A Field Guide to Our Unproductive Selves
Is it procrastination or something else?
People seem to get a perverse pleasure out of beating themselves up for “procrastinating.” But before you pull out your internal whip, take a moment to identify whether you really are procrastinating at all. Let’s identify the various species that can resemble this wretched sin so many of us feel guilty of.
Periods when we are not productive can take several forms and be caused by a variety of motivators, both positive and negative. And sometimes those times when we think we’re not getting much done are actually highly fruitful and important.
Sue’s definition of procrastination:
Compulsively postponing completion of a task to avoid an uncomfortable feeling.
The tell-tale signs are:
feeling equally uncomfortable about the avoiding
engaging instead in mindless, low-priority tasks
continually moving the item from one day’s to-do list to the next
Procrastination is sometimes confused with its healthier and more creative cousin, Incubation.
Incubation is when an idea isn’t clear to you yet, and your conscious and/or unconscious mind needs time to work on it.
Tell-tale signs of Incubation include:
following a period of activity during which you began to feel undecided or stuck
a sense of imminence that is exciting if you’re not self-flagellating
often being followed by ahas, epiphanies and a sudden burst of action
Then there’s Floundering.
Floundering is when you don’t know what your next step should be. You’re overwhelmed or missing a key piece of information that would get you unstuck. Your intent is to be productive, but you lack the clarity to make good use of your time.
Tell-tale signs:
feeling unclear about where to begin or what the next step should be
starting and stopping, having several projects going at once with nothing ever completed
wishing someone would come along to tell you what to do or how to do it
By far the most dangerous of all types of unproductiveness is Self-Sabotage. In this instance, you are so uncomfortable with your path that you intentionally derail yourself—though you may not be aware that you’re doing that. Most likely, you’ll have very convincing rationalizations for why you need to stop working on something you had initially been excited about.
The tell-tale signs of Self-Sabotage include:
coming from a family where you were never good enough
passing up opportunities for success and growth
working enthusiastically until success starts to seem real, and then changing direction
rejecting or fighting attempts from others to give help
Self-sabotage is a tough one. It rests on years of mental programming, but those scripts can be rewritten with time and support.
Finally, we have the Lull.
A Lull is a conscious choice to remove yourself from your work in order to rest and recharge your creative batteries.
Tell-tale signs:
preceded by an intense or long period of productive activity
feels pleasant and deserved, if you see it for what it is
followed by action...eventually
You will notice that of the five types of inactivity, only Procrastination, Self-Sabotage and Floundering are something you’d want to remedy. Incubation and Lulls are positive phases of the creative process and actually quite productive, though they may not appear that way on the surface.
If you’ve decided you are in fact experiencing Procrastination, Floundering or Self-Sabotage, please be compassionate with yourself. These are very normal responses during the creative process, and even the most accomplished people experience them.
The difference, perhaps, between the high-achieving procrastinator/flounderer/self-saboteur and the one who never gets anywhere lies in their acceptance of their own imperfect humanness and discovery of ways to work around these tendencies rather than succumb to them.
And if what you’re doing is Incubation or a Lull, remember to give yourself credit for the important work you’re doing behind the scenes and enjoy this special time.
Your Turn
If you haven’t started or have stalled on your memoir project, which of these types of non-productivity are you experiencing? How do you know?
Please share in the comments!
Whether you’re procrastinating, floundering, incubating, self-sabotaging or in a lull, my free Memoir Warm-Ups offer a non-threatening way to ease back into writing.