February 15, 2010
Shaun Oakes
Procrastination - Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now.
This may surprise some of you, but it usually takes me about 5 hours to write one of these columns every day. Now, this is not due to me carrying out extensive research, spending time verifying facts, or methodically going over my grammar. The simple fact of the matter is that I am a procrastinator. A fearsome one at that.
I think writing was substantially easier twenty years ago, back when chain smoking eccentrics with oily hair and dirty cardigans would sit in their cluttered studies, battering away at their typewriters whilst making a serious dent on their latest bottle of Scotch. No distractions, just you, a plastic tumbler of whiskey, and some A4 printing paper.
These days however, working on a computer with always on internet is a bit like trying to read an intellectually heavy book, whilst a beautiful woman gives you a lap dance.
As an example, I was seated at my desk yesterday evening at around 6pm, ready to whip out 1000 words on the recent adventures I had in the city centre, involving a parking space, a Peugeot 206, and an angry middle aged Muslim woman. At around 10:15pm, I remained rooted at my desk, with 25 words typed and having instead read up on the dark sequel to the Wizard of Oz (incidentally called “Dark Oz”) and having watched a dozen or so amusing interviews on YouTube by the professional wrestler turned Hollywood actor, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Time well spent? Possibly, it’s always entertaining watching old clips of The Rock.
Procrastination? Oh, almost certainly.
It’s this level of procrastination which can sometimes get me into trouble, or at the very least seriously inconvenience me. At the current time of writing, I still have some unpaid speeding fines weighing on my conscience, together with a couple of court dates I seem to have subsequently missed. Even more disturbingly, I recently worked out that there are several thousands of rands owed to me for various freelance work carried out over the past year, amounts that I have yet to invoice for.
I know it needs to be done, I make plans to do it, but then… and then… and then…
To rub further salt in the wounds, it seems as if my procrastination has now also lead to my missing out on the 2010 World Cup experience. Having registered on Fifa.com way back in 2008 already, I have then proceeded to dilly and of course dally during the following two years, to the point where I have now missed the three random draws for World Cup tickets held during this year.
I just logged on again today to get tickets during the fourth and penultimate draw being held, only to discover that there are no more available tickets for Cape Town matches, with every match at the Cape Town stadium in Greenpoint seemingly sold out.
So now, not only am I facing some hefty traffic fines, and missing out on a huge chunk of income, but I also face the ghastly prospect of having to trek all the way to the Mbombela Stadium in the grey wasteland of Nelspruit, in order to catch a World Cup game.
Quite frankly, if that isn’t enough to shake me out of this procrastinating habit, I don’t know what will.
Oakes signing off.
