Notes on procrastination…
With two weeks to go I finally get access to the Gallery space where I will be showing my work for the Degree Show. In the mean time I have been pottering around sorting the various files I need for assessment. Because I’m a complete geek I am fairly on top of things and am not participating in the mad scramble to accumulate research and make it look like I did it ages ago, and organising files, instead I am fiddling around making it all look smart. I think because these are such silly little jobs I put them off more and more. Its an skill of mine that I have honed over the years. Here are some of my tips on procrastination…
1. Firstly you can procrastinate over any job which needs to be done, I personally specialise in procrastinating over relatively easy jobs that I really should just get on with. Bigger jobs weigh on my mind too much and end up being done sooner rather than later.
2. The best way of procrastinating is by justifying your procrastination by filling your time with other ‘worthy’ tasks.
3. Make lists of things which ‘need’ to be done, with the thing which actually needs to be done at the bottom, so that when you don’t get round to it, at least you have done all these othr things.
4. Cleaning – this is a very important form of procrastination, because it is an important job in its own right and allows you to justify your procrastination. For example this weekend I have done the washing up for everyone in my house. Cleaned the bathroom. Hoovered the living room and done ample amounts of washing.
5. This is sort of linked to cleaning, in that another (slightly less productive) form of procrastination is ‘Feng Shui-ing’ the life out of a room. I told myself recently that I needed to Feng Shui my front room all in order to have friends over for pizza. I managed to spend a good 45mins rearranging the furniture and I very pleased with the result. Successful procrastination!
6. Cooking. I like food and I don’t mind cooking so this is an excellent form of procrastination. Finding especially long recipees is a good tip.
7. Eating. When you have spent such a long time cooking, you obviously then want to savour your food and not rush it. And then of course you may as well have a bottle of wine to go with it.
8. Drinking. Now you have polished off that bottle of wine you can’t possibily do any work, you would make spelling mistakes and errors all over the show!
9. Going out. You are now fairly tipsy so you may as well have some friends round and go out. They need to come and see your beautifully Feng Shui-ed front room anyway!
10. Hangover. Its not your fault and you will not be productive unless you sleep it off fully.
11. Gym. A little bit of self-punishing exercise for all the food and drink you have consumed and your probably appalling behaviour last night.
12. Blogging. If you want to avoid work, why not just write about work, or not doing work on a blog.
So thats just a few ways you can procrastinate. I am now going to do some washing and start making an excessively lavish lunch. Happy procrastinating!
