The Art of Procrastination

According to Webster, procrastination means: To put off taking action until a future time.

Hmmm…I had to look the word up because I decided today, I would spend the day procrastinating and I wanted to make sure I did it correctly.

So far so good.

Earlier this morning I made a list of all of the things I should be doing and promptly put the list under my pillow, and went outside to drink my morning coffee.

I spent exactly 21 minutes procrastinating and it wasn’t near as easy as I thought it should be. Most of the time, I was thinking about all of the things I really, really needed to get done. And a fly landed in my coffee.

At that point, I decided it was time to contemplate a proper procrastinating procedure, before actually attempting to properly procrastinate. So… I washed my morning dishes and put a load of wash in the dryer.

I went back outside with a fresh cup of coffee and quickly realized flies do not understand, or apparently care, about my need for a full day of procrastination. And, clearly, they like coffee.

I came back in the house, got new fly strips for the porch, and changed out all of the old ones, poured myself another cup of coffee, and headed for the living room. I thought if perhaps I turned on a good movie, I would be able to get some serious procrastinating done.

There isn’t much worth watching on a weekend morning, so I put it on a DIY network and watched some woman tear down the inside of a huge house…and put it back together in one hour. I also folded and put away my laundry, vacuumed the floor, and dusted.

It was at this moment, I realized I suck at procrastinating and it’s not my fault. I’ve been taught since I was a little kid to get my chores done when they’re supposed to be done. “Don’t put off until tomorrow what needs doing today,” is one of my mama’s favorite sayings.

I retrieved my “to do” list from under my pillow, only to realize I had completed most of it.

Hmmm…I added 15 more things to the list and promptly went to work. Halfway through my second new chore, I came across a book I’ve been wanting to read for quite some time now.

That was at 9:30 this morning, it is now nearly midnight and I just finished reading my book.

I technically can’t say I spent the majority of the day procrastinating because by definition, I wanted to read that book and I didn’t put it off to a future time.

I’m going to attempt procrastinating again tomorrow. I’m sure it will prove just as difficult as it did today. But, lucky for me, the book I just finished is the first in a trilogy.