Wasting time

My column is due soon. For the last few hours, I've been sitting in a dark room in front of a glowing TV screen mashing buttons. I just opened Firefox to compulsively check my Facebook profile, but in the process I ran across an interesting Nov. 14 article, "Workshop helps students overcome procrastination habit," on idsnews.com. The main point: People procrastinate, citing the Internet as the No. 1 source of distraction. The article also introduces the idea that by not procrastinating, you can get more work done. I wholeheartedly disagree. Procrastination has been an integral part of my creative process since the fifth grade. Everybody does it. It's not a bad thing at all. It makes the final minutes before any given deadline infinitely more productive than they would be otherwise. \nThe aforementioned article portrays procrastination in a decidedly negative light, implying that it is a bad habit that all students should try to get rid of by taking the class Managing Resources for Learning. Throughout the article, students make testimonials about how tired they are and how they get lured into watching TV or sitting in front of the computer for hours on end instead of doing homework. I say, good for them! Keep it up! This article is sending the wrong message to students. Without procrastination, nothing would ever get done. That's right, nothing. Procrastination is a vital step in the process of doing just about anything. \nHere's how it works: First, you receive an assignment, due some time in the unforeseeable future; let's say two weeks. There's no reason to worry about it now. Aliens (or the Iranian government) could blow up the world by then, so you should enjoy your last days and not waste them finishing a project that won't even be relevant in a post-apocalyptic world. Let's say a week and six days pass, and you don't get anything done. Good job! While this does not qualify as procrastination, you're on the right track. You've waited the standard period of time that everyone waits before starting anything. Now the day before it's due is when the real procrastination starts. If you spend your day watching Montel, doing countless Sudoku puzzles, then you're a true procrastinator and a true American. Then, hours before the deadline, you gulp down some Starbucks and prepare to work. After a long day of procrastination, you need to get your project done in the most efficient way possible. Procrastination breeds efficiency and productivity. Without it, you might work a little bit each day, taking a slow, steady approach to the assignment. But with it, you get a great result in no time at all. \nAs you can see, without step three, there is no step four. Without procrastination, there is no final project. I just wish that people would stop giving procrastinating such a bad rap. It's a time-honored tradition that makes the world go round. Without it, we'd be lost.