Sunday, September 11, 2005

Read This Later

Who would’ve thought? I have moved into a state of procrastinating flow. I have taken procrastinating to the next level. I am procrastinating doing what I was procrastinating doing in place of what I was originally procrastinating to avoid doing in the first place.

Had I had this higher plane of procrastination as a goal, it would not, could not have happened. Such is an oxymoron—that would have been a procrastination commitment. The achievment here is procrastination raised exponentially. I have earned my proverbial procrastination wings. I am a procrastinating pro.

It’s not that I can’t make or keep a commitment. I've decided that today I’m just procrastinating about fulfilling it. It’s immaturity, and I’m enjoying it. A little irresponsibility is sometimes good for the soul.


Ironically as part of my distraction, I researched procrastination while in the act of procrastinating my research on commitment, which was the part of my procrastinating the writing of a book and a letter I haven’t finished yet. Even while researching I skipped the procrastination data I might use. Instead I let these quotes and tidbits do. I’ll research the rest in the next day or two.
In the meantime here are the tidbits, hope you find them inspiring. Maybe you need a weekend too.

Procrastination means never having to say you're sorry.Toni Epstein, New York

Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.—Napoleon Hill

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. George Carlin

Disorder and procrastination help avoid boredom; one never has the feeling that there is nothing important to do.Unknown

And the WINNNER IS:

The Procrastinator's Creed

  1. I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.
  2. I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.
  3. I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.
  4. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.
  5. I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.
  6. I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.
  7. I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though infinitesmally small, is not exactly zero.
  8. If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.
  9. I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.
  10. I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.
  11. I obey the law of inverse excuses which demands that the greater the task to be done, the more insignificant the work that must be done prior to beginning the greater task.
  12. I know that the work cycle is not plan/start/finish, but is wait/plan/plan.
  13. I will never put off until tomorrow, what I can forget about forever.
  14. I will become a member of the ancient Order of Two-Headed Turtles (the Procrastinator’s Society) if they ever get it organized.

I’d write a pithy ending, but that can wait. I’m into procrastinating Zen. It’s Moody Blues In Search of the Lost Chord, Track 12, “Om”. That should take a while . . . then there’s a nap . . . another shower . . . dinner . . . Oh yeah, sorry there's no photo, but I guess you can figure out why.

    —me strauss Letting me be

    20 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    I was going to comment but then I thought, nah, do it tomorrow...

    :D

    Tmehlai, by the way.

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Yeah, I know what you mean.

    Thanks for letting me know. gdtofp to you too.

    Anonymous said...

    "Never put off commenting until tomorrow if you can do it the day after just as well" Mark Twainblogger

    iotomb (I think that is actually a real word - it's where you bury a computer programmer)

    Anonymous said...

    Hey... I was going to reply sooner but I couldn't muster the energy.

    I would have laughed more but I didn't want to work the muscles.

    I'm so lazy today I'm not even going to finish

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Ned,
    It took me a while to think of a reason to get up the energy to think up a reason to say thank you. Not that I'm not grateful, just that my timing is going that way and I had to take a nap first you know.

    I will pray at the iotomb of Finnegann the folk hero of HTML. I wish you oevpp.

    Liz

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Mark,
    I don't blame you why do sooner what you might do later or later than that? You might even think about it tomorrow. Don't call it lazy. Call it having a weekend. :)

    Smiles,
    Liz

    Anonymous said...

    Liz:
    There is procrastination as is in laziness, and lack of will or commitment, and then is procrastination as in, "I putting this off because I need to clear my head and recharge. And so sometimes I won't take care of something right then and there, but I'll go and see a movie, or take a stroll, or a drive, or a hike, or just sit for hours doing nothing. When I procrastinate in that way, I find I have three times the energy to tackle what I need to do. Anyway, thought I'd check in. I'm really beginning to find your blog a real uplift to the day.
    Scot

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Scot,
    That is the coolest compliment.
    Thank you.

    Actually, I'll be talking more about procrastination this week. I do what you do too. A friend taught it to me. It helps a lot to recharge the batteries.

    smiles--bigger now,
    Me-Liz

    Anonymous said...

    I have taken this post to heart this weekend..I was totally lazy, and could not have procrastinated more! Now, I have some cleaning to do later on..blah! LOL

    Hugs to you,
    Sarah

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Sarah!
    How great to see you.

    Nice to know that you had such a good weekend. You know real procrastination is truly an artform.

    smiles,
    Liz

    Anonymous said...

    I'll, uh. . .

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Popeye!
    I have a friend who quotes you all of the time.

    Cool!

    Anonymous said...

    This post made my sides ache from laughing, the comments too. I have put off so much this weekend…what is it they say? The task always expands to fill up the time that is allotted for it. Something like that, ya. So if I have all week end to do it, I will generally get to it around nine forty-five pm, on Sunday, keeps the task manageable.

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Hey Lori,
    Made you laugh! I like that. You should see me sitting up. :) I wrote the darn letter.

    Sunday is funday for me. Apparently Technorati read my post because it just decided to procrastinate recognizing me.

    Go figure.

    smiles,
    Liz

    Anonymous said...

    "Procrastination is the THIEF of time." That was stuck on my desk throughout secondary school. Didn't help much but I scored marks during A-levels when i completed this saying during the start of a lecture. At least something good came out of this saying.

    I like this article.

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Thank you Edina,
    When we can find a purpose for our procrstination and use it to our addvantage that is always good.

    smiles,
    Liz

    Anonymous said...

    I'm hung up on completing one small task that allows me to complete two tasks that bring money in my direction. However, in order to do the first task, I need another procrastinator to send me some information that I should have received from him last month.

    Oh, woe is me!

    I thought I was an incorrigible procrastinator, but today I am the recipient of procrastikarma and considering changing my wicked ways!

    Good post!

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Hey Zilla,
    Did you look at this list? Coesn't anybody listen to me? It aid "Read this later." :)

    I'm getting the feeling that all writers are procrastinaors or at least think they are.

    Procrastikarma, I like that.

    smiles,
    Liz

    Anonymous said...

    Well, I promised I would comment today, so here I am. Procrastination is actually my specialist subject; I have a master's in it. But it has to be used as a tool (which reminds me of Scot's comment - wise words indeed). I use procrastination to heap pressure upon myself until something just has to be done. I work best under pressure, you see. Or so I tell myself...

    "ME" Liz Strauss said...

    Gone!
    I thought you meant the other tomorrow . . .You know the one that never comes. What a disciplined guy you are. Definitely not a procrastinaholic.

    :D