The brain never stops working. There’s always a song or a memory or a thought running through it. For those with an inkling toward the creative, this is doubly so. For me in particular, unless I’m focused on something more imperative like my job or ice cream, my mind tends to drift toward my characters, their stories, and how to craft the next line. This can be a double-edged sword, though, when I start to think of projects other than what I’m trying to actively work on. On some days, I’ll even wander away from my current path and take a side trail of a different project. Sometimes, it’s a matter of choosing what to work on. When it comes to making that decision, I’ve discovered a few ways to help the selection process:
- I like to play Dungeons & Dragons, so naturally I have some dice. (More like a hoard since I’m a bit of a dice goblin, but we’ll overlook that for now.) One of the simplest ways to make a decision is to roll for it. Make a numbered list of the projects you want to work on, pick a corresponding die, and roll.
- Even more simple than dice: a coin. This is good if you’ve already eliminated all but a few options. Flip the coin and you’re good to go.
- Consult the Elder Council of Choices for their input/opinion.
- If you have an old fashioned dart board, write down your list of projects on little slips of paper. Hang them up on the board, and whichever ones the darts land on are your options. Repeat until you’ve narrowed the list down to the winner.
- Keeping with the idea of writing down the options, put them in a hat and draw.
- This one is the most complicated, but the reward is worth the risk. First, you need an uncooked pizza. It can be frozen, take-and-bake, or homemade. All that matters is that YOU are the one who cooks it, so no Pizza Hut or Domino’s. While it cooks, set your table for two. Once this is done, clean the ceremonial dagger you keep hidden under your bed. (This should be the same one you use when making a human sacrifice to defeat procrastination.) Before the pizza is finished, bring out one of the sacrifices you were saving for later. As soon as the pizza is out of the oven, slay your sacrifice with the dagger. Whilst doing this, use the Dark Speech to summon a demon. (If you’re lucky, you might get Satan himself.) Share the pizza with what/whoever appears, and they will reveal what you should work on for the day.
Follow any of these steps and you’ll be working on your project in no time! If you stumble into the trap of procrastination, check out my previous blog entry for how to overcome it.
Tyler Gohde 