Procrastination Pays Off...Maybe

For several years I had a sign on my desk at work that read “Procrastination pays off.” It resulted from a number of tasks that I had completed early, only to find out later that I really did not need to do them. Sigh. Why not just spend time banging my head on the wall?

I am NOT a procrastinator. I am the antithesis of a procrastinator. I may even be …“The Anti-Crastinator.”

Countless students have told me that it is more efficient for them to wait until the last minute, so they can rush through an assignment quickly on adrenalin flow. (Needless to say, writing a paper at 2:00am and not leaving time to proofread may create other problems.) Unlike my former students, I am far more comfortable getting things done ahead of time rather than rushing around in a panic at the last minute. So I had to learn to bide my time and to wait and see if I actually needed to do what was asked of me.

Then I thought, hey, wait a minute, what if there really is something to procrastinating?

I became very curious and decided to research the benefits of “procrastination.” Here’s what I learned:
1. Making a hasty decision may be disastrous, so taking time to gather information can result in a more informed decision. Hmmm…common sense.
2. Sticking to a schedule may cause a lack of spontaneity and missed opportunities that pop up unexpectedly. True.
3. Putting things away too quickly is sometimes a bad idea because having documents visible sometimes allows for making serendipitous connections that neatness does not allow. Possibly.
4. Stopping to put things away wastes time and actually promotes postponement of real work. Maybe.

An unexpected side benefit of procrastination could be that when people put off their tasks, one of the following may happen: someone else does the task, the deadline passes, or the task is called off and no longer needed as in my case. On the other hand, these consequences may be called coincidental or even dumb luck. For example, a person delays on washing his car, and a rainstorm washes it clean.

So, what do you think? Have you ever actually benefitted from procrastination? Take your time. Think it over.