I hope I am not the only one to see the irony of a daily writing challenge on procrastination. I mean, “Give me a break!”
What’s next, a prompt on how many resolutions you’ve managed to keep so far this year? Procrastination is a right!!
Okay! I’ve had a rough couple of weeks, but I feel much better now that I’ve let off a little steam. So, the pros and cons of procrastination are our topics today.
Merriam-Webster online defines procrastination in two ways.
First: to put off intentionally and habitually
Second: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done
The pros and cons of the first definition seem to be fairly clear. The possible pro for the procrastinator looks fairly simple. If I put something off long enough, someone else will do it for me, or the situation will take care of itself somehow.
The con, of course, would be like the storage space in many of our homes. There is no more space because I’ve procrastinated so long about deciding to sell, donate or throw away things that there is no room for anything else. So, I’ll rent some storage space.
The second brings up a slightly different response for me. Just because something should be done does not mean it should be done immediately. Take fall in north Texas and many other places.
The leaves will drop. You may need to clean them up at some point. Still, do you need to clean them up right now? In Texas, the answer, in my opinion, is likely to be no. If you blow, bag, mulch, or whatever you choose, you’ll do it again in another day or two.
So, “procrastinating” may save you some time and energy. The older we get, that becomes more and more important, at least the energy angle does.
In wrapping this up, I am not suggesting everyone “procrastinate” completing projects or whatever just because fate, luck, or strong wind may eliminate most of a problem. On the other hand, thoughtful consideration of an issue is not procrastination unless the consideration is, “How long can I put this off before I am sleeping on the couch?”
© oneoldcop.com 2023
@jacksonseric
Is there a February writing prompt?
I hope not, this daily grind, or playing catch up is hard on old guy like me.
I’m not good with essays. Writing about certain topics for the sake of writing…I wind up staring at a blank screen, mind wandering. I’m so boring, anyway.
I understand, but for years I was writing about things because they needed to written about, not because they meant anything to me. These prompts make me think about other approaches and writing in a way that will, hopefully, get the point across within the attention of the social media crowd.
Ooooo…that’s a tall order. Lots of luck with that crowd.