The Enemy of Progress
While many consider procrastinating a bad thing. I would argue it is a crucial part of the human experience in producing anything. There are some people who can just sit down and get something done and I just have one thing to say to those people: I hate you, I hate you because I ain’t you. Jokes aside, it’s great for those people who can just sit down and get it done, but that isn’t me. Which is fine, it just means I had to find another way to get things done.
The Underdog of Progress
Procrastination isn’t a bad thing. At its core, there’s nothing wrong with getting distracted and deep cleaning your entire kitchen at 2am instead of doing what you’re supposed to. Some of my biggest breakthroughs have happened when I was away from the task at hand. While my mind has some room to explore, that’s where I have my greatest ideas.
I tend to hit a wall when working on a problem for an extended period. which is why it’s nice to break things up by watching TV or scrolling Instagram or calling your Mum because you have been a terrible person who hasn’t called her in over a month (That might just be me…sorry Mum).
The point is breaks are good. Procrastinating the task at hand can breathe a fresh perspective into what you’re doing and avoid burnout. There are two sides to procrastination. You can always have too much of a good thing. Which is why it’s important to remember, the dose makes the poison.
The Balance
I like to think of procrastination as ‘The Substance’. You know? From the movie ‘The Substance’. You can take the substance, and you will be the best you, that you can be. But take too much, and you’ll turn into a monster (figuratively). You have to respect the balance. For the majority of people which haven’t seen this cinematic masterpiece, basically too much procrastination isn’t a good thing. This is the rabbit hole you need to be wary of and make sure you don’t fall down.
It took me quite a long time to find this balance of using my spouts of procrastination for good. And avoiding the trap of my procrastination snowballing into being unproductive. I find the sweet spot for me is when I’m getting frustrated with the task at hand, it’s time for a mental break. My personal favourite is going to the website of one of my favourite brands, adding items from my favourites tab into my cart, then leaving the website before buying anything. But that’s just me. Maybe you could go for a walk or get a coffee.
Balancing procrastination and productivity is just about making sure that these bursts of procrastination are being used as a means of breaking up the task at hand without it spiraling into you working your ass off five minutes before the deadline.
Procrastination in Disguise
Throughout the ages, people have masked procrastination as many things to avoid using the word. Ever heard of the Pomodoro Technique? Used for studying or completing tasks, it involves working for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. It has actually been proven to yield amazing results but if we’re honest, it’s just managed procrastination. Which is exactly what productive procrastination is. It’s as simple as managing the task at hand in a way which allows you to have your cake and eat it.
Now before you ask, yes. I did write this blog while I had other things I was supposed to be doing. This blog about procrastination was written while procrastinating! (Very meta I know.) But it does perfectly capture the point I’m making. Use procrastination as a means to give your mind a break. Utilising procrastination as a tool will reflect in the work you produce.
