There’s a really good reason why this column isn’t very good.

When it came to generate ideas, something came up. There was a Rocky marathon on TNT. Then, there were two-straight hours of Laguna Beach. My car got a flat tire, and my keys got locked in the car.

My classes ran long, I had the stomach flu and I suffered a rabid badger attack.

I got caught up playing solitaire, I took a very urgent phone call and I had to do some laundry.

Otherwise, it was going to be a good column – I swear.

Actually, these are just excuses for procrastination.

The art of the excuse can be traced back to early childhood, when children would find any reason to avoid something they’d dread.

This was always particularly effective with babysitters – a.k.a. people who don’t know you very well.

Whether it was a later bedtime to watch a movie or putting off a bath because I can’t sleep after being wet, the excuse was a valuable tool to getting my way.

Fortunately for my selfishness and unfortunately for my productivity, excuses continue to work today.

Most of the time though, I end up just fooling myself.

Ten days into November, I still find myself acting like the semester is just getting under way.

And I blame the weather.

Tuesday, the high temperature was above 70 degrees. This isn’t weather conducive to studying.

Usually, the academic and climate calendars coexist harmoniously in my world. At the beginning of the school year, the weather is far too nice to spend much time or effort on school.

Choosing between playing bags and reading Camus isn’t as difficult as it sounds. And after a month or so of making the wrong choice, it catches up with me.

By the time I realize it, luckily, the bags have been put away for the season. Needing something to fill my time, studying becomes a more attractive option.

If we go through a chilly September and October, it’s Dean’s List, here I come.

But with unseasonably warm temps still headed our way, I forecast an 80 percent chance of more procrastination.

George Costanza, maybe the most influential thinker of our day, once said, “It’s not a lie if you believe it.”

And for some of us, convincing ourselves is way too easy.

This prevents us from comprehending a simple truth – doing something now is easier than doing something later.

Waiting to finish a task or start one is a recipe for disaster.

Friends will call. They’ll want to go out. Something will be on television. You’ll need to go shopping. Then, when it comes time to actually do some work, something else seems to come up.

Even though a thermometer tells me otherwise, it’s time to deal with the problems of the past today.

The hardest part, though, is getting started.

Sometimes the spark for action can come from just about anywhere – a bad hangover keeping you in on a Saturday night, boredom or nothing but Seventh Heaven on television.

All of these things should be enough to instigate a little action.

This being said, I can’t guarantee to not make any more excuses.

It’s what I’m used to, and it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. There’s really great television on tonight and I earned some time off.

Seriously, I tried – but like always, something came up.

Dan Woike is a senior journalism major. Email him at [email protected] if you’re working on something very important and got distracted.