Are You Making Ink Instead of Starting?
Sep 01, 2026
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Ike’s Incredible Ink (affiliate) by Brianne Farley is a great procrastination story. A boy named Ike decides he wants to write an incredible story, and then does everything except write. He needs the right setup. He needs the right ink. He needs ink worthy of his incredible story.
“Hmm,” said Ike, “I think I need... new ink.”
Now, he’s speaking my language. I have a love for fountain pen ink. I did my own season of hunting down the perfect black ink. There are options, tiny bottles, sample vials, and the names. Oh, the beautiful names. I could buy them just for the names. Current favorites? Perle Noire by Herbin (affiliate) and De Atramentis Charles Dickens.
It’s like Ike is me. I sit down to write and I wonder whether the black ink I’m using in my favorite fountain pen is the best one for this project. I believe it’s a thing, so off I go, reading reviews about shading, drying time, and smudge factor.
This does not look like procrastination at first, which is why I often don’t catch it. It looks like a woman who appreciates tools and beauty and needs a new bottle of ink to do the actual writing, when there are a dozen different bottles of ink in a basket in my office.
I’m officially coining a new phrase and calling it ink-making. Definition? What we do when we are getting ready to do something instead of doing the thing.
Sometimes, ink-making is useful. It lets our brains work in the background. You might take a walk, a shower, putter, or head to the Moon like Ike. His procrastination has a happy ending and I love that for him.
My procrastination does not usually have a happy ending. Mine looks more like not bringing the sodas in on a hot day and finding they have exploded in my car when I remember. Ew. Deciding to pay the bill later and then forgetting, which means a late fee and a non-payment fee. Yuck. The tire light comes on and I decide I’ll check the tires tomorrow at the gas station with free air on my way to work. Tomorrow, I’m late for work because my tire is flat. Ugh! I buy something to cook for dinner tonight, decide on cereal instead, forget what I bought, and find a gross expired mess when I clean out the fridge.
My procrastination often comes with costs and consequences and I’ve heard in my coaching sessions that yours does, too. It’s tricky because we want to believe we’re doing the Ike version. We want it to all come together if we wait a little longer. Sometimes it does. Once in a while, the wandering and avoiding is useful. Most of the time, procrastination doesn’t feel good. I want us to pay attention to that.
This month, instead of crossing our fingers and hoping our procrastination turns into a charming picture book, we’re going to get curious.
We’re going to notice the ink-making.
When you reach for your phone instead of starting the task, notice that you’re ink-making. When you decide you need the perfect notebook, plan, mood, or block of uninterrupted time, notice that you’re ink-making. When you feel the call to organize the junk drawer, research the best laundry basket, or compare brands of dog food instead of doing the thing you sat down to do, just notice.
Are you uncomfortable? Bored? Tired?
At the beginning of Ike’s story, he’s convinced he needs the right ink before he can write. I know that voice. It sounds reasonable, possibly creative, but if I spend the afternoon chasing ink, I don’t write.
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to create a way through procrastination.
For this week, notice your ink-making.
Listen for what you say right before you put something off. Look for the ways you try to create the right conditions before you begin. Be nice to yourself, maybe even smile, because sometimes our brains are adorable little escape artists.
You might even say, “Oh, interesting, I’m making ink.”
I’ll be cheering you on.
Interested in learning more about coaching? Don’t procrastinate! 😉 Send me a message @paigekullmancoaching@gmail.com and we’ll set up a time to talk about it.
