A Solution to Procrastination
When friends ask, “Roxanne, how are you? How is life as a new mom?” My answer is:
“Well, I love motherhood. I think I’m doing a good job helping my daughter develop from a blob into a human. She’s well-fed, and she’s clean...most of the time. And I earn a paycheck. But aside from that, all other areas of my life are falling apart.”
True story. I barely have time to do more than put mascara on in the morning and sometimes I only put it on one eye. And I certainly did NOT have time to send out Christmas cards. Sending out Christmas cards requires multiple steps, and I’m sort of unable to complete multiple-step tasks these days.
Step 1: Dress baby for photo shoot
Step 2: Keep baby smiling through photo shoot
Step 3: Select favorite photos
Step 4: Go online and upload photos into card
Step 5: Put cards in envelopes once they arrive
Step 6: Compile list of recipients and find their addresses
Step 7: Address envelopes
Step 8: Buy stamps
Step 9: Put in mailbox or drop off at post office
Damn! I only made it to Step 5. Ahhh! So close! My excuse is that the holidays were a blur, and I used up all my vacation for maternity leave and so I had Christmas day off and that was it. But still…I’m feeling like a loser for being so procrastinate-y.
And I’d been so excited to send out Christmas cards for the first time now that I have a baby. And that’s sort of an expectation, right? I love cards from my friends without kids who, for example, pose with their dogs. Adorable. My cats have never been as amenable to posing for photos and as such, this year was going to be an exciting first. First Christmas Card sent by me. Now I’m officially an adult.
But then I wake up in mid-January and it’s too late. I’ve missed the deadline. What to do? I got some out-of-the-box advice from a tax attorney, of all people. (Actually, that statement doesn't deserve an “of all people." If you think about it, a tax attorney’s life’s work is all about helping people undo years of procrastination.) He said, “Roxanne, why don’t you finish your cards now. Set them aside and have them ready to be sent out in November of this year.” Genius! Of course, the photo is going to be dated, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t get super ambitious and do Steps 1-5 again in November and add a new card to the current envelope. I think the lesson here is to keep the forward motion. Miss a deadline? Try to make the next one.
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