Someone in Chicago can't stop procrastinating

An advice column where Chicago can ask questions on how to navigate life transitions, relationships, family, finance and more.

Dear Ismael,

I’ve been having trouble getting motivated lately, and, as a creative person, it can be frustrating. There are a few projects I want to do, and, while there is some time to do it after work or on the weekends, I don’t feel as motivated as I do when I daydream about getting it started.

One of the big projects is a podcast. During the pandemic, I started a podcast with my friends where we discussed movies we had never seen. It definitely kept us busy, and it was nice to work together in a creative outlet since we all live far away from each other.

We got to about 30 episodes, but, when life started to get back to normal, we got too busy.

Since we last recorded back in 2021, I have been determined to bring it back. I have more equipment and even a room in my new house to set up a nice space to record. I’ve had a few friends approach me about it more lately, but I don’t even know where to start. I was trying to edit one day and feel like I completely forgot everything.

How can I climb over this wall of procrastination and get it started again? Not just with the podcast but with other projects (big and small), like decorating my home or finally starting the process of creating a small business. I don’t know if I’m putting too much on my plate or if my lack of motivation is keeping me at a standstill, so it just seems like a lot.

— Procrastinating in Pilsen

Dear Procrastinating,

I’m a daydreamer, too. I love writing and storytelling, but I write for a living. While I love what I do, I find it challenging to read or write for fun when I’m off work.

But I do find escape through the sewing machine and fabrics under my bed, a piano in my living room with 600 pages of Beethoven sonatas and ingredients in the kitchen, where I try to re-create my mom’s Mexican magic.

It’s good to give ourselves easy access to things we enjoy doing, like your podcast space. But it can be a little overwhelming when you have a backlog of passion projects. From one creative person to another, here are some things that work for me:

Give projects creative weight to carry through

When you’re commuting to work and a small idea that excites you pops up, write it down immediately. It could be a basic color for your bathroom walls, a nice font that could make your business pop or a cute new outro you want to try when you revamp the podcast. Seriously, anything.

Most of the time, the question is: Where do I even start? Building from ideas will help you visualize how that end product will look, make it more real and help determine what you need to do to bring it to life.

Talk about your passions, goals out loud

I’m not talking about manifestation or the law of attraction. Though it couldn’t hurt. But talking about your passions and seeing what excites you (and the people who matter to you) the most will help prioritize that list of projects.

Instead of listening to the quiet and isolating voices inside your head telling you why something isn’t worth it, find encouragement from people you love. That should motivate and reassure you that something is worth pursuing.

And if that project is only important and special to you, that’s all that matters.

Write to Someone in Chicago at someoneinchicago@suntimes.com.