When it comes of purposeful procrastination, Mark Twain agreed with me. I can’t be nearly as stupid as people think.

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“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.” – Mark Twain

I have a policy wherein I never complete mundane or unnecessary assignments until the moment before they are due, because if this is the last day of my life, I would hate to have spent it completing paperwork that was due next week.

People often scoff at this policy, usually for one of three reasons:

  1. They think that attempting to live each day as if it were your last is foolish.
  2. They obsessively complete tasks as quickly as possible and can’t imagine doing otherwise.
  3. They think that I’m simply making excuses for procrastination or laziness.

It appears that Mark Twain would’ve agreed with me, and he’s a lot smarter than any of my critics.

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Upcoming speaking events

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In case you’re interested in hearing me blather, here are a few of my upcoming storytelling and speaking engagements:

February 18: Literary Death Match at Laugh Boston (7:30 PM)
I’ll be competing against three other authors for the title of Literary Death Match Champion.
Ticketing info here.

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February 20: The Moth StorySLAM at Housing Works in NYC (7:30 PM)
I’ll be putting my name in the hat in hopes of getting a chance to tell a story on the theme “Escape.”
Ticketing info here.

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February 28: The Mouth at The Mark Twain House in Hartford (7:30 PM)
I’ll be telling a story on the theme “Sex and Lust.”
Ticketing info here. 

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March 20: Plainville Public Library in Plainville, CT (6:00 PM)
I’ll be speaking about my latest novel, Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, as well as writing, reading, storytelling and anything else you want to ask.

March 29: Speak Up at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT (8:00 PM)
I’ll be telling a story and co-producing the show with my wife and host, Elysha Dicks. The theme of the night is Law and Order.
Ticketing info TBA.

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March 30: TED Talk at BKB Somerville in Somerville, MA
I’ll be giving a talk on the importance of saying yes.
Ticketing info here.

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April 5: Moth Mainstage at Music Academy in Northampton, MA (7:30 PM)
I’ll be telling a story on the theme “Don’t Look Back.”
Ticketing info here.

May 17: Speak Up at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT (8:00 PM)
I’ll be telling a story and co-producing the show with my wife and host, Elysha Dicks. The theme of the night is Bad Romance.
Ticketing info TBA.

Five favorite quotes

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A reader asked me if there were any quotations that served as a source of inspiration for me. While I’m not entirely sure how much inspiration I derive from them, I maintain a list of favorite quotations on my desktop that I add to from time to time.

The following have been rated as my five favorite for a very long time: 

Tears are not arguments. -Machado de Assis

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. -Theodore Rubin

Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense. -Mark Twain

Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the idea is quite staggering. -Arthur C. Clarke