Varieties of procrastination

[ceptimus]

1. Ratiocination. (or at least, that's what Richard Rhodes calls it, in his monumental book, The Making of the Atomic Bomb). It's in the section of the book giving a biography of the young Niels Bohr.

Bohr described how, when he was thinking about a problem, another part of his mind (a second 'I' if you like) would observe himself thinking. And then a third 'I' would observe what the second 'I' was doing - and so on. He would become confused and experience a dizziness as if he were looking down into a bottomless abyss.

Rhodes says that this type of behaviour is a defence mechanism. It allows work never to be finished, and what is not finished cannot be judged. Once a victim knows the trick, it can be used to doubt anything, even doubt itself.

Bohr liked to quote a passage from a book by his fellow Dane, Paul Martin Moller.

Originally Posted by Paul Martin Moller

Thus on many occasions man divides himself into two persons, one of whom tries to fool the other, while a third one, who in fact is the same as the other two, is filled with wonder at this confusion. In short, thinking becomes dramatic and quietly acts the most complicated plots with itself, and the spectator again and again becomes actor.

[ceptimus]

2. Present Self versus Future Self.

Future Self wants you to set goals: Future Self wants to be thinner and healthier, and have a tidy garage. Future Self can't actually take any action now: only Present Self can do that. To satisfy the goals of Future self, it is Present Self that has to resist eating the cream bun, and go out to the garage and start tidying.

This sets up a conflict between Present Self and Future Self. Present Self knows that the cream bun tastes good; the expanded waistline is Future Self's problem. Present Self would also like to watch the next few episodes of that Netflix series: the garage tidying job can be given to tomorrow's self.

Over time, Present Self can learn to resent Future Self's continual setting of difficult goals. "Fuck him", thinks Present Self, "I'm not going to start ANY of those tasks just to spite the bastard!"

Eventually, Future Self learns that the setting of goals achieves nothing, or is even counterproductive. And so this form of procrastination is able to produce a chronic, life-long condition. It's so common that we have a handy name for it: laziness.

[JoeP]

You missed an opportunity there to never post variety 2.

[ceptimus]

3. The starting chain

I'm going to write that report. I'll fire up my laptop and begin, but I need to be adequately hydrated and comfortable to work effectively, so I'll first make a coffee.

My favourite coffee mug is dirty, and washing it doesn't take long. I make the coffee, but that uses the last of the milk, and I'm sure to want another coffee later...

It would be stupid to go to the shop just to buy milk, so I find my shopping list, then spend a few minutes checking the fridge, freezer, and cupboards to see if there's other stuff I need to grab. This is efficiency in action! It will save the time spent making a separate shopping trip later.

I'll have to drive to the shop - wouldn't be able to carry all that stuff, and driving is faster anyway. I probably should refuel the car while I'm out, so that it's ready for that trip this coming weekend. The gas station is right next to the post office so it's sensible to post that parcel while I'm out.

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This kind of procrastination can be justified to a certain extent. Just where you draw the line between this sort of chain, and outright displacement activities (another variety of procrastination) is difficult. If I notice that the lawn needs mowing when I leave on the shopping trip, should I mow it now while the weather is suitable? Should I visit my friend's house on the way to the shop? Not if I want to get that report finished today!

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by ceptimus

If I notice that the lawn needs mowing when I leave on the shopping trip, should I mow it now while the weather is suitable?

Yes, but only if there's no fuel in the mower. As long as you were going to the fuel station anyway...

I used to get so much housework done during midterms and finals. Can't study in a dirty house, after all.

[ceptimus]

4. Displacement activity.

You need to declutter, but you don't like throwing things away. So instead, you 'organize': you spend hours moving stuff from one place to another, grouping it into categories, sorting it into date or alphabetical order... The amount of time and energy you put into this is out of all proportion to the value of the stuff you're organizing. Most of the stuff you'll never use again, and you may throw it away anyway a few years down the line, the next time you need to declutter. Maybe the clutter will be left, some of it in its 'organized' state, until you next move house, or till you die, or become too feeble to deal with it yourself...

You need to work on your computer. You know the work that really needs to be done, but it also counts as a kind of 'work' to check your emails, catch up on the forums and social media sites; possibly watch a YouTube video (related to your 'work' so it's education rather than entertainment). And perhaps a quick game of solitaire to warm up your mind and get it ready for the real work that's to follow. Now you're feeling a bit tired and hungry. Probably best to break for lunch: then you'll be in a better frame of mind to really begin the work this afternoon.