1. to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.
[Origin: 1580–90; < L prōcrāstinātus (prōcrāstināre to put off until tomorrow)
Dictionary.com Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Procrastination, it defines me. Just the thought of tackling an insurmountable task spins me into a frenzy. It always has, at least since I can remember. "Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?" has become my personal unspoken mantra.
First, I will think about the task at hand. Then, I think of all else that needs to be done before this can be done. For example, in college if I had a paper to write or an exam to study for, I would have to pick up any items laying around in the dorm room, and later the apartment, that were somewhere they didn't belong.
Put this in its place, put this in its place, put this in its place.
All the while walking around discovering new things that needed to be done. Change the air filter. Oh, take out the garbage. Empty the garbage cans, empty the refrigerator of any out-of-date pickles, relish, ketchup - yes! ketchup has an expiration date! Throw out dark green, slimey water in a bag that halfway stuck to the bottom of the crisper leaving striations of greens. How on earth could it have gotten like this? Oh well. Must clean the fridge. Huh, top of the fridge is awful dusty. Take it all down and dust, dust it all and put it all back up. Clean the counters, stove, microwave - oh, in the microwave, the fridge door, is that a spider web on the ceiling? Uh - bulb out - laundry room, change the bulb. Oh yeah, clothes in the dryer. Fluff for a few minutes. What was I doing? Oh yeah, kitchen.
Aaaaah! Kitchen clean. Hm.
Paper.
Computer screen dusty. So's the keyboard...
As so it goes. Before I know it all the furniture has been moved around, I have brand new sheets on my bed, my dog is squeaky clean, I've showered and shaved with a new razor - because there is nothing better than egyptian cotton sheets straight from the dryer - and a perfectly clean, and hairless me - not to mention a sparkling new apartment.
2 a.m. Slide into bed. Mmmmmuuh! (My voiceless command for my truely loyal dog, Jake, to hop onto my bed and lay his sweet head on the pillow next to mine as I drift off to sleep listening to the sound of his breath slow as he drifts off to where he chases rabbits, I assume, and barks with his mouth closed, and runs laying down.
PROCRASTINATION ACCOMPLISHED.
No comments:
Post a Comment