“Procrasti-Cleaning…”

 

Shared by Breanne Smedley

“The kitchen is a mess!” I exclaimed the other morning as Brett and I were about to leave for work.

Brett looked around at the same “mess” that I was.

“There’s like two pans in the sink…” He said in disagreement.

Later that day when I got home, I got right to cleaning the kitchen.

I washed the pans in the sink.

But also decided it was a good time to clean the stovetop, clean out the fridge, reorganize the pantry and all the utensil drawers, sweep and mop the floors, and wash all the appliances.

I felt a lot better about the state of the kitchen.

My mind immediately went to other areas in the house that could use some cleaning.

An hour later I emerged from the rabbit hole of the closet with three bags of clothes to donate and a newly organized closet.

At that point, Charlee was waking up from her nap. “Free time” was over.

I felt productive and good about the fact that some deep cleaning and organizing was accomplished.

Until I looked at my planner to see what I really had planned for that chunk of time.

It was during our ConfidenceFactor® Challenge launch, and I needed to research and write for one of the days of the challenge.

I had scheduled an hour and a half, the time during Charlee’s nap, to get into a deep workflow and knock it out.

I procrasti-cleaned instead.

The Urban Dictionary definition is, “The urge to clean one’s room, bathroom, or workspace fully knowing that something far more important must be done in the near future because “it needed to be cleaned.” Usually occurs just before studying for a big test, writing a paper, or beginning some other undesirable yet significant task. Often justified by rationalizing, “at least I’m not being lazy.”

Sound about right.

I was being productive. At least I wasn’t scrolling social media, watching Netflix, or taking a nap.

The intention was still the same, though. I was avoiding something I knew I needed to do.

I do agree with the notion that a clean and tidy workspace helps with clearing the mind and allow for better productivity.

I know, though, that I don’t need my refrigerator scrubbed as a prerequisite to getting some important work done.

What’s the solution? Where’s the balance?

Being honest with myself.

Am I replacing cleaning for something else I need to do during this time?

What’s the minimum I can do to feel like the space is tidy so I can get work done?

Where else can I schedule a time to do deep cleaning?

We all have our guilty pleasures. The things that seek to drail us and stifle our productivity.

The worst are those that are masked as important.

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