Procrastination is a key part of the creative process.

I know, I know. Procrastination is supposed to be bad, right? Well, not always.

Bill Watterson, the cartoonist behind Calvin and Hobbes, once said "You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet." [show photo of Bill Watterson at his desk]

Ideas are fragile little things [show an egg]. They need time to incubate before you try to force them out [show a hatching chick].

Deadlines can be useful for keeping ourselves accountable, but it's hard to predict how much time certain ideas need.

Give your ideas some space. Let things marinate in your subconscious for a bit [show a stew pot simmering]. Go for a walk, take a shower, sleep on it [show someone doing those activities].

Develop the self-trust to know that when you come back to your work with fresh eyes, that idea will be that much stronger and more developed [show a strong adult bird flying].

So don't feel guilty when your work falls short of the schedule you set for it. Often, you're not being "lazy" - you're honoring one of the most misunderstood steps in the creative process [show a winking face].