By Frank Pellino, Guest Writer
Yea, that’s right. You read the title correctly! That is not a typo! And before you dismiss this article and move on to the rest of the op-eds, just hear me out first. After all, I did work really hard to write this article…on the day it was due.
Consensus is that procrastination is bad. We are taught to never wait until the last minute to start a project or to start an assignment, for example, a paper. We are taught that leaving our work until the deadline is fast approaching will leave us with a work overload.
Yes, waiting until the absolute last minute is never good for anything that requires an extended amount of work. But waiting until the last few days or heck, even the last full day can be a blessing in disguise!
What is the main difference between a precrastinator (yes, that is a real thing) who starts on the assignment early, and a procrastinator who starts on the assignment late?
The answer is time.
The procrastinator naturally has more time to think about their upcoming project, because they are putting off their work. But that’s a good thing. You may be less productive but you are definitely more creative. Time is what makes procrastination good for your work.
Hopefully you made it this far because I’m about to change your whole attitude for the next time you have any type of deadline in the future. With all the extra time procrastinators seemingly gather for any given project comes more ideas. Original ideas. By putting off the work we allow ourselves to not only think longer but to think differently as well. This doesn’t just lead to more ideas overall but to more original and insightful ideas.
Procrastination leads to more creativity. When the time comes and a procrastinator finally sits down to start writing his article for The Equinox, he has more ideas swirling around in his head. In his time “slacking off” he has thought of an original lede to capture the reader’s attention. He has already organized in his mind how he wants to structure the article, how he wants to break the fourth wall a bunch of times and how. Even though the deadline for his article may be, I don’t know, let’s say Sunday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m., and it might be, I don’t know, let’s say Sunday, April 9 at 3:39 p.m. as he writes his story, he knows that this story is written exactly how he wants it to be. He knows that he has had time to organize and prepare mentally and craft a story just as he pleases.
I know that my story is better because I have waited all week to write it. Next time you get hit with an assignment and you feel the stress to start it early, cut yourself some slack and watch Netflix. After all, it did take Da Vinci around 16 years to finish the Mona Lisa.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
