Delay the execution of the case long time.
The scientists do not stop arguing about the origin of this turnover. Very often it is attributed to the reign of the father of Peter I, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
At his palace in Kolomenskoye (where, we recall, the Kolomna Versts pointed the way), he ordered a long (long) box for petitions to be nailed to a post.
Any person could put his own there - the king would definitely read it. But then he gave petitions to his officials so that they would take action, and officials cannot work without red tape and delays.
The consideration of cases put on the back burner was delayed, which is why the expression got such a “hopeless” meaning.
Other scientists, analyzing the linguistic material, convincingly prove that the phrase “put it on the back burner” is borrowed from German language.
In German, he conveyed such a feature of medieval office work: long benches in the form of large chests were usually located behind the judges.
Case files were laid out on these benches. Those of the cases that were not important or required lengthy proceedings were put aside on the far edge of the bench, or even completely removed inside the chest - so as not to distract.
The preparation that had begun as a teacher did not end in anything, or, in any case, was shelved.
Gleb Ivanovich Uspensky. "Without your will"
PUT IN A LONG BOX
Delay the work for a long time.
❀ ❀ ❀Mental disorder or just promiscuity?
“Procrastination” (the habit of procrastination) is translated from Latin as “for tomorrow”. And there are other synonyms: to procrastinate, to linger, to dig, to take time, to drag, to delay, to delay, to slow down, to tinker, to play for time, to shelve .... I will deliberately not use the buzzword “procrastination” in this text. In Western psychology, it is used to define the phenomenon of laziness in general. But laziness is wider, more complex and multifaceted than just postponing things for later.
Psychologists argue about the nature of procrastination. Some consider it a mental disorder, others - personal promiscuity. In the late 90s, the press even reported that it is transmitted with genes and, in principle, is incurable. But as a psychologist, it seems to me that scientists take such a natural human tendency to put off unpleasant things until later, too seriously.
You can play for time in different ways: do not start it; make no decision to start; start and quit; do many things at the same time, not finishing any of them; do many other things without touching the main thing, etc.
Here's what my survey participants said:
L. says:
“My husband, when the need to make any decision that requires further action is imminent, first ignores the problem for as long as possible, and then (under my pressure) gives out his sacramental: “We need to think!”. That's what he said when I asked to buy it. washing machine. A month later, I made a new request and heard: “We need to decide which model to choose.” Another 3-4 months passed ... And only when I threatened that I would now go to a nearby (not the best) store and poke my finger at the most expensive typewriter, my husband got scared. In the evening, I already washed in a brand new washing machine.
K says:
“I never do anything unless absolutely necessary. I won't take out the trash until it's poured out of the bucket. I will not buy groceries as long as there is at least something edible in the house. And so on. Of course, if they insistently ask, I do it. And this does not apply to interests and hobbies, of course. At work, measured work is not for me. Relaxation, and then maximum concentration - that's my style. And, in general, I succeed. ”
Reasons for bad habits
And yet the habit of wasting time is a serious problem for many people, preventing them from living a full life, working efficiently and enjoying both work and leisure. What causes it? Here are just some of the reasons:
* inability to plan time;
* inability to concentrate;
* constant feeling of anxiety or fear;
* depression;
* diffidence;
* financial difficulties;
* troubles in the family;
* unrealistic expectations and hopes;
* perfectionism;
* fear of failure;
* fear of change;
* protest against rules and deadlines imposed from above;
Fried Rooster as a method
About those who always put everything off until later, they often say: "pulling rubber." One very important property of procrastination is noticed here - the accumulation of tension. The longer you pull - rubber or time - the more it becomes. The outcome may be twofold. On the one hand, a stone thrown from a slingshot receives energy for flight only when the rubber is properly stretched. A person who is not in a hurry to get to work is waiting for such an impulse. When the deadlines are pressed to the limit, there will be negligible time left, he feels a surge of strength and is able to fully concentrate on work (the people also say: “the roasted rooster has pecked”). On the other hand, if the rubber is pulled too long, it may burst. Storming - not The best way completing tasks, and sleepless nights are not the best time for this.
Scientists from the Center for the Study of Procrastination at Carton University (Canada), having studied several hundred students, came to the conclusion that young people who tend to put off studying until later are more likely to catch colds, sleep less, eat malnutrition, smoke and drink more. And the results of night vigils over textbooks, as a rule, are not the best.
Psychology of saints
So what to do?
In the Fatherland (stories about the holy fathers) there is such a parable: “One man had land, which, due to his negligence, turned into barren, overgrown with weeds. It took him to cultivate it, and he said to his son: "Go, clear our field." The son went, but when he saw that it was overgrown with weeds, he lost heart and said to himself: “Will I ever eradicate all these weeds and clean the land?” With these words, he lay down on the ground and fell asleep; so he did for many days. Then the father came to see what had been done, and saw that nothing had been done. He said to his son, "Why haven't you done anything yet?" The son replied: "I saw how many weeds, and refused to work." And my father said: “If every day you worked at least such a piece of land as you occupy, lying on it, then your work would gradually move forward.” The young man acted on the instructions of his father, and in a short time the field was cleared and cultivated.
The holy fathers also knew about procrastination and developed their recipes to combat it. Here, for example, is the advice given by Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer in the book Invisible Warfare.
He noticed that the longer the matter is postponed, the more difficult it seems and advises: “Do not hesitate to start any business that you have to do, because the first short delay will lead you to the second, longer, and the second to the third, even more long, and so on. From this, the work begins too late and ... or is completely left as burdensome ... Not only during labor, but even when it is still far ahead, you will feel as if you have a mountain on your shoulders, you will be weighed down by this and suffer, like slaves, in hopeless slavery consisting. So also during rest you will not have rest, and without work you will feel burdened with work.
In order to overcome negligence, the Monk Nikodim offers ... to deceive him, breaking the case into small blocks and taking breaks.
“If, for example, an hour of prayerful labor is required to complete any part of the service, and this seems difficult for your laziness, then when you start this, do not think that you will have to stand for an hour, but imagine that this will continue for some quarter of an hour. , and you will stand unnoticed, praying this quarter; having stood this, say to yourself: we will stand for another quarter, this is not much, as you see; then do the same for the third and fourth quarters; and you will finish this work of prayer ministry without noticing the difficulties and hardships ... Do the same in relation to work, and to the deeds of your obedience.
Often we cannot start work, because we are overwhelmed with deeds and not knowing where to start, we fall into a stupor: “But do not think about this multitude of deeds,” writes St. Nicodemus, “but reluctantly take up the first presenting and do it with all diligence, as if there were no others at all, and you will do it calmly; then act in the same way in relation to other matters and you will redo everything calmly, without confusion and troubles.
For those who want to improve
Here is a list of tips for those who are prone to the habit of procrastination.
- Remember what things - really important - you have been putting off for many years? Just don't say the first thing that comes to your mind. Your reluctance to start fulfilling them is so great that the subconscious will obligingly provide you with any business other than these - really important ones. So you have to properly analyze your own life.
- Think about why you don’t want to start this activity. This requires honesty with oneself and, if you like, courage. Perhaps they are associated with pain or other discomfort. We do not always realize this ourselves, but subconsciously we strive to avoid pain. But to find out the reasons for the reluctance to take on something is necessary. Having found the roots of the problem, we are halfway to solving it.
Think about what positive changes will happen when you finally do these things.
- Try to calculate how you pay for inaction? Imagine how your life would have turned if you hadn’t put off certain unpleasant, but important things in due time. What would be your health, level of education, position, marital status now? ..
- Keep in mind that we often inspire ourselves with an attitude towards the upcoming work (“What a tedious task I got!”) Or the one who entrusted it (“The boss always entrusts me with the most hopeless projects! He hates me!”). Having been uttered several times, this phrase becomes our firm conviction. And, painfully forcing ourselves to sit down to work, we are already struggling with our own emotions, which we ourselves have just inspired. Try to avoid such thoughts next time.
- Get a diary. At least 30% of all those who like to postpone it helps. Enter there not only a to-do list, but also - which is very important - the results achieved.
Once you have received the task, decide when you intend to start its implementation. Now or later? If the latter, mark the date in your diary.
- Analyze your feelings and thoughts. When is the moment when you want to postpone work indefinitely? As soon as you feel the first lazy urges, immediately tell yourself loudly and clearly: “Stop!” To be sure, you can even pinch yourself.
- The main thing is to start, to overcome inertia - then things will go much more fun. After all, you have already taken off the ground - and now you just need to fly, perhaps even enjoying the flight.
Promise yourself some small but nice reward before starting work. The main thing is that it should be planned. You don't go out for coffee and quit your job halfway through. You will do half the work - and after that you will allow yourself a coffee break. Feel the difference?
- Start the job with the simplest and easiest. Let the first stage be very small.
- Break the work day into blocks. The one who works without getting up for 2-3 hours achieves less than the one who allows himself a 10-minute break every hour. If you can't bring yourself to get to work, break it down into tiny, five-minute blocks. Most likely, when you get down to business, you will find that you are involved, and after five minutes you will be sorry to quit what you started.
— If it's a big project, once you start working on it, don't stop. Even on days filled with other things, devote at least half an hour to working on it, and if not possible, then 10 minutes. So you will not lose the acceleration received at the start. And stop - you have to dial it again.
So, as you can see, there are many ways to deal with the habit of postponing things for later. If you decide to use them, remember the most important advice: start acting today, this minute, and not from Monday.
Like many phraseological units, the expression "to shelve", meaning to delay something for a long period of time, has an ambiguous origin.
It is likely that this phraseological unit originates during the reign of Tsar Romanov Alexei Mikhailovich, nicknamed "The Quietest", on whose orders a long box for the so-called petitions was installed in the village of Kolomenskoye (the Tsar's favorite residence) next to his palace.
Any person could leave a message to the king in this box with a complaint or request. Complaints were taken only after the full filling of this capacious box. Then messages for a long time considered clerks and boyars. And in Russian the word "long" means "long". So it turns out that in order to submit a petition, you need to "put it on the back burner." But still, we say: "put it on the back burner", and not "put it".
Therefore, other philologists believe that the origin of the "long box" lies in the nineteenth century. At that time, various petitions, complaints and requests to sort were accepted. So the officials laid out the submitted papers in different boxes. Things that weren't required quick decision or simply didn’t want to look at it, they put it away in the drawer of the desk, which could be called “long”.
But it is also possible that the phrase "to shelve" came into Russian from the German language: etwas in die lange Truhe legen, meaning "to put something in a long chest." Indeed, in the eighteenth century, large and long chests for storing court papers really stood in German courts. So, the affairs of the poor, in contrast to the nobility, whose affairs were resolved very quickly, were kept and waited for their "star" hour in the farthest chest: well, why not a "long box".
In the end, I would like to note that the meaning of the last two versions is very well suited to another phraseological expression "put under the cloth", because bureaucratic tables in public institutions basically covered with cloth.
Shelving put off/put off Usually carried. with negative Led more often. incl. or deep. To postpone the execution of something for an indefinitely long time, to delay the solution of any issue for a long time. Postpone what? decision, business, discussion ... on the back burner.
Chichikov wanted to finish everything as soon as possible, without putting it off indefinitely. (N. Gogol.)
Let's not put it off, let's interrogate him now. (A. Chekhov.)
Yangui and Timofey Kosyakov volunteered to deliver their expedition cargoes here. They decided not to shelve this matter and go the next day. (V. Arseniev.)
(?) The expression is traditionally associated with the custom established by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter I) in his residence. A long box was installed in front of the royal palace, where everyone who wanted to drop their petitions (requests). These petitions were considered for a very long time, so the long box began to be called the long one.
Educational phraseological dictionary. - M.: AST. E. A. Bystrova, A. P. Okuneva, N. M. Shansky. 1997 .
See what "shelving" is in other dictionaries:
Shelving
shelve- delay the execution of any case for an indefinite period of time. There are several options for the origin of phraseology: 1. The expression goes back to the times of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a box for petitions was nailed in front of his palace, these ... ... Phraseology Handbook
shelve- Reschedule the execution of a l. business for a long, indefinite time ... Dictionary of many expressions
Postpone / put aside in a long box Usually carried. with negative Led more often. incl. or deep. To postpone the execution of something for an indefinitely long time, to delay the solution of any issue for a long time. Postpone what? decision, matter, discussion ... ... Educational Phraseological Dictionary
Shelving- Put aside in a long box. Set aside in a long box. (postpone) for an indefinite, long time. Prokhor was always cool in his actions, therefore, without putting off the troubles he had begun, at one o'clock in the afternoon he called Baroness Zamoyskaya (Shishkov. ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language
Put in a long box- What. Obsolete Iron. Postpone a decision indefinitely. The Senate, having explained the answer, put it, as they say, in a long box under the red cloth (Derzhavin. Notes) ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language
Postpone / postpone (put) on the back burner- What. Razg. Delay the execution of any business for an indefinite period. FSRYA, 543; BTS, 271, 1535; SHZF 2001, 29; FM 2002, 649; 3S 1996, 222, 342, 474, 476; F 2, 69; BMS 1998, 653; Mokienko 1986, 39; DP, 565 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings
postpone- to postpone, to postpone, to push back; suspend, unharness, postpone, underplay, delay, unhook, leave, shelve, reserve, stock up, shelve, postpone for later, postpone until Greek calends, postpone for black ... ... Synonym dictionary
postpone- Postpone the care of what (colloquial) stop thinking, take care of what n. Postponed an empty meal. A. Pushkin. Shelve postpone the execution of some n. business for an indefinite period. Look, do not delay with the answer, do not put it off in ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian language
POSTPONE- I'll put it off, put it off, owls, whom what. 1. (inconsistency to postpone). Put aside. Zotov, putting down his pen, stood up and bowed. A.N. Tolstoy. || Count (knuckles on the abacus). || Select (part), putting separately. Set aside a few pieces of ... ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
The saying "to shelve", as everyone probably knows, means "to delay the decision of some matter for a long time." But what kind of box it is and why it is long, probably not everyone knows.
However, among philologists on this issue, too, there is a significant disagreement. To this day, three options for the origin of our saying have been proposed.
According to one version, this is a primordially Russian turnover, which appeared during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, father of Peter I. And it is allegedly associated with the custom of filing petitions. Prior to the accession of Alexei Mikhailovich, petitions addressed to the royal name were left on the tombs of the royal ancestors in the Archangel Cathedral. But Alexei Mikhailovich liked to live not in the Kremlin, but in his beloved village of Kolomenskoye, where he ordered to put a long, or “long” box for petitions (long and long in Russian are synonymous words). This box was quite roomy, and until it was completely filled, complaints were not taken away. And then the boyars and duma clerks considered the petitions for a long time. So lowering the petitions into the royal box acquired a figurative meaning - "pull the case."
It is difficult, however, to vouch for the accuracy of this explanation: after all, we are talking about “shelving”, and not “lowering” and not “putting down”. And there is no exact historical justification for this legend. Therefore, other scholars believe that the “long drawer” was a desk drawer in the first Russian offices, where complaints were put aside that did not require a quick response, or did not arouse the desire of officials to consider them.
However, there are several arguments against this version. Firstly, the turnover “to shelve” appeared only in the middle of the 18th century. Secondly, it occurs exclusively in the literary language and, thirdly, it retains the same form. These features characterize the so-called calques (philologists use this term to denote literal borrowings from other languages). Thus, our turn, most likely, is a tracing paper from the German etwas in die lange Truhe legen (put something in a long chest). Recall that it was at the beginning of the 18th century that the Germans poured into Russia in droves.
Indeed, in the buildings of the German courts there were large long lari-lockers where court cases were put; however, they were used as benches. The cases of rich and noble plaintiffs, of course, were resolved quickly, and the cases of the poor were put aside by court officials at the farthest end of the locker-bench - "on the back burner." By the way, in the 18th century a more modern version appeared: etwas auf die lange Bank schieben, literally - to move something to a long bench.
So, the expression "to shelve" is probably taken from the everyday life of the German bureaucracy of the New Age (which, however, was not much different from ours, which is why the ill-fated box took root on Russian soil).
And the Russian analogue of this foreign expression is “put under the cloth ". It does not require any special explanation.
