NATIONAL PROCRASTINATION WEEK
The first two weeks in March, or when it’s convenient, is National Procrastination Week. Sometimes it gets pushed back on the calendar.
The goal for the week is to celebrate the act of procrastinating by leaving necessary tasks to be done at a later time. There are other purposes for the holiday. One claim is that the week of putting-off provides a mental and emotional break causing a decrease in stress and anxiety.
However, the holiday does not advocate sloth, laziness, or inaction. Instead, it emphasizes accomplishing tasks and leisurely activities that could not be completed while one had other responsibilities. These may include reading, cooking, cleaning, and exercising.
Procrastinate: To put off or delay until a later day or time; waste time; putter around; dawdle; goldbrick; boondoggle; dilly-dally; horse around; lollygag; goof off, etc
Scientists researched the concept of procrastination and concluded in a 2007 study that procrastination is “to voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay.”
“My evil genius Procrastination has whispered me to tarry ’til a more convenient season.” — Mary Todd Lincoln
Five Main Reasons For Procrastination
1. Perfectionism
2. Dislike task or person
3. Too tired
4. Fear of failure, success, or finishing
5. Not part of goals
“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.” – Napoleon Hill
Five Ways To Avoid Procrastination
1. Find the answer to ‘What’s In It For Me.”
2. Chunk your time – set a timer.
3. Watch out for time gobblers – internet, email, TV, phone, socializing, unimportant notices and forwards.
4. Delegate when the task is not part of your priority.
5. Make it fun by rewarding yourself.
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” – Don Marquis
Not ready to procrastinate, yet? Have you tried “structured procrastination?”
1. When managed effectively, the desire to avoid one job can be used to get other things done. If you are not comfortable doing nothing at all, take care of mundane, everyday tasks that normally gets forgotten:
2. Clean up your work area
3. Reach out, meet for coffee with others in your profession
4. Get out your calendar, get it up to date, enter birthdays and other special events.
5. Organize your list of errands – then head out and take care of some of them
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalProcrastinationWeek
- Join the National Procrastination Club. It began in 1956 and is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Write to it at this address: Procrastinators’ Club of America, Box 712, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. It may take a few months to get your application.
- Read about it here, https://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-03-11/lifestyle/0200410213_1_procrastination-paralysis-club-of-america
- Play Late or Never – challenge someone to come up with the most words that include the word “late.” Finish the game some other time. Count the unique word when you get around to it, later.
- Follow the week on social media with the hashtags #nationalprocrastinationweek, #procrastination.
NATIONAL PROCRASTINATION WEEK HISTORY
Our research found the first celebration of National Procrastination Week was March 9-15, 2008.