Introduction: One sweet moment

What is all the rush, really?

The Procrastinator knows like no one else, with near religious intensity, the value and savor of sixty bare seconds, a single moment of time. The moment Before Action. For the procrastinator this moment glitters and tingles as the holy and mysterious qualities of even the most mundane and ordinary features of the landscape (like laundry or YouTube) reveal themselves in all their fascination and wonder. It is the spiritual practice of the procrastinator to lengthen this moment, the moment Before Action, stretching this tenuous present out longer and longer by having the strength of will to NOT do. It is this simple act, having the will to stop, to wait, that makes the present moment so sweet for the procrastinator.

How then can we, ordinary people, attain these heights of ecstasy and appreciation, of Presence? Can we too put things off? Can we learn to find the satori of Spider Solitaire? The deep belly laugh in a forwarded email joke? The world in a grain of dust on the sill behind the shelf where the postcards are?

I'm here to tell you it's possible, and you can do it too! Come with me on an adventure into the present, as we explore the mysteries of time, the paradoxes of over committing, the pitfalls of accomplishment and ambition and ultimately the near total freedom (except for that thing I've got to do) of the Master Procrastinator.

And we are indeed fortunate to have a true master to guide us - Marhishi Gus Stukowski, legendary procrastinator of the Jersey Park home garage project of '78. I had the great luck to meet Gus at a Popeye's Chicken joint while he hovered beautifully between ordering the two or the three piece meal (See: Indecision). Not wanting to disturb his beatific repose I bought both meals, introduced myself and started a series of interviews which aren't quite done yet, but make up the heart of this work.

We will hear Gus's own story and join him for an odyssey through all the tricks and traps of procrastination. We'll learn about time and underestimating it, indecision, ambivalence and it's sister skill indifference, using the fear of failure, unrealistic expectations and perfectionism, finding the still, tortured spot poised between conflicting internal demands and how to dissociate from them altogether. We'll learn how to use the modern wonder of the internet, finding that even here there are possibilities for distraction if you look closely. And of course we'll learn the key phrases and self-talk that can make or break the procrastinator - phrases like: "One more x..."; "I'll do it when y..."; " There's plenty of time"; "It's so late now it doesn't make much difference"; and most of all "Soon."

So what are you waiting for? Can I join you? Why not avoid that nagging voice in your head by reading this blog? That's what I'm doing writing it! Are you kidding me? There must be 10,000 things I should be doing right now. This is sweet! The afternoon sun is blazing through the windows like molten gold and everyone in this coffee shop looks so interesting! ...except for that guy... he looks kinda lame. But everyone else looks really interesting! And behind it all, providing the power that makes this moment so magnificent is this; I've got to find a real job and soon or my ass is toast.

And that's the key... Soon!