Historically, for human beings, procrastination has not been regarded as a bad thing. The Greeks and Romans generally regarded procrastination very highly. The wisest leaders embraced procrastination and would basically sit around and think and not do anything unless they absolutely had to…
— Law professor Frank Partnoy, quoted in “Why Procrastination is Good for You” in Smithsonian Magazine, July 2012.
“Why do we procrastinate?”
Professor Irwin Corey, the World’s Greatest Authority, would probably break this question down into its two essential parts. The first and most challenging part is, “Why…?”
Humankind has been pondering the question, “Why…?” since time immemorial. Statesmen, philosophers, educators, scientists… and the intellectuals who write articles on news websites… have been asking this ultimate question, going back to the days of the cave-dwelling Neanderthals. (Except the Neanderthals pronounced the question, “Groog…?”)
Given the ridiculously small amount of web-server disc space allocated to my Daily Post humor articles, it would be ludicrous for me to delve into the ultimate question, “Why?”
Please note, I am not avoiding the answer due to procrastination, per se, but out of pure practicality. Practicality should never be confused with procrastination, even when they appear identical.
The second part of the question is much easier to address. “…do we procrastinate?” The simple answer is “Yes.”
As a long-time practitioner, I can write about procrastination with some authority. I have been procrastinating, on one level or another, since I was in diapers. In fact, that was the very reason I was wearing diapers. But my sophistication quickly grew, to include improper warehousing of toys, late homework, deferred lawn mowing, and eventually, the postponement of bill paying, tax filing and oil changes.
But my well-honed and ongoing ability to put things off until “tomorrow” applies only to certain types of activities. I hardly ever put off eating, for example. Especially chocolate cake. I visit my Facebook account at least ten times a day. I wouldn’t think of deferring a nap, once the idea has entered my mind.
But vacuuming? Washing the dishes? Mailing the alimony check?
“Tomorrow” is way too soon. Certain things can wait almost forever. And deserve to.
The psychologists who study this type of thing… whenever they get around to it, when they’re not checking text messages… generally focus on the individual procrastinator.
“Why does Louis procrastinate?” they might ask, rhetorically or otherwise.
And Louis might respond, “Why are you picking on me? You were supposed to have your doctoral thesis finished five years ago.” (Does Louis sound a bit defensive? I think so.)
But I think there’s a larger question that hardly ever gets asked. Tomorrow comes and goes, and psychologists (and other concerned individuals) consistently fail to ask, “Is there a good reason for procrastination? Would our world actually be in worse shape if everybody accomplished every job in a timely manner?”
I presume this question remains unasked, because the concerned individuals who ought to be asking it, are madly working their way through their “To Do” lists, instead of sitting on the front porch watching the clouds roll by.
If only they were Greeks, or Romans.
If you spend some time researching procrastination, as I have been doing this morning instead of putting away the massive pile of laundry sitting on my bed, you will find that some very famous people who were also famous procrastinators. Leonardo da Vinci, for example, is known today as one of the geniuses of the Italian Renaissance — but back in 1495, he had a reputation as a worthless daydreamer who never finished a project on time. One story has him commissioned to produce a major art piece for a church in Milan, and he told them, “No problem. I’ll have it for you in six months.” He delivered the piece 25 years later.
But in the meantime, he drew sketches of helicopters and submarines, which would finally become a reality 450 years later. Can we honestly call that “procrastination”?
To paraphrase a very paraphrasable phrase, one man’s ‘procrastination’ is another man’s ‘inspiration’. (Or is it ‘perspiration’? I get words confused when I’m paraphrasing.)
One thing that gets left out of the whole procrastination discussion, however, is the inestimable value of the work that doesn’t get done.
Certain types of activities are absolutely necessary. Eating. Taking naps. Filing income tax returns. (Note: April 15 is Income Tax Day.)
Other types of activities are pointless, or worse. Making your bed, for example. What good does it do, to make your bed? You’re just going to mess it up again. I sincerely doubt that Leonardo da Vinci ever made his bed. He was too busy painting the Mona Lisa. (Reportedly, it took him more than 12 years to finish that painting.)
An awful lot of procrastination results from other people asking you, or telling you, to do something ‘right away’, that probably should never be done at all.
For instance, I wish President Bush had understood the value of procrastination, when they told him he needed to start a war in Iraq.
If only… he’d told them, “No problem. I’ll get that going right away…” and then had taken a nap instead, and forgot all about it.
Sometimes, procrastination is the very best option.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all.