If you’re reading this, that means you’re still alive. Thank God—that alone feels like a solid way to start a new year.
This is the season of resolutions. Save money. Get out of debt. Lose weight. Go to the gym. Drink more water. Some of y’all have already broken at least two of those, and it’s barely January. That’s okay. There’s always next year, right?
Truth is, I’ve never fully understood New Year’s resolutions. Starting fresh in the middle of winter feels suspicious. Spring makes more sense. Things bloom. Spirits lift. The sun stops ghosting us at 5:17 p.m.
So instead of promising to become a completely different person overnight, I made a simpler resolution. This year, I’m committed to being the best procrastinator I can be.
Procrastination has followed me for years – through school, work, and yes, even turning this very column in. Mrs. Barbara can confirm. I kept trying to fight procrastination head-on, and I kept losing. Eventually, it dawned on me. Maybe the problem isn’t procrastination. Maybe it’s how I’ve been using it.
So if you’re like me and you love to procrastinate but you also know things have to get done, let’s flip the script. Or better yet, script the flip. Get the stuff done first. Then procrastinate properly.
If you don’t even know where to start, sit somewhere quiet. A park. A lake. Your car before going inside. Set a timer for two minutes and write down everything you want to do, achieve, experience, or try. Don’t overthink it. Just write. When the timer stops, you should have a list that surprises you.
Now set a 45-second timer. Pick five things. DO THEM IMMEDIATELY.
Did you feel like I was screaming at you? Good. Because I was. But in a loving kind of way. Like a mom who’s already called your name three times and the food is getting cold.
Once those five are done, pause. That little feeling right there? That’s momentum. You’ve earned your procrastination. Set a timer. Enjoy it guilt-free. When it ends, grab your list, take 40 seconds, pick the next five, and repeat.
Somewhere along the way, something dangerous will happen. You’ll start getting things done without becoming someone you don’t recognize.
That’s what I’m excited about this year. Not perfection. Not pressure. Just momentum.
I’m excited about more unity in the community. More people paying attention locally. Springtime, because winter is evil. High school graduations, because that means summer break.
I’m excited to see where these Kenny’s Corner conversations go. And I’m excited to do this next year with you. Because if we’re going to get anything meaningful done, we might as well do it together. And if we’re going to procrastinate, we should at least be organized about it.
Kenny Robertson, an educator and comedian, is a native of Ridgeway.
