The first confession is that I’m not a former procrastinator; I’m actually avoiding work right now. Aaron Burr would be so proud.
One of my favorite ways to procrastinate is to read articles about why I shouldn’t and studies on how to overcome it. I also clean, which is my husband’s favorite way for me to postpone projects. I’m so predictable, in fact, that after eight years of marriage he no longer states, “I really appreciate your help;” instead, he asks, “So, what do you have due tomorrow?”
The answer to that question currently is nothing, but in the next week to two months, I have a graduate portfolio to create, a parent meeting to plan, an edcamp to advertise, and the Relay for Life team that I co-chair has nothing planned for this year. I could be planning lessons for February and March; instead I’m telling you how I’m going to put it off until February and March.
Good news, everyone! That’s actually a coping strategy.
In my pursuit of semi-justifiable ways to kill time, I stumbled across David McRaney’s blog You Are Not So Smart: A Celebration of Self-Delusion (think “Brain Games” but more metacognitive) and his post on Procrastination. As it turns out, acknowledging that you dawdle is a way to deal with it:
Interestingly, … although almost everyone has problems with procrastination, those who recognize and admit their weakness are in a better position to utilize available tools for precommitment and by doing so, help themselves overcome it.
– Dan Ariely, from his book Predictably Irrational
If you fail to believe you will procrastinate or become idealistic about how awesome you are at working hard and managing your time you never develop a strategy for outmaneuvering your own weakness.
By admitting that I’m going to complete a task moments before it’s due, I’m actually setting myself up to complete the task moments before it’s due.
This is great news for my procrastinators’ support group, namely my friends and family who not only drag their feet when doing work but are highly successful at it. I’m talking college students with 4.0 GPAs, successful businessmen, internationally renowned artists, great teachers and preachers… all of whom complete things at the last possible second.
Instead of viewing our procrastinating proclivities as simply a weakness we’ll never overcome, we can view our metacognition as a strength that compensates for our tendencies.
Are you as comforted by this knowledge as I am, or am I still just making excuses? Let me know in the comments!
As for me, I think there are some dishes I could be putting away…
Sam's Reflections 
Love this! I am so the same. But I also think maybe my brain needs time to process and prep before I sit down to let it all poor out. Yep. That’s my excuse. Makes total sense 🙂
Really though I think you have highlighted an interesting point about any habit or mindset we want to change. Articulating and reflecting on it is most of the work. Has me thinking more about what of like to work on. Thanks.
I think you’re right about processing time. I may not be doing anything until the last minute, but I’m preparing to do it. I’m thinking about it or gathering resources.
I am a huge procrastinator. However, I find that this is the case because long ago I learned that I really, honestly, do my best work under pressure. If I know I have tons of time, it becomes hard for me to really give anything much weight. If I know that it must be done (Under the Gunn *insert Make-it-work moment here*) then it will be completed and it will be great!
BTW Love the subversive Dr. Farnsworth reference!
As the Rolling Stones said “Time is on my side… Yes it is.”
Yes, pressure forces you to make a decision and stick with it. When I start a project early, I can never make up my mind and ending up wasting time on details.
BTW I’m going to try to work in lots of geeky allusions.
Procrastination is better than anti-crastination, I always say. Usually I put off stuff I loathe, like mapping our curriculum. Oh, I enjoy the idea part, the creative part of curriculum — I just hate to roll it out into the parcels that administrators demand. You know, with all that jargon blah, blah, blah that Education, Inc., so loves.
Oddly, I also put off tasks I actually want to do, too, like write and market freelance stuff. Instead, I read (easier) or write in my blog (writing, but not really, because it’s mostly “I to Myself”).
That said, your point is made. One man’s procrastination is another man’s deadline — and deadlines tend to work like nothing else.
I know you say your blog is “I to Myself”, but I get emails when you blog, and I read it. I rarely comment, but I read it.