By Max Phillips • Originally published on Subject2Change
pro·cras·ti·nate
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -nat·ed; -nat·ing
Etymology: Latin procrastinatus, past participle of procrastinare, from pro- forward + crastinus of tomorrow, from cras tomorrow
transitive verb: to put off intentionally and habitually
intransitive verb: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done
—www.webster.com
I looked it up, and they don’t have a picture of me in the dictionary next to the entry for procrastination. But, if they gave awards for the habit, I’d probably have a room dedicated to proudly display my trophies for wins like Biggest Waste of Time, Funniest Excuse for Not Completing a Project, and Best Supporting Procrastinator. Then again, I probably wouldn’t. Rather, they would be piled in a closet somewhere, waiting for me to get around to putting the display together.
I know I’m not the only person guilty of hitting the snooze on a project or task, but I always figured that I was a particularly heinous offender. The fact that I am currently writing this editorial three days past the publication date is supporting evidence. Now that’s procrastination!
I do have some good news (and no, it’s not that I saved a bucket-load of money with the gecko) it turns out I’m not alone in my addiction to off-putting. I have learned that several CHL members are brothers and sisters of mine at Procrastinators Anonymous, and some are worse off than me! I won’t name names, and the details that led to this conclusion are trivial; what’s important here is that we all do it. While this might not help me out in the “getting things done” department, I do take a perverse pleasure in the knowledge that I’m not alone. Also, I’m certainly not at the top of the heap in this category.
Here’s the point: procrastination can have an upside. As you may have noticed, this issue has been published exactly three days late. I take full responsibility for its delay, another fine example of procrastination. However, putting this issue together late has brought to light the fact that our publishing schedule needs some tweaking. As it turns out, the September issue would have been published on the last day of September, which seems just plain silly. Armed with this new knowledge, the editorial team has decided that issues need to publish prior to the month they cover. In other words, this should have been the October issue, not September. To correct this faux pas, we have named this the September-October issue. Future issues will be released the third weekend of the month, starting in October with the release of the November issue.
So there you have it, procrastination has actually brought about positive change for Subject2Change. And while some may scoff at the notion and insist we change our habit of delay, I hold firm to my new mantra: procrastination, it’s a good thing!