We can define all kinds of things as procrastination: Surfing the web, walking the dog, doing the dishes. How about work?

Seldom do we see work as procrastination. But isn’t work often a form of procrastination, preventing us from doing what we actually should be doing?

A few things come to mind, in escalating order:

1. Getting to inbox zero instead of working on project X.
2. Working on project X instead of working on the much more important project Y.
3. Working on project Y instead of solving a long-standing conflict with a co-worker.
4. Solving that conflict instead of taking over the groundbreaking project Z in the other department.
5. Taking over project Z instead of quitting your job and living the life you secretly wished for during the last 20 years.

[¶]

(See also: Procrastinate on Tasks, Not on Your Life. The post image shows my friend Lourenço, who gets this stuff just right.)