Last week I mentioned that I am one of the world’s best procrastinators. I’ve always been like this. During college, I wrote every paper the night before it was due. And for my art history tests, I’d stay up all night memorizing slides: artist, title, year. This was particularly fun during my entire year of Northern Renaissance art. The instructor was so nice…until she made you rattle off the details of sixty slides in sixty minutes each midterm. At the time I actually had a memory, so I usually didn’t miss many. Sadly, that information left my head by the time I’d sit down for dinner that night. Maybe if I hadn’t procrastinated the studying of the information, I could have buried it somewhere in my long-term memory. Now I’ll never know.

Anyway, the last week has been a study in procrastination. It’s not that I haven’t’ been busy—I have. In fact, I’ve actually accomplished a lot. For example, I’ve cleaned out my entire closet. I’ve even cleaned my office. I’ve hung some pictures. I’ve written five pages on a book that’s not contracted. I’ve read. TWO books. I’ve been to the mall twice in two weeks. (This is most unusual, especially considering I broke my leg.) I’ve got all my electronics in order for France. I’ve gotten a facial. I’ve watched the latest Harold and Kumar movie. See? I’ve done a lot.

But what I need to be doing are revisions. Okay, I admit I have worked on them some. Actually, I had some plot issues I really needed some time to ponder. And now I think I have it all figured out. I’ve even got twelve fresh page written and I’ve done some character sketches on my heroine. I’ve had two people read my pages and tell me I’m on the right track. So I am working. And now that I’m back in the swing of things, I’m actually anxious to get ‘er done!

So there you have it. How do you procrastinate?