Procrastinate Until You’re Ready

Great works of art, literature, and science are all given to us by individuals who acted with will, energy, and a rare sense of time. Was the most moving music of Mozart crafted merely by forcing him to sit down and work? Please allow me to humbly persuade you that this is not the case.

While all of our compositional talents can’t possibly compare to Mozart, we each have genuine strengths based on the many factors of our minds state: culture, education, nutrition, and genetic disposition. Many of us have worked to find stable jobs, and we are discovering the stability is a false sense of security. The labors we fulfill may not require or excite our passionate interest. Truly caring about our work is a key factor to unleashing our greatest potential. Settling for anything less in our work, is self limiting. It is likely the biproduct of external expectations, from those who dare not tread towards their own dreams.

Choosing the right moment to move ahead with your inspirational work is an artform in itself. Overcoming the fear of failure is the first step, for by pushing beyond our comfort zones we are most open to learning, and spectacular discovery. But seizing rare opportunities may appear in conflict with our internal creative clocks. When you are most driven to produce the opportunities will present themselves, and actively seek you out. Marketing an undeveloped art show or web service is far more challenging and perhaps unwise compared to hosting a gallery event after gaining the interest of a community of fans/users.

There is a moment when the impetus to work on a project takes hold. Somewhere between design and gaining feedback we are moved to action. In developing the concept of marketing one’s time, and finding the flow state, it has come to my attention that choosing the time to act can be a point of frustration for many. As conscious creatures, we can choose when and where to act. We can force ourselves (or be pushed) to work on and complete varied tasks. But my hypothesis is that our greatest life’s works will be inspired from both within and desired externally.

This motivating power drives us to:

• exceed our normal limits of endurance
• deliver a product that goes beyond any expectations
• and perform on an entirely different plane

Edit:

I’m getting a ton of great feedback (a bunch in complete disagreement) here on HackerNews. I’d like to clarify that I’m not suggesting we should sit around idly doing nothing and hoping our creative thoughts will flow.

• discover/pursue other interests
• even distractions let your mind reset
• work on alternative tasks until you get the inspiration you need to overcome any hurdles

Choosing what to work on, and when to work towards specific goals is a freedom that should allow you to stay motivated and learning.