I think we can all agree that our physical presence at Brown completely distorts our perception of time. Deadlines seem like a distant reality, and in the midst of writing that eight-page paper for that one class you rarely attend, you find yourself endlessly watching videos on YouTube and falsifying your identity on Facebook while simultaneously distracting yourself with the sound of Hulu commercials in the background. This might be an exaggeration; the majority of Brown students are what I like to call productive procrastinators, who don't indulge in wasteful pleasures but postpone schoolwork to do more "enjoyable" work. As my roommate says, constructive procrastination is a much friendlier way of describing the hours spent vacuuming the dust from the dark corners of your room to those spent organizing next week's school activities on iCal.
Procrastination has developed a negative reputation of being a senseless form of self-destruction, but honestly, procrastination doesn't get the appreciation it rightfully deserves. I experience a heightened sense of creativity in these "shameful" periods of procrastination; my mind rolls elsewhere, but eventually it does successfully reach its destination. We need this carefree period to develop our ideas and to summon the courage and energy needed to dive into the stressful tasks ahead of us.
Barry White, who characterizes procrastination as the "Thief of Time," suggests that to eliminate this "habit" one should restructure their environment by removing all forms of distraction. Obliging to this physical restructuring would entail becoming an almost robotic and mechanical student; the absence of all distractions is basically reducing oneself to solitary confinement. I'm not the type to imprison myself in the concrete, sterilely-lit rooms of the Rock. For once, that gray period of procrastination should be put in the spotlight as the "gift of time," away from the dark shadows to which we have chained it.
I would like to think of myself as a productive procrastinator, but I can't deny that I once spent two hours reading a New Yorker article, "What Does Procrastination Tell Us About Ourselves?" Nonetheless, there's nothing more comically senseless: procrastinating while educating myself about procrastination. I was still able to learn a valuable lesson. Why did I spend those hours procrastinating when I could have been outlining my five-page literature paper? Not only did I have 20 prompts, but also I had the option of watching a movie, passively listening to music, writing a silly story or going out to a Buxton party.
Our inability to decide and start a task can stem from our obsession with perfectionism, which grows exponentially as our options grow (a phenomenon described in Barry Schwartz's "The Paradox of Choice" TED talk). So do Brown students and college students across the country procrastinate and willingly choose to do nothing to avoid making the wrong choice? Is it truly perfectionism at its worst? This cannot be the case, as I can't recall any of my fellow classmates refusing to take a midterm or write an essay. Instead, most transform this momentary delay from work to idle contemplation while they stumble upon other creative or productive activities — because that's truly the Brown way.
Procrastination isn't necessarily what White describes as "a moral failing," but it truly is an indirect means of discovering oneself and momentarily escaping the insanity of a constant work structure. Everyone is fixated on the negative consequences of procrastination, but they always seem to neglect what one has gained through that hazy period of pleasant diversion. The time I have spent delaying my essays and prolonging the completion of my tedious readings, I have discovered my most treasured movies and songs that trigger the right inspirational nerve (while simultaneously outlining my academic ideas in my head).
Let's face it; procrastination is vital to our sanity and our identity. Game theorists suggest that procrastination is a product of "the divided self, " where the long-term self and short-term self compete for control. I see this as a necessary balance between our desires for long-term accomplishment and short-term instant gratification. If our short-term self did not interrupt our productivity, where would we find time for spontaneity and inspiration? In some way, these selves are interdependent — our long-term accomplishments exist because of the relief from our short-term indulgences and impulses.
I am not a habitual procrastinator, so I personally don't hold any regrets, which may seem like an exaggeration considering my self-induced anxiety attacks and constant sleep deprivation. If you, however, are really concerned with your procrastination habits, feel free to "restructure" your environment by breaking your phone, joining the 75,000 users of Freedom who have willingly shut off their own access to the Internet, or permanently deleting your Facebook profile.
For now, you can actually thank procrastination for preserving your sanity. Let go of the expression "work before play," and remember that work can be play, too.
Elizabeth Perez '13 is an Economics and International Relations concentrator from Hollywood, Calif. She can be contacted at elizabeth_perez@brown.edu.
