Procrastination is a word often used to describe others without knowing the internal state. If my boss decides on a fancy but obviously useless project and I w

Procrastination is a word often used to describe others without knowing the internal state. If my boss decides on a fancy but obviously useless project and I work on something else instead, then to the uninitiated onlooker it might look as if I am procrastinating, whereas in reality I am following up on a rational decision not to waste my valuable lifetime on a useless initiative. Similarly, students not studying for a test looks like procrastination to the parents, but if the student knows that the test results don't matter, it can be a good and rational decision to spend your effort on something else instead. "Procrastinating" on learning for a Latin exam and instead coding in C++ for fun seems like a highly profitable choice.