Faffing

It wasn't until I worked with a Brit before I knew the definition or even heard the word, for that matter.  It could've easily been mistaken for a more vulgar "F" word.  And as Americans are prone to do, one could think the worst - it MUST mean something bad.

In a certain sense, "f-ing around" does have a similar meaning to "faffing about."  Just for the sake of accuracy (or as much accuracy as one could find by researching using the internet), I found numerous definitions and even an etymology of "faff."

The best that I found was this:
"Faffing – The art of doing something without achieving anything”

 Credit to Steven Aitchison from an article on Lifehack.org.  It's a good one - check it out:

5 Ways to get out of faffing mode

Apparently it's one that I need.  I am a veteran faffer.  I actually have to put on my "to do" list to NOT faff.  Or at least budget less time dedicated to faffing.  (For example, two hours or less.)

It seems that the "faff trap" occurs when there is something that is more daunting than I'm willing to undertake.  Thus, I while away my time in "faff mode" because I don't want to face what is perceived to be an enormous/impossible/drudgery-filled/tedious/grueling (you name the adjective) task.  And once I click off the faff, and set out to accomplish what I SHOULD be doing in the first place, it turns out that the task wasn't so bad after all. 

So in a way, the faffing is just warm up for the main event.  As long as I resist the urge to let the faffing take over and dominate my daily schedule and overrule the action items that I must complete, then a little faffing may be permissible. 

At least I won't waste any time worrying about it.