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When I woke up early this morning, the plan was to write while my brain still felt fresh. I have been working on the same article for the past two weeks, and while I’ve deviated to others in the meantime, I keep failing to make progress on this particular one. I just can’t seem to get my ideas to flow the way I want them to. I have writer’s block. And for that reason, my daily schedule for the past two weeks has been: 1. Sit down at my computer, 2. Stare at my draft in Google Docs, 3. Write several random sentences, 4. Re-read those sentences, 5. Feel unhappy with them, 6. Delete the sentences, and 7. Open up a tab of Youtube, Facebook, or Netflix, and spent the next two hours wasting time.

Unfortunately, this morning, my schedule has been very much aligned with the same procedure as per the most recent two weeks. The writer’s block set in straight away, quickly followed by a routine of procrastination. But then I remembered something. In a meeting with my editor several days ago, he said to me, “Write about what you know”.

So, here I am. Writing about procrastination. Because as of right now, this is what I know.



We all do it. We sit down to get some work done… start by checking our work emails, then our personal emails. Then perhaps we respond to a few emails. Then maybe a friend sends us a text message asking us to grab a drink after work. After responding to that message, we give Instagram a quick little check-up. It isn’t on purpose – it’s a habit. Our fingers naturally reach for that Instagram logo when our phones are unlocked. While on Instagram, we see that today is Shelly’s birthday. We don’t want to forget to wish her a Happy Birthday, so we open up the Facebook app to write on her Facebook wall. Then while we are on Facebook, we see that we have nine new notifications. We can’t possibly open up the Facebook app without checking the notifications. Leaving those red alert symbols there would leave our Type-A personalities cringing in our seats. So, we have to check our Facebook notifications… and before we know it we have wasted twenty minutes of our day.

“Wow, I really do not want to go outside today”

Unfortunately, this procrastination routine is not unique to the work environment. I procrastinate in many other aspects of my life. I procrastinate packing for a trip until the very last moment. I procrastinate cleaning the dishes until the next morning after a big meal, the old food has now been sitting on the plate just long enough to have formed some sort of chemical bond with the china. It’s impossible to scrape off. And, even though I am embarrassed to admit it, I also procrastinate going into the outdoors.

It mainly happens when the weather isn’t ideal. When I look outside and think to myself, “Wow, I really do not want to go outside today.” The excuses start flowing…

My kayaking excuses tend to be one of the following:

My gear is wet.

My thermals are wet.

The river levels aren’t ideal.

I don’t want to drive that far.

Ski touring excuses sound something like this:

My boots are wet.

My socks are wet.

My thermals are wet.

Snow conditions aren’t very good.

I don’t want to drive that far.

Climbing excuses? Here you go:

The rock is wet.

I don’t want to drive that far.

It is easy to convince myself that going outside, getting wet, and maybe feeling a little uncomfortable is a bad idea. It is easy to stay home, curl up on the couch under a blanket and watch a movie. It is easy… but is it worth it?



Is it worth it to miss out on amazing views and powder turns, just to avoid a little discomfort while putting my boots on? Is it worth it to miss out on a perfect line through a big rapid in a beautiful gorge, just because I don’t want to zip up my wet drysuit? Is it worth it to miss out on what could be a rad adventure in the mountains, just because I don’t feel like spending $20 on gas?

After 24 years of skiing, 13 years of kayaking, and 6 years of climbing, I will tell you with full confidence – It is never worth missing out.

But it is always worth going.

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Cover Photo: Elliott Natz