Last week, I faced two big deadlines. Both projects were important and needed to be done quickly and done well. My professional reputation was on the line. I canceled my weekend plans and ignored the sunny weather to chain myself to the computer and get these assignments done.

Then a funny thing happened: As I stared out the window instead of focusing on the computer screen, I wondered about the nature of procrastination. The art of wasting time had nothing to do with either project, yet I felt this strong desire to know more about procrastination immediately.

Those projects would just have to wait.

I stopped pretending to work and Googled “procrastination.” (What did time wasters do before Google?) In case you were wondering, here are a few of the tips I found:

• 10 Ways to Counter Your Procrastination (Marty Nemko)
• Ending Procrastination (Psychology Today)
• Problem With Procrastination? Try This: Do Nothing. (The Happiness Project)

 

Eventually I finished those two important projects. Don’t ask me how many hours I wasted Googling stuff, watching “Smashed” and “Once Upon a Time” on Hulu and just goofing off.

I’ve learned my lesson. No more procrastination. The next time I need to complete something, like writing a blog post, I’m going to focus and get it done.

Hmmm, I wonder what’s new on Pinterest …

Denise Felder