I have a stack of things I want to tackle that’s at least a foot high.

I have high priority, low priority, and just about every priority on the scale in between.

I KNOW that I should be working… but sometimes, when there’s so much to do, it’s way too easy to procrastinate. FreeCell looms large on my computer, begging me to cave in to the distraction. The latest bunch of books I bought at Amazon are whispering that they want to be read. Play some games, make some tea, fiddle with the Kindle, surf the web… all the distractions seem more appealing than my actual work.

So, what to do when there’s so much to do you’re procrastinating even starting?

• Recognize what’s happening.
• Deal with it.
• Force yourself to work.

Which is exactly what I’m going to do now.

Right after I make myself a cup of tea.

DOH!

Today my friend and I went to a fountain pen turning class at Lee Valley. It was a ton of fun, and I walked out with my very own hand-turned fountain pen.

I have, for more than a week, been trying to get some resolution from the hotel I mentioned in earlier posts by telephone. I was, I suppose, of the belief that a phone call would be more effective than email. And in some cases it is. But today, out of frustration, I pulled open a Google search to dig out some relevant email addresses. I sent an email to the Assistant Manager I had been dealing with, and copied the email to the hotel’s General Manager AND the customer relations department of the hotel chain’s head office.

A half a dozen phone messages couldn’t get a call back from the hotel in six days. An email worked within six minutes. Not only did I receive a phone call, but my issues were resolved nearly instantly.

What was in the email? Simply a note to say that I was dismayed with the lack of contact, that I thought I had been lied to when the hotel management said they would quickly resolve the issue, and a promise to share my negative experience on hotel review sites on the Web. I believe that it was the fact that the mail was sent to his superiors rather than the content of the message that spurred the Hotel manager into action, but the accusation of deception and dishonesty on the part of the hotel probably helped as well.

In any case, all’s well that ends well. And as a final takeaway, I’ve learned the power of a well distributed email to achieve results.

I have nothing against Hotels.com. Up until last weekend, I thought they served a useful purpose. But I’ve learned my lesson, and from here on, while I may find a hotel at Hotels.com or Expedia, I will be booking directly through the hotel.

Here’s why.

Last weekend I stayed at a hotel I booked through Hotels.com (Hotels.ca actually). During my stay, my laptop and other electronics were stolen from the hotel room. If I had booked my room directly through the hotel, I would not have had to pay for my stay because of the incident, according to the hotel manager.

However, because the room was booked and paid for through Hotels.com, they were not equipped to refund me directly. They could refund the money to Hotels.com, but there would be no reassurance that any of that money would make it back to me. Ever.

I now understand that while booking through a middleman may seem convenient, when things go wrong that extra company in the middle makes things far more inconvenient in the long run.

So from now on, I’ll find my hotel online, but book directly by phone. Odds are, by booking directly I’ll probably save money as well.