Lack of discipline

Yeah, whatever.

I joke a lot about being the least disciplined writer you know. The only reason I do this is because I'm the least disciplined writer you know.

My friend Rich, an excellent, prolific writer and blogger in his own right recently reprimanded me for not posting more often to my blog. To which I think, "Hey hey, slow down there Shakespeare, we can't all do four posts a week."

I know he means well, and he's paying me a compliment by wanting to read more of my posts. But the truth is, well, the truth is I'm the least disciplined writer you know. Yet when I'm working at a real job, I always deliver.

That's because all the zeros on those checks sure are pretty. And I've always been a sucker for a check that clears. Don't get me wrong, I don't just do jobs for money. I do them for the love. The love of the money.

So, I'll try harder. I'll start posting more. I'll tear down this wall (Reagan would be so proud) and stop censoring myself. I will post the things I don't think I should post.

I'll get right on it. Tomorrow.

It's not a flaw. It's a lifestyle.

Here's the truth: I'm without a doubt the least disciplined writer I know. In fact, I'm the least disciplined writer you know.

And more often than not, to the surprise of anyone with a real job - and by real job I mean anything not in an ad agency - this usually frowned upon character trait has served me quite well.

When you work in an ad agency (wait, did I say ad agency again? Sorry. I meant integrated marketing company), hurry up and wait is standard operating procedure.

It consists of long stretches of unbearable boredom and frustration waiting for yet another meeting to start or work order to get written, interrupted by sudden loud bursts of, "What the f#&k do you mean you don't have it!? We promised they'd have it yesterday!"

There ought to be a law agencies only have decaf in the coffee room.

Anyway, time and time again I've found that if you just wait long enough before starting, like the rabbit in the hat, the assignment vanishes into thin air. Disappears. Poof! You don't feel bad about it, because you haven't lost all that time and wasted all those brain cells creating something brilliant, perfect and exactly right and timely for the client that will never see the light of day.

You do enough of that on the jobs that actually do happen.

I feel like I'm just getting started here, and there's so much more I want to say about this.

Maybe later.