Wednesday, December 29, 2010

'Tis The Time For Procrastinatin' - An Old Tireish Sayin'

"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
~C. Northcote Parkinson, 1958

"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing."
~Eva Young

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday."
~Don Marquis


There seems to be more procrastination going on in December than any other month, particularly the last two weeks of the month. The only other time that even comes close is just before taxes are due around the middle of April. Is it because we are so busy with other things? Naw. It's that we don't want to think about it. We have other things on our mind. Even if it is something we need, our need is a relative thing.
 
I have loved the quote from C Northcote Parkinson that work expands to fill the time allotted for it. Give it more time, and it just absorbs it with no end. We just love putting the thinking about something off. But why?
 
I have a theory. It is because we don't know what to do. Here's an interesting quote that helps with this: "A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure." -- Lee Segall. More choices, more thinking, more unsureness, more discussion, more procrastination, claiming to want more information to make a decision. But, I find that what it really comes down to is an unwillingness to make a decision. What I have found about decisions in my wisdom years is that they are freeing and exhilarating! They make the earth move! They release all anguish and turmoil and it doesn't even matter if it may even not be the "right" decision, but it is the act of deciding that is so wonderful.
 
If we can accept that decision making is freeing and creates movement, then procrastination is like a drain clog, stopping up the sink. It keeps filling up until you can't fill it up anymore, then you are forced to make a decision at a time and circumstance that is far less enjoyable. Making decisions quickly is like keeping that drain open and running freely.

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