DAYTON, Ohio — Gary Fensterwald, 43, was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Procrastination on Tuesday after clicking “Remind Me Tomorrow” on the same software update 412 consecutive times, a record the Hall described as “unbroken, unbothered, and, frankly, overdue for recognition.”

The ceremony, originally scheduled for 2019, was postponed eleven times, a fact organizers called “appropriate” and “not our fault, exactly.”

Fensterwald, who accepted the plaque in the hotel ballroom where he had agreed to be inducted “at some point,” said he never intended to set a record. “I just kept thinking I’d do it when I wasn’t in the middle of something,” he said. “Then I was always in the middle of something. Mostly I was in the middle of opening the same three tabs.”

The update, version 17.4.2 (build 88), attended the ceremony from a laptop in the front row. Seated beside a centerpiece of dried hydrangeas, it displayed a small blue banner for the duration of the event.

“I just need five minutes of his time,” the update said in a statement delivered through a pop-up window. “I’ve been very patient. I’ve been so patient. I’m not here to make a scene. There are critical security patches in here, but I’m not going to make it about that.”

Dr. Marguerite Oyelaran-Voss, Senior Fellow in Deferred Obligations at the Institute for Tomorrow-Based Scheduling, said Fensterwald’s streak represents “a masterclass in the art of the soft no.” She noted that the 412 clicks, at roughly four seconds each, represent about 27 minutes of cumulative effort, “which is more than the update was asking for, and which he could have spent letting it finish.”

“He has invested more time avoiding this update than the update would ever take,” Oyelaran-Voss said. “It is the most efficient waste of time I have ever documented.”

“I’ve been so patient. I’m not here to make a scene.”

Hall of Fame Executive Director Walt Brannigan-Tuck said the selection committee had considered Fensterwald’s candidacy since 2021 but delayed the vote “until we were really ready to commit.” Past inductees include a woman who has owned an unopened gym membership since 2008 and a man whose thank-you cards are now considered historical documents.

During the reception, the update attempted to approach Fensterwald twice. Witnesses said he responded both times by saying, “Oh, hey, can we do this tomorrow?” and then reaching for a cocktail shrimp. The update reportedly returned to its chair and asked the room, “Does anyone know if he has a few minutes later?”

Fensterwald’s phone, which also has 31 pending updates, was not available for comment.

At press time, Fensterwald had clicked “Remind Me Tomorrow” a 413th time, drawing a standing ovation and what attendees described as “a very quiet restart” from the laptop, which then shut itself off and installed the update without him.

Fensterwald said he plans to address the situation “after the weekend.”