how to turn your procrastination into a good thing

I watched George Clooney and Brad Pitt team up on Friday night to pull off the greatest casino heist you’ll ever see.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because the movie was Ocean’s Eleven.

I’m not hard to entertain. Any movie can draw me in, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know the difference between good and bad movies. And Ocean’s Eleven is an incredible movie.

The movie’s unrealistic in real life. But that’s not why you watch them.

You show up to immerse yourself in the fantasy they portray.

Ocean’s Eleven trapped me with its charm, but something felt off after. The film ended after ten o’clock, and I wasted my entire night watching a movie I didn’t need.

I wanted to write today’s issue of Lost in the Talk on Friday. Yeah, this one you’re reading now.

But that didn’t happen.

The movie made me tired, and I went to bed. My Saturday was free. So, I decided to plan the perfect writing day. Here’s how my rough outline looked.

1. Wake up
2. Read for an hour
3. Go to the gym
4. Eat lunch
5. Write for a few hours
6. Eat dinner
7. Write for the rest of the night

The day started as planned. Until step 5…

Just as I started writing, I discovered my friend was in town for the day. I didn’t want to miss seeing him, so we ate lunch together. This backed up my plan by about an hour. But I still had plenty of time to hop back on track.

Then everything changed.

Another friend told me he had tickets to the Islanders game. I told myself I should stay home and do my planned work. I’m not a big hockey fan, so missing the game wouldn’t matter.

But I also enjoy the spontaneous moments when I can take a little adventure and go somewhere new.

I said yes to the game.

The only issue was that it gave me no time to write. The game shredded up my entire plan.

But I’ll admit, the game was phenomenal.

The Islanders won 7-1. And after every goal scored, the die-hard fans erupted and roared with the energy of five small towns. Dedicated fans like that make sporting events memorable and worth attending.

However, at the end of the day, I still pushed my writing plans back. I told myself…

You still have Sunday. Tomorrow will be your writing day.

And now I’m here on Sunday, writing to you. When I had planned to write on Friday, this was far from the story I wanted to share. But things change, and new stories come to life.

Here’s the thing…

Going to bed on Saturday, I knew I had enjoyed the previous two nights, but it felt like little needles of regret kept stabbing me. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I procrastinated and wasted time.

That thought simmered in my mind until an eye-opening realization struck me before I fell asleep.

Thinking with a pessimistic attitude made me think about the time I wasted. But when I switched to an optimistic mentality, I realized the spectacular ideas Ocean’s Eleven and the Islanders game taught me.

I’ll never become a master thief like Danny Ocean (George Clooney). And I’ll never steal $160 from the Bellagio. But what I can steal is the problem-solving superpowers that Danny Ocean shows off in the film.

He crafted and executed heists more complex than flying to the moon. The twists, turns, and surprises make whodunits look like kid’s stories.

By breaking down his heist formula, I can use it to craft better stories. Ones I’d share with you.

And the Islander’s game taught me more than just how loud 15,000+ New Yorkers can be in one building.

It opened my eyes to the breathtaking influence community and camaraderie have on people.

You love being around people like you. We all do. And it’s even better when the people like you have the same goals or interests. That’s how I’d connect those rowdy Islanders fans to writing.

Creating a sense of community and camaraderie for my readers (like you) will allow me to tell better stories.

Thinking optimistically bears tremendous power. Everything comes down to perspective. When you look for the good, the bad never seems so bad.