ones with glossy paper so that the stickers can be peeled off and reused). I used my stickers sparingly, such as in cards for special people. Even I don't know for what I was saving these stickers, but it was something big.

Now, my stickers are stored in a drawer under my bed, along with boxes of dried up Gelly Roll pens, which, obviously I rarely used in an effort to save ink. To be honest, I have no clue what to do with the stickers anymore, and the pens are well, completely useless. Sadly, I would have gotten so much pleasure out of using those stickers on my various crafts projects and those sparkly colored pens on my Oregon Trail homework assignments.

So, today, as I spend my time organizing my calendar with my class schedule and other commitments, I will also create deadlines for enjoyable things, especially as I begin my last semester as a college student. Here's to fun along the way, to resisting the temptation to procrastinate pleasure, to making any day a special occasion. Here's to 2010.