Inertia

       If one were to observe the dates or times on many of my blog posts. One could notice how I may have several large posts in one day and then a few days where I posted nothing. On top of that it took me years of procrastination before I even started writing this. I know "writers block" is not that unusual, but still... It doesn't take long at all to start one and there are so many options- and maybe that's part of the problem- "so many options". I mean I'm not implying I don't love having choices because I do, but I tend to be prone to "inertia" at times and it is not unusual for people on the Autism spectrum. What is strange is how I can get inspired and motivated at a time when I can't do much such as in Church or on a long car trip, but on days I do have time I and up too busy planning what my first move is going to be. It looks like pure laziness on the surface, but it's something more complicated than that. I think this can also be common for people with ADD and other conditions and goes unnoticed. Luckily I can blog from my smart phone if it's something brief. I'm otherwise not too big on typing with my thumbs or using speech-to-text programs for more than a few lines, but at least I have more opportunity to "strike when the iron's hot".
       Today is an example of how every time I start something I get distracted thinking of more important things I should be doing. Today I don't have work or any appointments. I could work on my blog, I could get some well needed exercise on the nice machine I have here collecting dust, I can go for a walk since it's unusually mild for December, I can go Christmas shopping, I can finish the Christmas decorations sometime before Memorial Day, I can give the dog a bath, or I can go look for some Christmas lights that I misplaced... These are the days where if I'm not careful I can end up wasting a day off and doing nothing, not because I'm lazy, but because I'm to busy planning what I'm going to do first. Every time I start one thing, it starts to seem frivolous and everything else seems more important. I found that even when my to do list seems more than reasonable to fit in one day, I could still do only one thing at a time- usually. At the end of the day it's better if I only got one thing done than nothing at all, especially if that one thing is something I was procrastinating for a long time. Another strange thing is when I end up getting more things done when I'm in a hurry. Not only do I appreciate time better but I have less time to over think and fuss over unnecessary details. Lets say I had to type something I may then realize that just getting it done is what matters and the time I may waste trying to choose the right font was not all that important. Here's a good site giving insight on the "inertia" issue and its connection to the Autistic Spectrum: http://qw88nb88.wordpress.com/2006/10/15/coping-with-the-inertia-of-task-paralysis/