Ffolkes,
Procrastination has always been my friend, at least most of the time. All my life, I remember putting off homework and school assignments until the very last minute. I always thought that by reading the material a short time before the test, it was freshly memorized, and I remembered more of it than if I had read it the night before. I also sort of enjoyed the sense of panic and purpose that goes along with meeting a deadline at the last possible moment. Since I was valedictorian of my high school class, and carried a solid 3.9 GPA, it must have worked fairly well.

The method doesn’t work quite as well at the University level, as the depth of knowledge needed for excellent performance is much greater than at the HS level; the material must be absorbed, not merely memorized, in order to demonstrate true understanding of the subject at hand. But there too, many were the times I’d put off an assignment to the last possible minute, and still was able to meet the deadline. I guess one could say that I refined the technique, paring off the useless slough, yet keeping the edge of desperation so necessary to successful completion of any project on time. My grades were not as good as in high school, due in part to the social factors of living in Berkeley during the 1960’s, which rather distracted me (and a lot of people my age) into choosing social expression in lieu of studying. But more importantly, my procrastination was not eliminated, but rather made slicker, and more efficient.

This refinement continued throughout my work career, where I learned again that, oddly enough, my work was more efficient when I forced myself to get it done quickly. I seem to have developed a state of mind that enters panic mode when needed, using the feeling of desperate haste to drive my thoughts into the channel that serves best to complete the required actions. When finished, the panic goes away, and I’m left with the usually excellent results, and more positive reinforcement of my procrastinating behavior. Now that I’m retired, I find myself continuing the habit, which has always served me well. There is no real proof as yet that it is less useful now, but there are certainly enough opportunities to practice, for sure.

     So, we’ll see how it goes, and I’ll decide later whether or not to continue with it, or try to become one of those folks who never waits to the last minute. I guess only time will tell…….and the longer I wait to make the decision, the more obvious becomes my choice……

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

Kowabunga!