I am a procrastinator. I think about things I have to do. Sometimes I make lists of things that need to be accomplished. I examine the list carefully, making certain I have covered everything. I prioritize my list. I have a cup of coffee before I get started. I check my e-mail. Neither of those things was on my list. As I get up to refill my coffee cup I look up at the clock and an hour has passed. Oh dear. I was supposed to switch my winter clothes for my warm weather clothes. It’s still not all that warm outside yet anyway. I cross the first thing off my list. It will have to wait until tomorrow.

                Next on my list was cleaning out the garden to prepare for spring planting. Hmm. It’s cloudy out today and it seems a little chilly. Maybe I should wait another day or two. I cross number two off my list. I pour another cup of coffee. I have a great crock pot recipe I’m going to try. Pulling out the recipe I realize I need green peppers. Sighing I set the recipe aside. I can either go to the store and get the peppers or make something else for dinner tonight. Checking the time it takes to prepare and cook the food I calculate if I have enough time to drive to the store, get the peppers, get back, put all the ingredients together, and get it started with sufficient time for it to cook. Hmm. It would be cutting it close. Oh well…

                By now you can see my problem. It isn’t that I’m lazy. I’ll do a few loads of laundry, straighten up around the house, write a couple of chapters in a book I’m working on, answer e-mails. Before the end of the day I’ll have gone to the store and if I’m lucky I’ll remember to pick up green peppers. If the weather is good I will take a walk around the park for exercise. I just don’t seem to get to the things I plan to do. I will find myself changing out my clothes in the second week of April when the weather is really getting warm. By then I will have struggled for at least a week choosing clothes that aren’t too warm to wear every day.

                I know it would make a lot more sense to set goals and define specific steps to reach those goals. Somewhere along the way I decided that would take too long. Instead I make lists, either on paper or in my head, and never get things done in a timely manner.

                All this is pretty sad for someone who for years created and facilitated workshops on time management and goal setting. I think I have a solution though. I am going to pull out all my material on goal setting and refresh myself on what I need to do. In fact I’m going to get right to that… right after I watch the news on television and have another cup of coffee.