Somewhere inbetween immediacy and procrastination
It seems I live my life somewhere inbetween immediacy and procrastination. And to be honest, it's working. I don't think its a good idea to lean to heavily to either side. Sometimes we procrasinate when confronted with tasks we really don't want to do, while immediately doing those things we don't mind doing.
I figure if we get those things done right away that we don't mind doing, we then have more time to confront those issues that we've procrastinated about. Either way, we need to get our job done...hopefully to be able to sleep at night without stress and anxiety.
I'd certainly agree with your statement that "we then have more time to confront those issues that we have procrastinated about." Sometimes clearing the distractions is what I find is required to be able to give a total 100% focus on what would be considered a very vital task. I'd also add that sometimes dwelling in procrasitnation for a while can strengthen a resolve to be truly committed in accomplishing something. All muscles need some rest and exercise before you put them under intense use. I'd say this applies to the brain especially well.
I agree, and when certain tasked don't get accomplished then we could create unnecessary stress for ourselves.
Joshua,
You are not alone. Many instructors balance immediacy and procrastination. Perhaps it is the nature of our work, as you suggest. We use immediacy to get easy tasks taken care of right away -- like entering grades into a spreadsheet. While recording student grades may not be our highest priority, it usually does not take that long at it feels good to cross something off of our list. It makes us feel like we are making progress – like we are getting somewhere. Other times, we tend to procrastinate more complex tasks – like planning a course syllabus and outline of weekly objectives for a term. These tasks are often more important. But while we wait to accomplish them, we occasionally think some of the details through. This makes these complex tasks easier to perform in the future. Perhaps it is best to balance both immediacy and procrastination in the interest of being effective instructors.
I used to be on the side of procrastination, but now I have to push myself not to do too much too soon.
i agree to, we dont need to add more stress for ourselves, however i always try to get the work done asap, if i dont it plays on my mind
