The Art of Procrastination

Webster's Dictionary defines to procrastinate as "to put off intentionally and habitually" or "to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done."

Now, as an educator, I am not glamorizing procrastination. If something needs to be done by a certain time and others are relying on you to complete a task, then so be it and get it done. However, I am not condoning it. Here's why.

I've been called a procrastinator by my own parents. Mostly when I needed their help typing something at 11 PM or to buy craft items at the store on a Sunday night before a Monday due date. Perhaps it was because I needed to clean my room or face consequences and I would wait until the last bitter moment. So basically I am saying that I am pretty familiar with this title, Procrastination Queen.

But as an adult, I am starting to see some benefits to procrastination. I get "writer's block" a lot before I need to create something. A few days before it needs to be finished, my wheels are turning, but they are not catching on anything that I am ready to develop. My stress level is still low, so I will just put it aside and work on something else.

After those few days go by and now I have only one day to complete something, I start to feel a pressure. But for me, this pressure comes in an art form. I feel more inspired; things are clear; ideas present themselves. It's just how my brain seems to work!

Then after I present my "procrastinated product" with bells on, people congratulate me and ask me how I was able to put something like this together. I often stray from the truth and cough it up to long term hard work. But as you now know, this is not true.

So to be honest, I do practice the art of procrastination and it works! Am I alone in this? I doubt it. Comment below!

(My colleague, Kerry, just said, "Girl, you just whipped that up in two seconds. Not me!" BTW, I changed this blog title 3 times.)