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Hello, practice puppies!
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We took an (unintentional) break from the newsletter last month. We tried to write, but nothing came to us! We ended up putting it off again and again and again.
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To my procrastinators: I see you and I love you. You're a brilliant, creative babe with tons of potential. You probably have an amazing idea brewing in the back of your mind right now! All you need is to get your to-do list organized and take the first step...so why haven't you?
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Real talk: You're not "lazy", or "disorganized". You don't "lack discipline". You're just out here surviving in a productivity-obsessed grind culture and you need a freaking break.
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Me trying to work when I'm exhausted and getting nothing done.
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I'll speak from my own experience. I'm more likely to procrastinate when I'm stressed.
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In grad school, I worked a lot of 12-hour days: teaching classes, meeting with faculty, seminars, studio work, studio visits, and grueling critiques. As soon as I could catch a break, I took it. Even if it was a distraction. Even if it was scrolling. Even if it meant putting off the additional reading/writing/administrative work I was expected to do.
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Of course, this meant I was scrambling to make up that work later. And getting even further behind...
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Me realizing I'm exhausted and actually can't get it anything done.
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But I wasn't unfocused or mismanaging my time. The real problem is that I was expected to do more than humanly possible—without any breaks for recovery or reflection—which was burning me out.
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My procrastination was a survival strategy. I was doing my best to give myself a break. Needing a break isn't bad, it's just human.
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Here's a different approach: What if you trusted your urge to procrastinate? What if your procrastination is actually a sign that you need some serious nourishment before you do any more work?
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Practice Doing Nothing:
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Get nothing done on purpose.
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Rather than getting nothing done in a distraction-spiral or a doom-scroll, put some deliberate "nothing" time in your schedule. Actual nothing: no phone, no computer, no fidget-spinner. Nada. Start with 10 minutes and see how it feels.
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Wishing you all some blissful unproductivity! We'll be back in 2 weeks (most likely).
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Until then, keep practicing!
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If you want more Practice Practice right now, visit the store to pick up our workbook!
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