RAB Source Entry 2 -Christi Chan

Part 1-MLA Citation

Grant, Adam. “Opinion | Why I Taught Myself to Procrastinate.” The New York Times, 16 Jan. 2016. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/why-i-taught-myself-to-procrastinate.html. 

Part 2- Summary

In the article, “Why I Taught Myself to Procrastinate,” Adam Grant writes about his experience as a “pre-crastinator” shifting over to the procrastination lifestyle. Grant wasn’t always a procrastinator in fact he was a “pre-crastinator.” “Pre-crastination” is a term that psychologists created to describe “the urge to start a task immediately and finish it as soon as possible.” He recounts his college years: “For years, I believed that anything worth doing was worth doing early. In graduate school I submitted my dissertation two years in advance. In college, I wrote my papers weeks early and finished my thesis four months before the due date.”  Grant had a conversation with one of his “most creative students” and asserted that procrastination benefited her creativity. Then, he stated his student psychologist Jihae Shin, who was now a professor at the University of Wisconsin highlighting research that delaying tasks can lead to more innovative ideas. “She asked people to come up with new business ideas. Some were randomly assigned to start right away. Others were given five minutes to first play Minesweeper or Solitaire. Everyone submitted their ideas, and independent raters rated how original they were. The procrastinators’ ideas were 28 percent more creative.” Grant realized procrastination can be beneficial in life.

Part 3- Rhetorical Analysis

The genre of the article is an opinion piece. In “Why I Taught Myself to Procrastinate,” Grant uses rhetorical strategies to persuade readers that procrastination that is viewed negatively, can improve creativity. The author’s tone is encouraging and reflective—he normalizes procrastination as a productive habit, in which the reader can rethink their own habits. This approach helps readers feel comfortable. Grant builds ethos by sharing his background as a productive psychologist and author, which makes his shift toward supporting procrastination. He uses logos by referencing studies, especially Jihae Shin’s research, which made a connection between procrastination and creative thinking. Grant also establishes pathos through relatable anecdotes, showing his own struggle with productivity. Grant used ethos, logos, and pathos to changing procrastination as a tool for innovation rather than a bad habit. The author is credible because Adam Grant is a respected organizational psychologist and author, known for his work on motivation, creativity, and workplace dynamics. This article was published by the New York Times. New York Times is known for its history of award-winning investigative journalism and experienced reporters lend further credibility to its reporting.

Part 4-Notable Quotables

“A few years ago, though, one of my most creative students, Jihae Shin, questioned my expeditious habits. She told me her most original ideas came to her after she procrastinated. I challenged her to prove it. She got access to a couple of companies, surveyed people on how often they procrastinated, and asked their supervisors to rate their creativity. Procrastinators earned significantly higher creativity scores than pre-crastinators like me.” (Adam Grant)

“Begrudgingly, I acknowledged that procrastination might help with everyday creativity. But monumental achievements are a different story, right?Wrong.” (Adam Grant)

“Steve Jobs procrastinated constantly, several of his collaborators have told me. Bill Clinton has been described as a “chronic procrastinator” who waits until the last minute to revise his speeches. Frank Lloyd Wright spent almost a year procrastinating on a commission, to the point that his patron drove out and insisted that he produce a drawing on the spot. It became Fallingwater, his masterpiece. Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter behind “Steve Jobs” and “The West Wing,” is known to put off writing until the last minute. When Katie Couric asked him about it, he replied, “You call it procrastination, I call it thinking.” (Adam Grant)