The Fine Art of Procrastination

Each morning as I begin my work day I’m greeted by my oil painting easel, which is located behind my desk. On the easel is a white canvas with a pencil drawing – the start of a new painting. I've been greeted by this canvas for over nine months now, a daily reminder of my almost super-human ability to procrastinate.

My personal approach to life seems to be “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?” Every single day, we establish our priorities and there’s only so much you can do, right? Our jobs are the number one priority for most of us, and when the work day ends there never seems to be enough fuel left in the physical tank to do much more than flop in front of the TV with a cold drink. How many times have you looked at a basket of dirty clothes, or the oil change sticker in your car window, or those little unrepaired annoyances around the house and said to yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow?”

Speaking of unrepaired annoyances, there have been (and still are) several not-quite-finished projects around the house. My crowning achievement of off-putting involved part of our kitchen remodel several years ago. We removed an old kitchen window that at one time opened to the outdoors. A previous owner had made an addition to the house, boxing the window in to a back-door entry room. Inside the kitchen, the old window’s space was covered by a new cabinet. Outside the kitchen, in the back-door entry room, was a hole in the wall where the window used to be, stuffed with pink insulation. For over seven years, when you walked into our house through the back door, you were greeted by this beautiful pink hole in the wall.

Last summer I finally covered it with some birch paneling, successfully achieving a personal best for “longest time procrastinating on a house project.” I was filled with pride.

I've come to the conclusion that procrastination is a hereditary trait. Supporting this conclusion is my dad, who has taken the art of procrastination to astounding heights. Last fall, after several months of pain in his shoulder (he put-off seeing the doctor, of course), he was diagnosed with a torn ligament that required surgery. Instead of getting the surgery, he left for a winter stay in Arizona and waited until he returned to Ohio in April to take care of the problem. Putting off a cure for physical pain, my dad goes down as one of the greatest procrastinators, a true inspiration for us all.

Today one of my clients called to discuss my progress on a current project. “I haven’t started working on it yet,” I said, “but I plan on getting to it this afternoon.”

Right after I finish writing this blog. And eating lunch.