Writers are especially good at this. Write a sentence. Get up and get a few chocolate chips out of the already opened bag. Erase the sentence and write another sentence. Dust the dining room table. Call a friend. Write a sentence. Read it aloud. Go to the grocery store.
Lazy people, on the other hand, will simply admit they're lazy. "I don't like to work, so I don't."
I'm not lazy, but I do like to procrastinate. I think there's a bit of an adrenalin rush with procrastination. Have I procrastinated too long? Will I even be able to do this in time? Am I failing?
No. I seem to like the pressure of the deadline. I have a sense of the exact moment I need to begin. HAVE TO BEGIN.
What helps me most with reading papers is the thought that I can sit in a cozy, warm place with my purple pen and read/comment for a living. It's luxurious to be able to teach writing. It's a hot bath compared to most jobs I can think of.
And I have read some papers.
You wrote a blog post too as you procrastinated. I love chaos. Really it is toxic but I seem to create it with all my callings, work and relationships. I would function best in a hurricane.
ReplyDeleteSo really all those times I've said "I work best under pressure" I wasn't just making up excuses for having procrastinated? I must confess there are actual times I have procrastinated but it always has to do with things I REALLY don't want to do like - go to the dentist, prepare to speak in church, clean the bathroom.I'm always happy when these tasks are completed but take forever to get around doing. I don't recall ever wanting to procrastinate reading a book, eating chocolate or crafting something special, imagine that! I am slowly accepting that I really prefer to get things done in a calm and orderly fashion - that or I am just starting to feel my age. I love Louise that you mark with a purple pen - it seems a gentler way to convey all the corrections that need to be made. I think I would have liked getting my math papers back if they were marked in purple. Happy marking!
ReplyDeleteIs it ok to admit I read your blog to procrastinate my work? Congrats, you are my chocolate chip cookie.
ReplyDeleteWe started calling it constructive avoidance behavior in college. My bathroom was never cleaner than it was during finals week!
ReplyDeleteThe only way I get anything done is by procrastinating first.
ReplyDeleteI want to see the primary poster.
ReplyDeleteOh this is so true. I've always thought that I would never get anything done unless I waited until the very last minute. Or at least, if I didn't wait until the last minute, I would never get anything ELSE done.
ReplyDeleteI have a love/hate relationship with procrastination.