“My name is Julia and I’m a procrastinator.”

“Hello Julia”

I hear the echoes of voices in my mind. All the procrastinators coming together and admitting their deep fault.

After my imaginary attendance at the Procrastinators Anonymous meeting, I head for another dose of reality.

“My name is Julia and I’m a perfectionist.”

“Hello Julia.”

Strangely the echoes are the same voices that just left the PA meeting. Everyone slogging together through the murky guilt to Perfectionists Anonymous.

It’s true. These two afflictions go hand in hand. Walking together down the road of “I meant to.” “I’ll get there someday.” “The time just isn’t right.”

But the reality is even our attendance at these Anonymous meetings delays the inevitable. It is our way of keeping busy and appearing to do something productive while really accomplishing nothing.

My favorite delay routine is binge and purge. It’s not what you think. Nothing to do with eating and trying to control my physical body environment to soothe my angst.

I pile, then organize.

To procrastinate, I pile. Dump the mail. Stack the incoming bills. Create a to-do list, then add it to the pile. Half-finished projects, started with perfect intentions.

When it is time to write, the environment must be perfect which requires organizing. Sort the pile. Make new stacks. Handle those things that should have been done last week. Now those bills are mission critical.

Oops. Writing time is gone.

Julia Miller also blogs at fivefelinefarm.com and occasionally at motherearthnews.com. When the piles are right, she’s also working on a book.