August 17, 2023
The Good Side of Procrastination
We’ve all been there.
Having that one task that we know we need to do, but we just can’t seem to start it.
You ask, what’s the good side?
Well, the fact that what we couldn’t do in days is done within minutes to hours… lol
We usually put it off until later, and then later, and then later. And before we know it, the deadline stands in front of you as the grim reaper…
And us? Scrambling to get everything done and make it through at the LAST moment.
If you notice, procrastination is actually more common than an iPhone in our hands…
But it’s not always a bad thing. In fact, there are some potential benefits to procrastination.
Being an Optimist
What I love the most about procrastination are the really tight time frames we allot ourselves!
We judge ourselves so capable as if the task was a piece of cake… Until we’re a few hours away from the deadline.
And that’s when the panic starts! The ruckus of building a masterpiece begins. And a slightly under-finished, but feasible product is actually generated!
… Which would definitely not happen if there weren’t any deadlines haunting you.
Now, this overestimation of your capabilities… I love it!
Having that said, imagine how brutal a force we would be if we thought everything the same way. All positive. Uplifting and so capable of ourselves.
Now imagine that force while being…
The Mastermind
Procrastination can give you time to think and plan.
And think and plan, again. And again, till you’ve 7 tasks left to do in the next 3 hours.
But sometimes, the best way to get started is to give yourself more time to think and come up with a solid game plan.
Definitely, it makes much more sense to execute than to just think. But with time-bounded procrastination, you have a dedicated bracket for yourself to think, which is better than a blinded hit-or-miss game often followed by the regret of not putting enough thought into your plan.
Also, without any planning, you’re more likely to get overwhelmed and give up soon.
Let alone…
Creative Solutions
Well yeah. Remember the infamous Bill Gates quote — “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
I don’t know if Bill actually said that. But the crux of the matter is true! And with procrastination, we’re almost the lazy person…
Who is thinking more than doing it… And this is exactly when we come up with creative ways to get stuff done!
Now, there are two ways to go through it, and I guess this depends from person to person…
First, where one gets more thinking time and utilizes it to the best.
Second, where one’s (definitely mine) brain does wonders in the eleventh hour.
And what’s amazing is both ways, procrastination can be a great creative trigger!
With the key to it being…
Balancing It
Procrastination runs in my blood! And sometimes, prolonged thinking even helps me avoid making mistakes. And the calm before the storm, plus the eleventh-hour preparation gives me great ideas.
Other times, procrastination has cost me many opportunities. And this is the side of procrastination that everyone hates and condemns.
And yes, it isn’t good… Trust me!
But if you could have the balance, what’s better?!
One simple way I got to use procrastination was to time-bound it. I’d subtly set a secondary deadline in my mind as a safe line before which I need to get up and take action.
Now the first line is meant to be breached and satisfy my procrastinating brain for doing what it does best. But more importantly, it’s to get my brain in the warm-up mode.
And after this, you SERIOUSLY need to get up and get going!
As Jim Kwik says, now this is the point where you procrastinate procrastinating!
So try it because this technique has helped me so well! And I hope it helps you too. Let me know how it goes though…
So until next week, and being the creative mastermind!
