Raise your hand if you like procrastination!
Who among us hasn’t faced time management challenges?
There's a list of things I KNOW are a waste of time: organizing my pens, sorting Christmas ornaments, making my own pie crusts, Facebook. Of course, the knowing doesn't mean I actually avoid those activities, I just feel regret when I’m done.
There are other decisions which in the moment I believe will be useful and yet in hindsight were pointless: curling my hair, gym membership, washing the car in spring, arguing politics.
But all of those “losses” seem to even out with the unearned wins: front row parking, a new checkout lane opening, a propitious meeting, an empty dishwasher.
However, I’m just now admitting the ugly truth that my favorite time is always the last minute. I enjoy deadlines because I like to race, even when it’s just me against the clock. I often procrastinate so I can make a decision under pressure.* Whether it’s putting a meal on the table, cranking out work for project, or planning a party, it’s the final moments where I shine.
I crush the last minute.
Why am I telling you this?
I think procrastination has a bad name. Certainly procrastination is a dangerous friend when it comes to categories such as travel, long-range planning, filing your taxes (I owe my accountant a gift basket FOR SURE!), but I must confess it’s not all bad. In fact, with a bunch of little things, I think the last minute is my friend. When I'm really honest, I love a well-timed, only-semi-dangerous dose of procrastination.
There.I said it. I feel much better.
Who is with me?
(*Side Note: If you’re a Myers-Briggs person, this is the “P” -versus the “J”- part of my personality.)