PROCRASTINATION TOP TEN

 We’re all guilty of this. Aren’t we? There’s a fine line between taking a break and delaying work.  I’ve been thinking about my Top Ten Avoidance Techniques – and why.

1.       LAUNDRY: one of those unending tasks, how else did I end up with the nickname, Princess of the Laundry Basket? But the satisfaction in a temporarily empty bag once loaded into the machine and the on button pressed! My favourite part is hanging up washing to dry on a sunny day. Precise pegging to avoid creases (ironing is not on my Top Ten). Arranging it so my neighbours can’t see my smalls. Watching it dance gently in the breeze.

2.       WASHING UP: We don’t have a dishwasher so a quick put away and wash up of the latest meal’s dirty dishes gives me time to listen to Scala Radio and feel again the achievement of a job done. There’s a rhythm in this mundane task, a ritual almost. And I smile at family camping holiday memories.

3.       DRAWING LESSON: I’m following a book on learning to draw – all the techniques they never taught us in school art classes. I thought I was rubbish but this is teaching me that I just never learned how to do it. The absorption in drawing a chair or some flowerpots is surprising.

4.       POTTERY TECHNIQUES ON INSTAGRAM: I love these. I learned a bit of ceramics when I was training as an occupational therapist. These short films inspire and keep me going in between Pottery Throwdown series.

5.       ART TECHNIQUES ON INSTAGRAM: It’s similar to the pottery. But now I’ve realised I can draw, I’m starting to think what other techniques can I learn or play with? It’s all feeding my creativity, right? 

6.       GARDENING: I’m never happier than when pruning or planting something. Except perhaps when I sit back with a cool drink to enjoy the results.

7.       REPLENISHING BIRD FEEDERS: Water, peanuts, seed mix, mealworms (don’t worry, they’re dried) all need topping up regularly. Then there’s deciding what to order. As well as observing the birds when and noting which ones like what and where. Nondescript little dunnocks are ground feeders. Jackdaws are clumsy gymnasts for the peanuts. Blue tits show everyone how it’s done. I’ve rejoined the British Trust for Ornithology’s Garden Birdwatch scheme, recording species and numbers every week.

8.       FACEBOOK/TWITTER/INSTAGRAM: Here are the places I get lost, where time dissolves into nothingness far too easily. It’s important to stay in touch but…

9.       THE WINDOW: I’m blessed to live a beautiful place with a harbour view and a big sky where the weather puts on a show. In my previous home, it was a suburban garden with a Cypress tree taller than the house and squirrels free running on the pergola. Nature is a powerful distraction.

10.   OTHER PIECES OF WRITING: Today, I’m meant to be working on updating my website, editing a short story, and deciding if a Bible study I wrote can be turned into something more substantial. Instead, I’m writing this – while inspiration smiles at me.

That’s mine. What’s yours?

Liz Manning lives in Cornwall and is doing a Creative Writing MA at Plymouth University, where she’s exploring fiction, poetry, and dramatic writing possibilities. She’s currently on her dissertation, a hybrid and visual poetry collection called “These Three Remain”, which explores how faith, hope and love sustained her through difficult times.

She blogs regularly at https://thestufflifeismadeofblog.wordpress.com/