I would have had it done sooner, but I did other things instead. Some of these other things include: sleeping, eating, watching YouTube videos, working, "chillin," writing other blogs, more eating, and cleaning. I knew I needed to eventually put my thoughts down about an issue very important to me. The other things that got in the way of my work are just another example of me as a procrastinator. I am a procrastinator and despite my best laid plans, the procrastinator will be back.
Recently, my attention was directed toward an article in The New Yorker entitled, "Later: what does procrastination tell us about ourselves." It was an interesting piece in that it approached the issue of procrastination as a study in human psychology and philosophy. I related to much of what was said in the article and the following blog will explore some of my own experiences with procrastination.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/10/11/101011crbo_books_surowiecki?currentPage=1
Not everybody who procrastinates is constantly aware the he or she is a procrastinator. Perhaps more accurately, not all procrastinators are always in a state of belief that they are procrastinating. I for one, have almost certainly always procrastinated throughout my adult life. However, there was a time when I was in denial about this fact. Most often my unwillingness to perform certain actions was explained by false claims of superior efficiency under strict deadlines or arguments based on proper relaxation required before attempting work. I've most certainly had a way about me and how I approach certain problems.
When I think of procrastination I immediately associate it with my journey through school. Nowhere was I aware of my procrastination more so than when I was in college. Something about the freedom, the loose and seemingly distant deadlines, and the abundant amount of beer, created a situation where procrastination was inevitable. Let me run through a typical circumstance in which I would be guilty of procrastination:
I studied philosophy in college and as is such, my courses were generally structured by a large amount of reading and several essays due throughout the quarter. The reading assigned to us would cover most of the course curriculum and our essay assignments were meant to assess our assimilation and grasp of the concepts found in the reading. This is how school usually works. Read this, write that, answer this, repeat, and rinse.
I was only in class for a few hours each week, so much of my free time was taken up with the assigned reading for my courses. I read most of it all. I skimmed most of it all. The problem with reading philosophy papers is that most of the good ones are so damn persuasive. One day the paper you are reading will have you believing that your left arm doesn't really exist, but the next day another paper will have you believing that the left arm is the only thing you can be sure exists, and by the end of the semester you will be convinced that the idea of a "left arm" isn't really that coherent anyway. All this back and forth can be confusing and ultimately leave you stuck in the mud. I read enough to understand what the writer was trying to say.
The real procrastination would come in when it came time to write those darn essays. Most essay assignments were given a deadline/ due date well after the date they were assigned so to allow for ample time to complete. My professors were generous in the amount of time allotted to complete a given assignment. I always waited until the last day.
Rough drafts? who needs rough drafts? If I wasn't going to do it right the first time, why would I do it at all. It's as if they were promoting mediocrity as a stepping stone to success. I don't believe that the artist makes a rough draft of his masterpiece and then revises it the next time around. The artist edits, tweaks, and polishes his work as he/she goes. The end result is unique in that the it represents the creative process as whole besides standing alone as a finished product. That is what my college essays were, pieces of art.
If the assignment was due at 10am on Thursday, I would generally start looking at the essay prompt around 2-4pm on Wednesday. Most times I would plan to work on my assignments during the weekend when I didn't have class, but that never really worked out because I didn't wake up early enough to work on anything on the weekends. Monday and Tuesday was never a good time to do work because I usually front loaded my schedule. The last thing you want to do when you get home from a day in class is write an essay. So, Wednesday it would be. If I got lucky I could put in a few good hours of work before I had to eat. Eating would sometimes lead me in to the living room where television and video game gatherings were common. It would be rude of me to not keep my roommates company.
I'm just babbling on here.... the truth is I don't really feel like writing this as I'm typing it. Not only that, but I'm unprepared. The New Yorker article had a lot of interesting things to say and I will respond to them in brief now.
- philosophers are interested in procrastination because it appears to be an example of individuals doing what is not in their best interest. Often times an individual knows that he/she "should" be doing one thing, but chooses to do another instead because that which he/she "should" be doing is perhaps more difficult or time consuming. No doubt that we are guilty of procrastination when our best interest is ignored for the easier of two options. The article correctly points out that procrastination is not a matter of disregarding our own interests, but rather choosing to follow short term interests as opposed to our long term interests. We know that one action will be more beneficial to us in the long run, but it will bring no pleasure in the short term. Therefore, those actions that will please us right away will often times be chosen ahead of those that will produce pleasure at a later point.
This makes a lot of sense. My experiences with procrastination were generally guided by the comfort and pleasure I would take from any given action in that moment. As a result, those actions that would seemingly bring me comfort and pleasure at an unknown time were often set aside for later.
.....just babbling on some more... really brings me back to my days in school...
The part of the article that I found most interesting is the theories as to why we encounter the phenomenon of procrastination at all. First of all, procrastination, at it's roots seems like a natural process to me. Given the option of satisfying some knowable short term interest versus acting in hopes of reaching a potential long term benefit, it would seem likely that we naturally choose to act toward immediate pleasure first.
Secondly, the end of the article argued that engaging in procrastination may have benefits in that it places the individual in a situation where he/she must come to terms with why they are "supposed" to be doing anything in the first place. Often times, the guilt associated with procrastinating would be washed aways upon further consideration of why I felt the need to do anything at all. For example, sometimes I plan on going to the gym after work for some exercise, but end up playing golf or watching television instead. When I opt for golfing or other leisurely activities instead of the workout I had planned, there is a sense of guilt and reassurance that I will "do it later." If I think about it long enough, I often realize that part of the reason I go to the gym at all is so that I can be a better golfer and eat what I like. What is the point of going to the gym so I can do these things if I don't do them when I have the opportunity. Does this even make sense. Like I said....a work of art.
The truth is I could probably discuss this issue with someone for hours, but writing about it is not nearly as fun. If you ever want to discuss the merits of procrastination with me, I'll be the guy at the gym, or on the golf course, or at the donut shop watching television.
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