Top 7 Most Famous Procrastinators (Misadventures and Hilarious Anecdotes)
So, you’re sick and tired of your laziness and procrastination, and you feel like you can’t accomplish anything in life. You feel that your procrastination is standing between you and success.
Well, you may want to take a look at our list of the 7 most famous procrastinators in history. They are well-known historical figures who were often bad at getting things done on time.
Despite their bouts of procrastination, they ended up accomplishing great things and creating exceptional masterpieces.
Some of these masterpieces, however, were almost never going to see the light of day because the authors kept procrastinating about completing them.
Some famous examples are Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
These famous examples of procrastination show that many personalities who habitually put things off could become incredibly successful and productive.
But should you consider them an example to follow ?
Keep reading.
1. Bill Clinton
Who is he?
Bill Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States (1993–2001).
Why is he on the list?
U.S. President Bill Clinton is one of the most prominent leaders who procrastinate. Time magazine once described him as a “chronic procrastinator.“
His assistants say that they give Clinton a few weeks to give feedback on early drafts of important speeches, but most of these speeches end up being “harrowing cut-and-paste sessions” at the last minute.
His own Vice President, Al Gore, agreed that he was “punctually challenged” due to his poor track record of keeping appointments and deadlines.
Even his wife, Hillary Clinton, attested that it was “maddening to try to keep him on any kind of schedule.”
His best qualities as President, like wanting to fix problems that have been ignored for a long time, having a lot of energy that hasn’t been seen in the Oval Office in years, and being interested in all kinds of people, policies, and ideas, often make it hard for him to organize his time and figure out what’s most important.
Clinton had a desire to fix long-ignored problems, and exhibited great energy and appetite for people and ideas of all kinds, but he often failed to organize his time and sort out his priorities.
2. The Dalai Lama
Who is he?
The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) is the highest spiritual leader and former head of state of Tibet. This Nobel laureate established the independent Tibetan government in exile in 1959.
Why is he on the list?
In his own words, the Dalai Lama described his early days as a young student, saying : “Only in the face of a difficult challenge or an urgent deadline would I study and work without laziness.”
In a 2014 interview with Larry King, the Dalai Lama admitted that when he was young, he had no interest in learning. “I usually describe myself as a very very lazy student.”
The Dalai Lama stated in the interview that his dream when he was a young student was to “play, not study.” He then explained that with time he improved and became more diligent.
One of his famous quotes: “You must not procrastinate. Rather, you should make preparations so that even if you did die tonight, you would have no regrets”.
3. Leonardo Da Vinci
Who is he?
Leonardo Da Vinci was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer. His most well-known works “the Last Supper” and “Mona Lisa,” are among the most widely popular and influential paintings of the Renaissance. He is considered one of the most brilliant humans to have ever lived.
Why is he on the list?
Leonardo is regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in human history, but he was also known to be a dreamer who had a hard time finishing his projects.
It took the painter 16 years to finish the Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda), which is his most well-known painting.
He did not finish his two paintings, “The Adoration of the Magi” and “Jerome in the Wilderness,” and it took him 13 years to finish “The Virgin of the Rocks.”
Even Da Vinci’s benefactor, the Duke of Milan, threatened to cut off the funds if he did not finish a commissioned work. To which Leonardo simply replied:
“Men of lofty genius sometimes accomplish the most when they work the least, for their minds are occupied with their ideas and the perfection of their conceptions, to which they afterwards give form.”
Da Vinci’s behavior is most likely linked to his obsession with perfection and the peculiar way his brilliant and creative mind works.
He was known to be industrious and very detail-oriented, spending an incredible amount of time assembling information and ideas and preparing for his work.
4. Victor Hugo
Who is he?
Victor Hugo is a French poet, novelist, and dramatist who is regarded in France as one of that country’s greatest poets. He is known for his novels “Notre Dame de Paris” and “Les Misérables.”
Why is he on the list?
Victor Hugo seems to have been a procrastinator who liked to do anything but his work. Nevertheless, Hugo seemed to have a surefire trick to get things done, especially when his procrastination got really bad.
Hugo’s wife wrote in her memoirs that while Hugo was writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he bought “a huge grey knitted cloth that covered him from head to foot.” He also put away his formal clothes so he wouldn’t be tempted to go out.
Hugo allegedly dedicated most of his days to writing novels with nothing, literally nothing, but a pen and paper. Several reports claim that Hugo would remove his clothes and hand them to his servants, instructing them not to return them until he had completed a chapter.
5. Frank Lloyd Wright
Who is he?
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect who played a key role in the architectural movements of the twentieth century and was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as “the greatest American architect of all time.”
Why is he on the list?
When Frank Lloyd was asked to create a new design for a prominent businessman, he kept procrastinating about starting the project for about nine months, despite his assurances to his client that he had been working on the drawings but had not actually done a thing.
His client phoned one day to inform him that he would be stopping by Wright’s office in about two hours to examine the project. Lloyd rushed to complete the design.
He drew out some hasty drawings in under two hours, but it ended up being his most well-known project, the iconic “Fallingwater” house. Deemed the best all-time work of American architecture.
Wright also took a while to finish the first set of the construction drawings, which resulted in several delays and re-works during the construction process of the Fallingwater house.
6. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Who is he?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer, widely recognized as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. Despite his short life, Mozart composed more than 800 works in virtually every musical genre of his time.
Why is he on the list?
“Don Giovanni,” a two-act opera, is often thought to be one of Mozart’s best works, but is also an illustration of Mozart’s procrastination.
Even though Mozart had fourteen days to put this opera together, he did not write the music until the morning of the performance.
A common story says that the night before the premiere, Mozart went to sleep, but was awoken by his wife in the middle of the night to finish the overture. Some sources even claim that Mozart may have been hungover at that time.
When the opera was finally put on, the ink on the overture sheet music was still wet because it had been copied at the last minute. Musicians had to play their parts without practicing.
Other anecdotes about the procrastination tendencies of Mozart also appear in the book “The Life of Mozart” by Edward Holmes (1845).
7. Margaret Atwood
Who is she?
Margaret Atwood is a renowed Canadian writer who has published numerous best-selling books and novels. Atwood is regarded as one of the most iconic authors of all time and is best known for her best-selling novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Why is she on the list?
The Canadian author describes herself as a “world-class procrastinator” and admits that her typical day consists of procrastinating and worrying until the afternoon, when stress and anxiety force her to write.
She also admitted that she procrastinated for about three years about starting her novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “I thought it was just too farfetched,” she said.
Atwood said that, despite her lazy tendencies, she never misses a deadline.
The author came up with a creative solution for her procrastination, creating a “double identity.” The first one is Margaret, the author who writes. The other alter ego is named “Peggy.” She takes care of everything else.
“Peggy” is the strong-willed character. Atwood said, “Peggy takes care of the laundry. Peggy also tells Margaret to get off Twitter and start working”.
Final thoughts and word of caution
Some of the personalities on this list are self-confessed procrastinators, while others are reportedly procrastinators. They are all, however, big achievers who succeeded in being very industrious and creative and excelling in their respective domains.
What is considered procrastination for these people may be, in fact, the mysterious ways in which their minds work. For example, Da Vinci’s supposed habit of putting things off could be explained by the fact that he was obsessed with being perfect and liked to study and plan before starting his projects.
Others may have been subject to episodes of procrastination, but that doesn’t necessarily make them chronic procrastinators.
It is believed that some people on the list are simply productive procrastinators, who spend a long time gathering ideas and information or just mustering inspiration and ideas to overcome writer’s block and produce unique masterpieces.
It is also worth mentioning that some of the anecdotes may not be very reliable, so they should be taken with a grain of salt, like Hugo’s anecdote that he stayed naked in his room to prevent himself from going out.
Finally, dear procrastinators, you should take this list of famous procrastinators with a grain of salt. Procrastination is not to be celebrated or glamourized, especially when it becomes a pervasive behavior that hurts your productivity and well-being.
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About the author
My name is Sam David. I am the founder of "Proactivity Lab," a website that provides comprehensive strategies and resources for understanding and overcoming procrastination.
The website's resources are the culmination of more than 20 years of research and experience, during which I embarked on a long and gruelling journey of study and self-discovery.
Being a former procrastinator myself, it took me years of investigation and numerous trials and errors to gain a clear understanding of the underlying causes of procrastination and the most effective and scientifically supported strategies to permanently conquer the vicious cycle of procrastination.
I would like to share my knowledge with you, for free.
