Better late

In defense of procrastination

October 9, 2008

Articles, Nu Magazine - October 9, 2008

“Procrastination is the thief of time,” says a philosopher — Edward Young — from the 1700s.

Often, procrastination is portrayed as a detrimental attribute when in truth, it is a talent. A good procrastinator can put a task off until the very last minute and still complete it on time.

As summer neared its end and the school year approached, many resolutions came to mind:

“I am going to actually read all of my summer-reading assignments before school starts this year.”

“I will finish that project I started two years go.”

“I will stop procrastinating.” (Getting realistic here.)

To most, these are all too familiar (except to those meticulous time-managers among us).

But is procrastinating really wasting time?

You are obviously doing something with that time; it may not be what is generally considered “constructive,” but to you, it is important enough to take precedence over that thing you have to do.

It is a matter of priorities.

To others, your priorities may be mixed up, but the most important thing is that they are clear to you.

It is your time.

There are many things that “steal” time away from us: reading a book, watching TV, or even staring into space (my personal favorite).

A common argument against procrastinating is that the time “wasted” is gone forever. What that view fails to consider is that while procrastinating, you are doing things you would have done, just at a later time; that book would have gotten read anyway, that TV show watched, that time spent doing nothing.

It’s relaxing.

It certainly feels good while you are doing it. You are, after all, stimulating your mind. The tasks are simply done in a different order, one that feels more comfortable.

Then there is the inevitable stress factor.

It is a week before school begins and you have two novels to read and two analytical essays to write.

It is the night before your term paper is due and you still need to compile your notes into a coherent paper.

It is 3 a.m. and you still need to study for a major test later that day.

You may not get any sleep that night or that week but the sound of your heart pounding in your ears and your blurred vision through blood-shot eyes push you forward… one more page… one more sentence, and then; done.

It always gets completed in the end. You have completed your task with not a minute to spare— the sense of accomplishment is unparalleled. It is exhilarating.

The best part is, it doesn’t need to be an unhealthy addiction. To many, the best way to get a job done is with the deadline looming. It adds excitement to an otherwise mundane task. The game is seeing just how far you can push yourself.

Speaking as an experienced practitioner, procrastinating is not harmful. It is merely an alternate way of functioning.

In today’s society it is optional to many to be a type-A obsessive-compulsive-time-managing type, however people need to accept the other variety of people; procrastinators.

Batya Rosenblum, 17, attends Bruriah High School and is a member of Nu’s teen board.