I Am a Digital Fiddler

I've often written about my great ability to procrastinate when it comes to sitting down and writing something of quality. In fact, i think i'm so great at procrastination that i should be considered an absolute genius.

My original plan today was that, after dinner, i would write some intelligent posting here. But instead i found myself browsing around the Internet and wasting precious time.

Ah.. low and behold i come upon a perfectly intelligent posting...but it's not on my blog...nope.

The article is titled "How to Stop Digital Fiddling and Start Writing".

Eureka! I've found myself...the true me...my writing inactivity has been documented and i can no longer hide from my procrastination. So what, exactly, is digital fiddling and do i really have it?

1. Do i avoid writing by reading my e-mail? Better believe it.
2. Do i check my blog stats? Well, no...but i do check to see how well my cat Lillian is doing in the Top Animal Twitterer contest. And then i go back to check e-mail again.
3. Do i tune my blog to make it visually more appealing? Well, sometimes. Or i'll change my Twitter background, or add a new application on Facebook. And then check Lillian's stats again. And one more quick look at one of my three e-mail addresses to make sure nothing new has come in that i really should attend to.
4. Do i surf the Internet? Absolutely. And with my coming trip to Tuscany, i heartily justify this surfing...after all, i need to do my travel research, don't i? I know i could make specific time for this travel research...but once i get started i can't stop and so i happily flit here and there.
5. Do i focus on social networking? Certainly....i have to maintain my social image on Facebook and Twitter...and then i have to make time to comment on the blogs that i regularly read.

Is it any wonder that i NEVER get anything done?? I am...most definitely...a Digital Fiddler of the worst kind.

Good thing the article goes on to suggest ways to stop fiddling and start writing, the first suggestion being to disconnect my computer from the Internet. Seriously? The article says that at first it will feel strange, but shutting off the computer is the only way i can re-connect with myself. I get that concept.

Next, i should turn off all the programs that i'm not using to write with. This would leave either Open Office or Microsoft Word the only place i can go...so no chance of time wasting.

The last suggestion to stop digitally fiddling is to....write the first sentence. Which i know holds a lot of power. Which i rarely utilize.

Now that my identified problem of procrastination has been disected and documented...how much easier will it be for me to stop all this fiddling and stand up, pay attention, write write and write?

Note to self....how many more Monday mornings like today do you want to have as you trudge to work?

You can ready the full article on Digital Fiddling here.