It is currently 23 degrees. A mixture of sleet and rain is hitting the rather large egress window in my basement. I am sitting at the computer attempting to work on homework and wondering if a snow day will be announced in the morning. I can only hope, because I have a feeling it will be a late night due to my procrastination on an advanced composition assignment. I would much rather surf the web or play with my dog who has a nightly frenzy at ten p.m. With any luck school will be cancelled so I will be able to complete my homework at my own pace. Fast forward eight hours and I can envision myself, awakened by my mother saying, “No school, you lucky duck!” I’ll sit straight up in bed, fail to believe she was speaking truthfully and go straight to Bryan Karrick, the weatherman on News Channel 8 for verification.
I believe in procrastination. Practiced by all, performed by many, mastered by few, it’s no secret. It can be defined as: delaying action, or to put off until another time. The saying “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today” was coined by J.A. Spender to encourage procrastinators to persevere. In addition, “time management” is the catch phrase that parents, employers and teachers tout to set goals for their subordinates. Some people do not admit they participate in procrastination, but it does exist, it is out there and ignoring it leads to the vicious cycle of procrastination.
I believe procrastination can occur when unfavorable tasks are assigned that we simply do not feel like doing. Procrastination is like an invisible force setting up a barrier between people and their work. It can be a problem especially if it affects others. For example, a group project may be delayed due to the procrastination of one member. It is not laziness or insubordination because most people have every intent on completing the assignment. Sometimes if the deadline is too far in advance people forget or put off what they know they can do later. Disliking a topic, facing conflict, or being fearful of time commitment are many reasons why people procrastinate. On the other hand, I believe procrastination can have a positive outcome for selective people who work more efficiently under pressure. With a smaller time frame people tend to narrow their focus to complete the task or favor at hand.
I believe there are positives and negatives involved with procrastination. There will always be those who feel like it is their duty to solve the problem of procrastination, but for me, I believe I will wait to work on that problem later.