We all know how hard it is to get important work done sometimes. We know it's there, staring us in the face and waiting to be completed, but for some reason we just don't want to think about it. We can't get motivated enough to just rally ourselves and be done with it. The technical term for this is procrastination: the simple act of putting off work until later.
However, procrastination can go one step farther when we start having fun while avoiding our work. This is called procrasturbation. Now, some might say that this term only applies to a specific pleasurable act in conjunction with the putting off of work, but I think the definition is more broad than that. When one procrasturbates, it means you're having fun in spite of all the work piled in front of you. Procrastination, in contrast, does not necessarily involve fun, but only the wasting of time.
I myself have become a master of procrasturbation. I leave myself just enough time to get projects done without compromising my sleeping or eating patterns. Don't misunderstand, though. This isn't really something to be proud of, but rather a simple fact — a force of nature that cannot be controlled or stopped. Of course, just as rain and wind can be usefully harnessed without necessarily controlling them, so too can procrasturbation. If you're going to do things you enjoy, make sure they're useful to you in some way, even if they don't directly relate to the work you're putting off.
For example:
-Good exercise: Lots of people actually enjoy breaking a sweat and getting the blood flowing, and the old adage about a sound body leading to a sound mind is really pretty true. Exercising relieves stress, stress which is likely brought on by a large workload. Anything you can do to reduce that stress and get your head back in the game is worth it. Coupling it with loud music can also help get you pumped and ready to tear into those nagging assignments as well.
-A hearty meal: One of the most satisfying ways to procrasturbate is eating a good meal. I can remember lots of days from elementary school all the way through college where I put off work while I shoveled food into my mouth. Even though it's a good way to stall, it still serves a purpose. The less hungry you are while you're writing your last-minute term paper, the more likely you are to get it done right, and quickly. You won't be inclined to take breaks, either.
-Read: Unless it's Us Weekly or People, most of what we read is good for us, be it a novel, magazine or a newspaper article. It might not be too productive, but at the very least it's engaging your brain, and at the best it's educational. If you're lucky you might glean an idea or two from what you're reading, making your actual project that much easier to complete. And perhaps it's just me, but after every book I finish, I feel a small, but noticeable sense of accomplishment — not enough to pat myself on the back, mind you, but a small sense of satisfaction that I finished something I set out to do. That little push might be all one needs to work up the motivation to finish a project.
So you see? Procrasturbation can actually lead you into productivity and help reduce the mounting stress, while simple procrastination is more likely to lead you into a severe freak out the day before your work is due.
What other ways can one pro-actively procrasturbate?
Miri
10 years ago
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