What's the link between birth date and procrastination?

Procrastination- is it putting things off, or letting yourself be distracted by the beauty of your surroundings? Either way, this hummingbird seems fine with taking a minute.

I've done it. I've finally answered the question of why I don't jump into getting a job done. Why I wait until push finally comes down to shove, then scramble to finish things at the last minute.

Like I said, I have the answer. I was born during Procrastination Week. Yes, that’s right. I came into the world during a two-week span of time dedicated to the fine art of putting things off. I would have arrived earlier, but delayed the big event by a couple of weeks. Anyway, I am vindicated, or is that just another excuse?

After recovering from the shock of my discovery, I did a little research. Feel free to substitute procrastinating.

It turns out every year, the first two weeks in March, are set aside in honour of the fine art of dawdling over getting things done. In reality, Procrastination Week lasts two weeks because the date changes annually. I guess its creators never hammered down a set time. After all, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

The knowledge that National Procrastination Week starts sometime during the next few days, means there is no end to what I can postpone. Imagine the pile of pressures I can push aside. The possibilities are endless.

Behold . . . the power to say no:

· No to laundry

· No to dishes

· No to vacuuming

Visualize it . . .

At least until you’re buried under a pile of dirty clothes, or crawl out of bed to find you can’t satisfy your coffee addiction until you've excavated a cup from under a mountain of grimy dishes. Then there’s the reality of what happens after two weeks of no vacuuming in a house with cats.

Hmm. So I won't put those on my procrastination list. I’ll put cleaning up emails on it instead, except, I already put that off. That's why it takes me all day to sort my inbox. Why did I subscribe to a newsletter for gas fireplaces? I never thought I had an addiction to BTUs or keeping up with the newest, greatest advances in burner sizes.

To be honest, everyone procrastinates now and then. That's why our To Do lists get longer and our piles of stuff grow higher. Procrastination is so widespread that quotes about it grow like weeds in a forgotten garden.

As Calvin and Hobbes creator, Bill Watterson, said:

“A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.”

So why is it so easy to put things off? I’m not sure, I’ll look into it tomorrow.

While I'm at it I’ll try to ignore the words of Stephen King:

“The scholar's greatest weakness: calling procrastination research.”

After all:

"Procrastination always gives you something to look forward to."

Joan Konner

Celebrate Procrastination Week — March 6-12, 2023

It’s a thing. What are you putting off?

Coming Soon

Happy March!

P.S.

I'm looking for pre-readers for A Path of Fire. Let me know if you are interested and I will hook you up with a copy.

- Carol