Blowing off work to play
What do you call it when you skip school or work for a day, to do whatever you want instead? In America, we call it playing hooky. In England, we call it skiving. (Got another word for it?)
Some of my best, most productive, and enjoyable days have been while playing hooky.
I think it’s a healthy practice, to occasionally blow off a previous commitment, and do whatever you want instead. It’s a great reminder that you’re the boss of your life.
But it’s interesting how productive I am on those days.
When I think back about the times in my life where I got the most done, created the most, or had a major breakthrough in some aspect of my life, it was often while I was supposed to be doing something else.
For example: I’d sign up for a three-day conference, show up to registration, decide I don’t want to go, then sit in my hotel room, uninterrupted, and get some great work done for three days.
This has happened multiple times. I really should stop signing up for conferences!
Or… Could we use this as an effective productivity technique?
- Sign up for something — a time commitment.
- Put aside the time to do it.
- When the day comes, feel the tension between what you said you would do, and what you really want to do.
- Blow it off, and do what you really want instead.
Maybe the productivity comes from the fact that the time has already been put aside, so I suddenly have free time to do what I really wanted.
But I suspect that when I feel that tension between the obligation and desire, it amplifies the difference, and makes it clear to me how badly I want to do this other thing. Then that amplified desire leads me to be more intense and focused in my actions.
Pretty much the way I tend to work as well. This year especially, I book out my diary to do certain projects, then completely ignore it and do whatever the heck I want. :) Some of my best creations and outcomes have not felt like work at all.
I think almost everybody experiences this, for me it's a combination between feeling pressure/guilt to actually use that time well and it feeling like an extremely pleasant way to spend my time since I dislike the alternative more.
This is pretty much the way how I went from not being able to build a website to 80/h web developer in ~3 months...
I was supposed to be studying for my Physics finals
In New Zealand skipping school is called wagging, or sometimes just wag.
"Did you wag school on Tuesday?"
"Derek is always wagging"
"fare filone / fare sega": that's the way we say that in Italian 😁
Pardon me Derek,
but I don't know what to constructively say.
Don't tell the local priest, but I have trouble even playing hooky on Sunday.
My religion is Puritan, complete with a "Puritan work-ethic." Guys like me, on our deathbed, reflect and say, "Man, I should have spent more hours at the office."
Oh well, I guess my lot in life is to live and not-learn.
Wow, that's not me, but it proves that we are all unique and different.
In South Africa we call it bunking school ☺
Totally agree with tension driving the action Derek. But more so the focus will be more intense if you're only focussing on one thing. Hence, what the heck and do what I want... Get into the zone and start crafting...
In New Zealand we call it ‘wagging’. My fourteen year old son is a bloody expert at it.
I call this Wondering Around.
One time, I was doing just this when a client whose project I was supposed to be working on called me. Why I answered my phone is beyond me because I knew he was calling to ask about the status of the project. He asked what I was doing, I replied "Wondering Around." (I was actually out at the end of tiny desolate beach on the sea. I'm sure he could hear the waves in the background.) He then asked about the project. I said, "I hit a road block so I ditched the project and that's why I'm out Wondering Around but I'll work on your project tomorrow." I ended up with several cool ideas for the project and by the time I got home, I had visualized the whole thing. The next day, after I sent my client the project he called me and said, "I'll take more Wondering Around projects in the future."
Procrastination gets a bad rap! It's actually a useful a signpost to why...like, why am I fearful, why am I pushing myself to do this (could be a lot better if I just give it time) or why the hell am I doing this anyway?!
Aussies are the same as Kiwi's. We call it 'wagging school'. Or if we're avoiding work it's called 'chucking a sickie'. I used to wag school in order to get assignments done. Generally the material taught over 6 hours could be caught up within an hour and the 6 hour school day could be used to tackle a big project.
I love your lively mind. You have an intuitive gift for sharing insights through your personal experience that are on the leading edge of this soul group or shared mind that you/we are a part of. It is an interesting tribe of sorts. We feel a vague mission and we yearn for a plan for making our inner life more manifest . Thanks for being one of the philosophers and way showers. I glean a lot from your writing.
Yes, I can relate to this. At times when I'm suppose to work I want to do things that are non-work related. But when I'm actually off work those things are not as appealing. lol. Thank you for sharing.
In Eastern Canada, we call it Jigging. Jigging is a kind of fishing technique with a long line that holds multiple hooks and goes deep. There's a parable for you.
I have often warned my friends that what I would give them for Christmas would be to book a long meeting with them - and then cancel it.
time is passing with each decade faster it seems
thank you / priorities
This always happens to me when I’m on a plane. I just end up writing and planning on my iPad. There is something about flying. For some reason the iPad inspires me more than a pen and paper.
GREAT IDEAS! I am retiring (at 66) in 3 months. I am going to go do new things.
Yes it’s an illusion delusion you think you have ‘stolen some time’ - no you didn’t you just chose to use that time differently than the original commitment. If that ‘floats your boat’ carry on but you don’t have more time...sadly...
Spijbelen.
That’s the Dutch word. (e.g. Ik heb een dagje gespijbeld.) I am most efficient and productive in writing a blog when I actually should be doing something else (something less fun) + I secretely know that I will also finish that other thing in time íf I hurry. So I think the deadline-part of it makes me efficient and also brings creativity to the surface.
I love this. We all do it. I do this especially when I sit down to write a particular scene but instead I become fascinated by a different scene that doesn't need to be written. I've accepted it in myself and use my "technique" to my advantage. "What am I not going to write today?" I ask myself.
I believe in this whole heartedly! In fact, I played hookie with my 15 or old daughter today and taught her a song on the guitar and we both had an amazing musical breakthrough together!
yes this is totally a thing! i've noticed this with myself, too. like when you're in a meeting you "have" to be in, but it's not that relevant so you do emails or something else and are so productive.
or sometimes i want to watch a movie, will start it, and then remember something else i wanted to do on my laptop and get so much done.
funny, i was just thinking about this recently and how to create these scenarios at will. and i think you're right about the tension - it's more about the tension than the actual time set aside. well put!
In Mexico it's called "irse de pinta". Did it non-stop in high-school. Never thought about doing it as a "grown up".
Procrastinate for a good reason. or just getting the priority right, at the moment, for the moment. Yes. All the time.
Defo bunking in the UK!
There’s a great article by John Perry called “Structured Procrastination”:
class="response">Yes! I think that's the point I was after! Thanks Benedict! — Derek
http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/
I found it via this Marc Andreessen article on personal productivity:
pmarchive.com/guide_to_personal_productivity.html
Hi Derek thanks for this tip although I work differently as I use a diary for the things to be done. The days are normally worked out. Maybe for me it's only if the appointment is cancelled do I then try to think of something else to do in that time.
I used the term to skive off but would probably have wasted the time in my younger age.
Now I'll be watching for an essay on "Why Never Committing to Anything Leads to Greater Productivity"! :)
In Australia it is called 'jigging' or 'jig' school.
Yes, I totally feel you. I still though struggle sometimes with the voice that tells me what I was supposed to do... but once I get into the things that I actually really wanted to do, I feel alive!
I can relate ☺.
Skiving is a well used word in Scotland too ☺
M
Another English word (in Liverpool) for skiving off school - sagging, ie sagging off!
your experience on playing hooky is just the opposite of mine. Whenever I played hooky, it was because I thought I was missing out on something on the outside of the workforce or school......It always turned out that I wasn't missing anything. But, kudos to you for making your hooky playing productive.
This idea could be contagious! If you catch a cold or flu and have to stay home from work you will suddenly have the time to read that book you've always wanted to read. And, if you like this idea, pretty soon you will find yourself shaking hands with a lot of sick people - lol.
In Ireland - mitching: www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mitching
Cool! Thanks. — Derek
In Argentina: "hacerse la rata", literally to become the rat(?)
Agreed. Used to be indecisive - total impasse, blocked all day long - do I want Bran Flakes or Shreddies? Had to invent a new pattern, a bit like yours - choose one (flip a coin) and reach for it, to know how I truly felt. Who knew the real-world applications!?
Often when stuck answer comes from complete break/distance. "Can't see the wood for the trees" is a real problem, working so close to the wall with the locked door in it you miss what else is around, like another door, or that the wall is fake! Being free and able to hear that voice/taste/heartstring and to train that sense is priceless.
A book on mindfulness helped, introduced me to doing and being mode - problem we all have of falling into trap of ever expanding demands and to-do lists, that can't be seen for newer, nearer, larger to-do lists, versus just being, in the moment, enjoying/appreciating. See also "In Praise Of Idleness" by Bertrand Russell
I thought I was the only awful person ever that has done that at conferences! I did it twice and it was the best time ever. Once I had 3 babies at home and I was just tired so I slept in a dark room almost the whole day. Second time I got amazing work done! Thanks! :)
You might want to know the Tamil word for it.
It's ஓப்பியடித்தல். Opiyadithal.
"Velaya paakaama opiyadikriyaa??" - "Are you bullshitting at work?"
"Classa opiyadipom innaiku!" - "Let's bunk the class today!"
Thank you! — Derek