Is it just me?

[blamebrampton]

At work, I am a one-woman accomplishment machine, who can build a story in a few hours, creates systems out of thin air and makes things work.[Poll #1669623]

Comments

[ant-queen.livejournal.com]

I selected 3 :P I will generally start somewhere for bit, then something will prompt me on other project, so I'll hop over to that for a while. And when I get stuck I resort to cleaning the house (or laundry, my perennial favourite thing to do when I can't think of anything else, there is always a load of washing that needs doing) or reworking the filing/referencing system.

And sometimes I'll be working on lots of things at once, then see they are all part of some master plan and pull them all in together in the hope of creating a theory of everything (or policy of everything, which is more my thing). And then when it isn't 3am and I'm less high on caffeine I realise that it doesn't really work and I should revert things back to their original component parts. But progress is still generally made in a roundabout way.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I would expect no less, you are not a simple ant! And yes, I sometimes find that cleaning actually sorts the story out in the back of my head so that I can go back and write brilliantly and quickly, so I suppose it all does work towards an end in a roundabout way -- if only it did so more quickly!

[vertelemming.livejournal.com]

You forgot the most important option: Spend six hours organising your todo list, start on the top item with gusto and energy, get distracted five minutes in and forget about it for six months.

[azurelunatic]

Yes.

But on the plus side, I am a walking advertisement for Hiveminder.

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

My brain is as scattered as my poll selections, and about as useful. For instance, it has decided today that, in order to write the fic about the chefs and the smallholding and the London restaurant, replete as the subplots are with gossip columnists, Weasleys, and porcine hijinks, what we really need to learn about is...cricket.

*glares at Noe, Femme, and Wemyss*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I will always happily talk about cricket, you know ;-)

And you're not scattered, you're a complex and unique individual. With procrastination issues. It's why we're friends. (BTW, Porcine hijinks, is this code for more pig porn?)

[quatrefoil.livejournal.com]

In my defence I should like to point out that I have some legitimate research that I need to do in Alsace, though not for my current project. OTOH, my current project is a distraction from another project which was a distraction from another project etc., and ultimately from the project including the Alsatian research, on which I gave a paper in 2005. Eventually my procrastination leads me back to where I started.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Even as I typed that, I thought 'I am bound to know someone who has a legitimate reason for going to Alsace' ;-)

And yes, I hear you on the looped procrastinations!

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Also investigate all sorts of things to do on vacations (across Canada, Britain) though not Alsace. ;D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, for me it's a sudden urge to practise Italian. In fact, just tonight I organised my language books.

[dysonrules.livejournal.com]

Start somewhere, work a bit there, a bit somewhere else, a bit all over the place, finish eventually.

And in between that add "surf web", "make cookies", "wander around the house", "make jewellery", "do random tasks".

It's surprising anything gets done, actually. *sigh*

Note to self: Stop trying to write at 4am.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's surprising anything gets done, actually. *sigh*

Note to self: Stop trying to write at 4am.

I would say something wise and helpful here, but it would be a complete lie as I am guilty of both these things.

[vaginal-parfait.livejournal.com]

I picked 3 options! And the strange thing is, I usually wind up doing all three. I'll start at the most interesting, then procrastinate, then think of something more fun, then start with that and then... well.
Fall asleep sounds about right, hehe.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, by then you're obviously exhausted!

[franalan.livejournal.com]

I procrastinate. A lot. Which is why I ended up watching ever single episode of Criminal Minds when I was meant to be writing my dissertation... It's all about the last minute rush and panic of looming deadlines.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I just thank the universe that the internet was enormously crapper when I was a student. I had to sleep with a computer science professor just to gain access to email for one degree. It was a time of simpler distractions (mostly trying to find a shaggable computer scientist ...).

[mayela-delarue.livejournal.com]

I've lost all ability to structure my work. I wish I could sleep under my desk half the time.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

That's the annoying thing: at work, I am godlike! I can do six things at once and they all turn out splendidly, even if I know I will need to double check numbers five and six because they were done with half a brain.

At home I start something that I really want to finish, then do a bit of physio, play with a cat, knit, post to lj ... wonder why my thing remains unfinished ... Why do I leave my Mad Skillz at work?

[i-autumnheart.livejournal.com]

I couldn't possibly work on the things on the todo list. I might finish it, and then where would I be! The horror!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You'll still have the embroidery ;-)

[florahart]

8a: Decide that you immediately need to clean the house, but then also apply the same set of principles to that task as well, so you end up with assorted clean shelves and objects, a pile of laundry, the trash full until the taker-awayers come Tuesday, and nothing resembling tidiness in the shared areas. And, thanks to the brilliant plan to do something else entirely aspect, possibly also rising bread with no clean loaf pans to put it in, a random cake that no one but you will eat but which serves 12, and, I dunno, a monkey.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

HEE! I know that feeling -- I have often apologised for the house being in a disaster, because I am tidying ;-)

Hurrah for a monkey!

[hanson-phreek.livejournal.com]

I'm an organizer, so my brain loves to "devise the perfect filing system for all your notes and reference books" all the time....no matter what I'm doing. Some people call it OCD and I might just agree...

But aside from wanting to organize everything, I like to start easy. It lets me get into things and build some confidence. And then it's easier for me to do the hard stuff.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

My books and CDs are in perfect order. My notes are diabolical. I may need to borrow a bit of your brain ...

[auntpurl.livejournal.com]

Where's the "read H/D porn on LJ" option?? *is confused*

[jad.livejournal.com]

^

*also, Merlin/Arthur porn

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

I put 'decide that you immediately need to clean the house' because 'bake 2 cakes, 1 pie and make enough potato pancakes to feed an army' was not an option... :P

My brain generally hops around until it finds something interesting to nibble on, at which stage I am generally cooking and letting my brain do its thing. Unfortunately, when it comes to actually writing the damn thing, it starts to procrastinate. And fall asleep.

... If you figure out a way to circumvent this, please tell us.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's really because Mr B hasn't cleaned the kitchen in weeks and there is not enough room to cook. I have been living on fruit and ice-cream since December!

I will let you know if I solve the problem :-)

[eanelinea77.livejournal.com]

Mine were: Start with the most interesting, work through to the end and continue systematically, Start with the easiest, work through to the end and continue systematically, Start somewhere, work a bit there, a bit somewhere else, a bit all over the place, finish eventually, Come up with a BRILLIANT plan for something entirely different, Fall asleep

Sometimes I get motivated to do one and won't stop until the Heavens and the Earth quake with my awesomeness. Other times, it'll be years, not months before I go back to something and actually get it out of the way.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh thank goodness I'm not the only one who gets up to years in the tardiness stakes!

[arcanetrivia]

Judging by the results of this poll, 30/55 people have EXTREMELY CLEAN houses.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I do wish one of them lived closer and needed to broaden her or his cleaning horizons!

[pingrid.livejournal.com]

If my life were fic, the category would be BWB.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Brilliance without breakfast?

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Er, none of the above. I start with what's due first and work in that order. I actually have a Word document titled "Date order", which is how I keep track of things.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I briefly considered the possibility I might know someone that organised, but dismissed it on the grounds they would almost certainly have defriended me by now ;-)

I is in your lj poll, screwing up your percentages

[kestrelsparhawk.livejournal.com]

Which is to say, several things were true so I picked those.

The truest is the "start somewhere, work a bit there" one. It beautifully describes my writing process. also my housecleaning process, which is why while the apt functions as an excellent excuse, it's never clean.

I'd add "start something legit on the web, then follow links to useless info that will change my life." for example, I now know a heckuva lot more about tailoring for men on Savile Row, and that "bespoke" is the British term for "custom-made." Forced myself NOT to then start exploring what American tailors say about "custom-made because yes, 4 in the a.m.

Re: I is in your lj poll, screwing up your percentages

[jad.livejournal.com]

*unrelated

Your icon, I must nit-pick: "blondes" is TECHNICALLY grammatically correct for both male and female in English (British or American or whatever version you want to use). I know this for a fact, because I myself use "blonde" for both gender pronouns, and have had years of people telling me it's incorrect, so I've done an insane amount of research on it and asked about 30 different literature professors with Masters and such and every reliable source I've encountered has said that, while it may be unusual in some cases, it's a preference thing--blonde is correct for balls or no balls!

Not trying to start an argument, just thought I'd mention it. Otherwise I much adore your icon, but in reading that I had to get out and defend my great pledge to non-conformity XD

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Everything makes me fall asleep right now. *sigh*

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

Sleep is always the answer *g*

[mabonwitch.livejournal.com]

I'm generally OK once I start writing. It's getting to that point that's a problem. Let's clean the closet! Let's re-organize how the books are shelved (and considering we practically own a small library...). Let's play 15 games of computer solitaire!
*sigh* Oh, brain.

[elissande.livejournal.com]

Any or all of the above depending on just how perverse my brain feels like being at the time. Though displacement activities are high on the list. As well as the ones listed, there's also various means of distracting yourself doing Important Stuff on the computer.

[kitty_fic]

You forgot the option where my brain just shuts down completely! ^_~