In addition to my review this month, I thought I would shed some light on our close, personal friend: PROCRASTINATION. So sit back, put off getting popcorn until tomorrow, and enjoy!
Ever wonder how an issue of GameCola gets published? Too bad; you’re going to keep on wondering. I am, however, going to tell you about the way I usually get my review done on time. It all starts at the beginning of the month, when Paul sends out the traditional e-mail:
Hey staff. Here’s what I’m gonna need this month:
Then he lists the staff members and let’s them know what they’re supposed to do this month. He usually gives us the freedom of choosing which game to review, but he limits what consoles we can pick from, so that GameCola does not get monotonous.
Thanks staff. Please let me know what you’re going to review, and get your stuff to me, ASAP.
This sounds like an easy enough request, does it not? However, this involves getting up and checking out what games I own/can get a hold of. So I put it off for a while — perhaps a few minutes, perhaps a few days — depending upon when I check my Yahoo! e-mail again, or when Paul catches me online and asks. After sending in the name of the game I’m going to review, you would think I’d be golden, right? Wrong. The deadline is still 25, 26 days away, but I think to myself that I really should get started. Or at least play the game again. But I don’t. I put it off, and talk to people online, or sleep, or go to school, or do something that takes up my time.
A week passes. By this time, Paul has sent out a reminder letter telling the staff that the deadline is creeping up. It looks something like this:
Okay, the deadline is approaching fast! Get your stuff in ASAP! Here’s what I still need:
Then he lists the staff members that have not turned in their articles yet. Of course, goody-two-shoes Jenna Ogilvie is usually never on the list, because she’s too good to get her stuff in late. Brian Wolf, however, is ALWAYS on the list, because he’s a better friend with procrastination than even myself. But I won’t go into that. Anyway, by this point, I’m thinking about how there are still 14, 15 days left before the deadline. So I’ll put it off further, and go watch TV, or eat, or take a shower or something.
Another week passes. By this time, Paul’s reminder is getting an edge to it. It looks something like this:
Guys, the deadline is only a few days away, and I still don’t have a majority of your articles! Here’s what I still need:
And of course, Jenna’s name is once again nowhere to be found. Stupid on-time staff member. Wolf’s name is very prominent, which is understandable, because his “Gates of Life” last issue consisted of “Stay tuned for next month’s action-packed, revelation-filled, double-sized ‘Gates of Life’!” My name is also always found. By now, it’s starting to creep to the front of my mind that I should probably write my review. But I put it off once again, and go run, or watch “Spirited Away”, or do homework.
It’s the day of the deadline. Paul’s e-mails have a very recognizable intensity to them, reminding everyone on staff that tonight is the deadline, and everyone’s articles must be in by midnight. He, once again, lists all the staff members and what they need to get to him by the deadline. Jenna’s name is somehow absent from the list, and Wolf’s name is at the very top (last issue he e-mailed his stuff to Paul at 11:59 the day of the deadline). By now I know I have to get this done. I think about it all day in school, about how I really should be jotting stuff down for my article. But, of course, I don’t, and I stare into space, or listen to the teacher, or breathe.
I get home after cross-country practice and sit down at the computer. Ready to write my review, I promptly waste time doing nothing in particular. Then, I think that I should really get my homework done. I jump from the chair and run upstairs. After about an hour or so of homework, dinner is on the table. I go and eat, and by this time, some shows I like to watch are on. So I sit on the couch in the family room, for a good hour or so, before going and plopping myself down in front of the computer, and finally begin to write my review.
Now, keep in mind this is just a sample scenario. Sometimes I procrastinate much worse. For example, tonight, I am procrastinating by writing this article about procrastination. It’s ironic. But anyway, I must get to work. Duty calls! Well… maybe just one more game of Smash Brothers…
