The Art of Procrastination Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Art of Procrastination    It is three in the morning, and a haggard man puts the finishing touches on a presentation that he has had a month to complete. A bright young boy scurries around the backyard collecting bugs for his big science project due the next morning. A grown woman packs at two in the morning for her six-thirty business trip. A man disappoints his wife with a gift of socks for Christmas, which was all he could find on Christmas Eve. What is wrong with these people? Why do normal, intelligent people fritter their time away; and wait till the last possible moment to do the necessary? In a word, procrastination.    This phenomenon defies logic. Every other ugly duty is "gotten over with." We gulp down our proverbial green beans, always saving the best for last. Retirement comes after work, M&Ms after nasty medicine, and a soak in the tub after you scour it. It follows that every other distasteful job would be treated the same way. Aunt Nelda's birthday present, the big research paper, a visit to the dentist and the cat's bath should be gotten over with like our green beans and medicine For many people, however, they aren't.    Procrastination is not just a bad habit; it is a condition of mind that has some serious causes and consequences. Far too often substandard work is the result of putting things off until the last moment. When we procrastinate, we don't actually enjoy the time we waste. Instead, we add to our stress level by letting a project worry us for an extended period of time. To understand this paradoxical and self-defeating approach to challenging situations, we must assess what the process of procrastination involves. This common practice of wasting time has b... ... thus, my paper will be on her desk by Friday. I call only console myself with the thought that I am not alone.    Procrastinators, however, should take heart. Some of the best things in life wouldn't be the same without procrastination. After all, a good wine isn't a fine wine until it has spent some time in a cool cellar. And a quick stew may be "all right," but a stew that has been procrastinating in the pot all day is worth the wait. The French say that you're not a woman till you're forty -- is this procrastination in disguise? As long as people don't procrastinate for too long, good things do come to those who wait.    Works Cited Plotnik, Rod. Introduction to Psychology. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1993. Rathus, Spencer A. Essentials of Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: Holt, 1989.