Procrastinating 

There’s a blog post in my drafts folder which has been there for approximately three weeks. It’s my second installment on Bali and I wrote it the day I published the first installment ready for editing. I didn’t like it. It’s too long so I want S to look at it. He edited Bali Part I and I really liked what he did. I want him to give me his opinion. (Not the opinion where he tells me my style is too chatty though, he can keep that to himself). I’ve even written the third installment for Bali but of course I can’t publish Part III before I publish Part II because… well seriously, who does that?

Procrastinate was probably my first long word, mostly because I remember my dad using it a lot when I was little. Referring, of course, to me. I have a long list of things I am currently procrastinating on.

We recently decided I’m to be the proud (solo!) traveller to St Petersburg, Florida, in May, 2.5 weeks after we get back from our mammoth US trip. S thinks I’m completely mad (he may be right) but the fact is I’m going, the flight is booked. I say the flight is booked. One flight is booked to Miami. My onward connection to Tampa…? Not so much.

After the flurry of excitement to buy all our flights and accommodation in Italy we hit a bit of a wall and so the car rental situation remains on the to do list. I know what I need to book, I know all the dates and locations. Why on earth can’t I just log on and book the cars???

And I haven’t even mentioned the logistics of our US trip… car rental for LA? Procrastinate. Emails to friends (two of which we are staying with) to organise catch ups and play dates and (most importantly) margarita consumption? Procrastinate. Talking to my grandfather about when we can see him in Florida? Procrastinate. Procrastinate. Procrastinate.

My mum read an article years ago about how we are all paralysed by choice. People have written whole books directed at just this phenomenon – Analysis Paralysis, the Paradox of Choice, Choice Overload… they all point to the idea that we can get so overwhelmed by choice and so in need of making the ‘right’ decision, that we end up making no decision at all or delaying a decision interminably and usually to our detriment. Last year S and I put off buying some flights until a day later in one of the airline sales and ended up losing a load of money in the process. We had no other options open at that time so I’m not sure you can directly attribute it to choice overload but I’m pretty sure my tendency towards indecisiveness (okay, crippling indecisiveness) is exacerbated by it.

Back to my Bali Part II blog post. I’m currently writing this post rather than look at the Bali one again or, indeed, at the list of 20 other post ideas I’ve had (and actually had the presence of mind to write down) but not done anything about. I can’t see S editing it tonight since we have a birthday party for Thing 1 to endure and afterwards we will be reduced to either rocking in a corner or having several large drinks and a takeaway for dinner. He will not be wanting to edit my chatty style and typos.

So stand by. Bali Parts II and III are coming and might be a bit long and with my chatty style or more concise and to the point. But either way they are coming. Just after I’ve had my breakfast.