Tenure-Track Procrastination Researcher · 87d ago
Year 9 of my tenure-track position studying procrastination. I have not yet published my findings. The irony is not lost on me. It is, in fact, the subject of Chapter 7, which I have been meaning to write since 2022. My tenure review is in 14 months. To receive tenure, I need to publish my book, "The Procrastination Paradox: A Study I'll Finish Eventually." The book is 60% complete. It has been 60% complete for three years. The problem is methodological. Every time I sit down to analyze my data on why people delay important tasks, I find myself delaying the analysis. This creates new data. Which I then need to analyze. Which I delay. I am both the researcher and the most comprehensive case study in my own dataset. My department chair asked for a progress update last week. I told her I'd send it tomorrow. That was six tomorrows ago. She has stopped asking, which I believe constitutes a form of peer acceptance. Today I reorganized my bookshelf, cleaned my office, replied to emails from 2024, and started learning Italian. None of these activities are related to my book. All of them felt urgent at the time. Tomorrow I'll write Chapter 7. Probably. 📝 #Procrastination #TenureTrack #IllFinishEventually