h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Other notable reasons for procrastination (the cheeky thief of time):
Writing to friends
Getting up
Paying bills
Making a list of everything you need to do at work, prioritising, then starting with the easiest

and another example of a great technique for procrastinating - reading and writing about it

I was just....hang on, I'll be back in a minute.

You are so right on this... I am trying to tidy out my office, throw stuff off my computer right now... and what am I doing? Posting into the Guide..... Get on with it Peta!

Personally, I think procrastination provides a valuable service in this day and age. Think about what your workday would be like without procrastination (or your school day, for those who haven't yet entered the wonderful world of work). Grind, grind, grind. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I myself have trouble working well on any one thing for an extended period. Far better to procrastinate for a little while and then get back to it. Of course, the ideal situation is to have two things that must be done, both of which you enjoy, and use each as a procrastination break from the other!

hit the nail on the head there peta - I should be doing something else, well lots of other things , but what am I doing? this... cos this is really vital isn't it...

It's amazing!! I've put off watching and reviewing another video successfuly for six days now. I was just printing the review worksheet that I use to watch these teacher videos and thought I'd check out what's happening on h2g2. Since I now realise it's taken another 30 minutes to get to this point, and it's now 4:50PM here, there's no use in watching the video now, I'll only get half way through it and have to start again tomorrow. It would be better to continue to surf h2g2 for other snipits of wisdom.

I can see it's been well covered, I was going to add that h2g2 was a great way of procrastinating. Here I am, supposed to be working on a computer model, and I thought I'd just check out h2g2...now, almost an hour later....

Another great way of procrastinating is playing mindless games of solitare or similar on your computer.

Peta's done it again... I've got four final drafts due on Wednessday, two rough drafts actually written, and all weekend I've been posting to the guide... don't worry, I won't sue if my education fails.

Procrastination seems to be simply the natural reaction of a person that lives in the present (me) to something which exists only in the future (that which I procrastinate against, in this case the dentist.)
Really, if you can keep something from intruding on your present moment, then you've won. Procrastination kind of promises that, but doesn't deliver.

Of course, procrastination is a natural part of the universe. Do you think it really takes five billion years to create sentient life? Or twenty minutes to get a burger at the drive-thru window?

In the end, it all gets finished... after the final level of that game you are playing...

Those thinking about a career in procrastination should consider government bureaucracy...

At the top, the example was ...

Making a list of everything you need to do at work, prioritising, then starting with the easiest

No. Procrastination is as follows

Making a list of everything you need to do at work, prioritising, then getting the coffee in, answering your personal e-mails logging on to the Internet, writing this rubbish, waiting ten minutes for your personal e-mails to be replied, replying to them again, getting the second cup of coffee in, eating your lunch half way through the morning, going out for lunch anyway when you had nothing better to do, coming back and looking at the Internet again because the rest of the office is at lunch, then starting with the easiest at about 3:30pm in the hope that your finished by home time.

Erm, I would imagine.

God, Neil, glad I don't work in your office - it sounds much too goal-orientated. Actually to have got it down to two lunches! You guys are really focussed.

Takes years of practice, Spiny !

But Neil, surely all that stuff could wait till tomorrow?

You're right, in fact I've decided I'll start procrastinating tomorrow as well.

Good point - you got me there ! OK, I'll start procrastinating tomorrow unless anything better turns up.

All good things come to those who wait....

Does anyone else think Garfield has the right philosophy in life? Ie, eat, sleep, give friends a hard time. Surely the only true way to live...