I’ve been procrastinating today — though, technically, trawling for interesting web videos is part of my job description. Nevertheless, what a stroke of luck to stumble on a video homage to procrastination while procrastinating.

P.J. O’Rourke on procrastination

Procrastination comes in many forms, but it always involves avoiding whatever it is you should be doing. It’s all summed up perfectly in this passage by the inimitable US political humorist, P.J. O’Rourke:

“Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o’clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word “paisly” in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on The New York Times Atlas of the World map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting—by width—all the interesting articles I’ve cut out of newspapers recently, fastening them neatly together with paper clips and making a very attractive paper clip necklace and bracelet set, which I will present to my girlfriend as soon as she comes home from the three-hour low-impact aerobic workout that I made her go to so I could have some time alone to write.” [The Wit and Wisdom of P. J. O’Rourke]

Who knew you could do THAT in Excel?

For those who prefer to have actually created something when they arrive at the end of a solid procrastination, check out what this chap created using the least artistic software program on the planet. How is it even possible to get that good at drawing and Excel? World class procrastination.

Procrastination and Anthills

Do you know who never procrastinate? Ants. They just get the job done. The scientists in the video below poured ten tonnes of concrete down a giant anthill, let it set, then excavated the surrounding dirt to reveal an astonishingly elaborate and intricate subterranean abode.

OK. Back to work.