Quick Topics: Procrastination and the Holidays

For a quick conversation starter today, let’s talk procrastination. “Procrastination is the assassination of motivation,” goes an unattributed quote. But is it?

I’ve worked with business writers who, to the contrary, become more motivated the more they procrastinate. With the pressure of an imminent deadline and the looming threat of failure, inspiration strikes and creative juices flow. But until they reach that pivotal point in time, their efforts to generate the required content for a report or a proposal are in vain.

I prefer to plan out my schedule and check off editorial tasks well in advance of my deadlines. However, occasionally I put off a task again and again, either because I have conflicting priorities or because I’m too unmotivated to tackle it, until suddenly, when time is truly of the essence, my brain kicks into gear and the necessary edits come sharply into focus.

This struck me as a relevant topic for the holiday season, as decorating and dinner planning and gift buying accumulate at this time of year to create looming deadlines of their own. I like to check Black Friday sales on Amazon and order gifts ahead of time; my husband prefers to procrastinate until the last possible moment and then embark on a frantic gift hunt.

Is procrastination a part of your process, as an editor or a holiday shopper?

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We hope you have a wonderful holiday season! The Editors’ Weekly will return on Jan. 7, 2020.

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Previous Quick Topics post by Anna Williams: Quick Topics: Born or Made

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