On Procrastination

Why is is called PRO-crastination? It certainly isn't PRO-active.

Pro*cras*tin*a*tion
The word first appeared in print in the 1540s (a very old vice)
Pro means "for"
Cras means "tomorrow"
Thus procrastination means "for tomorrow" (makes sense)

1.To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
2.To postpone or delay needlessly. (American Heritage Dictionary)

From an interesting web site called babeled.com, here is a brief statement about procrastination:

In a 2007 study, Piers Steel, a University of Calgary professor, noted that 26% of Americans considered themselves as chronic procrastinators. Dr. Steel attributes procrastination with a rise in the distractions that affect most people. With the increasing diagnosis of ADD and SLOT, people have more reason(s) to procrastinate. Just remind yourself that when you are procrastinating, you are really planning on doing it tomorrow, not next week.

I thought I might as well study the phenomenon of procrastination because I am becoming quite expert at it. At this moment, I am over eight hours overdue with a newspaper story and still not knuckling under to write it. Am I rebelling or procrastinating? I'm not sure. If I am rebelling, what it is that I am rebelling against?

Four weeks of Census training schedules and deadlines, I think. But my part of the Census is over now and things should get back to 'normal' as soon as I get this story written and take care of a few other odds and ends that were neglected while I trained enumerators, many of whom, by the way, are still waiting to be contacted for actual Census work. Ugh!