Permission to Procrastinate

Featured Image Credit: Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Procrastination. Procrastination keeps you from your dreams. It prevents you from achieving your goals. 

Objectively, procrastinating, in this case, not taking an action that would benefit your future, is a terrible thing. I heard procrastination mentioned in this negative context, and with good reason.

What is procrastination?

According to the dictionary, procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something.

Instead of doing homework when you get home, you procrastinate until the following morning.

According to Jihae Shin and Adam Grant, "About 20% of the general population is under the influence of chronic procrastination … and as many as 80% to 95% of college students admit to procrastinating..." (1).

Twenty percent of the general population? The main issue is this battle with procrastination, for some, can cause a depression spiral and anxiety. People beat themselves up for their procrastination. I know I have been hard on myself for times I procrastinated on a project or assignment.

Procrastination isn't easy to overcome. Since I learned to channel my anxiety about public speaking into helpful energy, I have been fascinated by finding ways to take advantage of our negative feelings and turn them around.

Is there a silver lining to procrastination?

According to the study mentioned above, there are some benefits. 

When referencing studies and reports, it is prudent to acknowledge the limitations involved. Results are from truthful responses of the subjects and the data the researchers decide to measure. The core limitation was how the study does "not directly address how the motives behind procrastination or the choice of activities undertaken during procrastination shape its effects."

This study found that the most significant benefit is related to creative work. Delaying a project can help us creatively address the issue.

Put Your Subconscious to Work

I had those moments when I faced a complex problem I couldn't solve. Nothing worked. Then I got distracted with another short, temporary project when the idea for my original problem hit me. Eureka! I figured it out, and I wasn't even thinking about it.

We can solve problems we aren't thinking about because of how our subconscious mind works. Our subconscious works like a background processor. It constantly processes information even when we are not conscious of it, like closing but not exiting an app. The phone, or computer, is still running the program in the background, even if you aren't using it or seeing it.

Although there is no definitive way to study our subconscious mind and how it impacts our creativity, many studies have attempted. A separate study titled, The Incubation Effect: Hatching a Solution? Scientists found that taking a break from the problem wasn't enough. Participants who switched to an unrelated task were far better off than those who worked on something similar during their break. 

According to their study, "Not only is switching to an unrelated task better than working continuously, but it is also superior to a break task involving similar cognitive demands." They continue, "the results of the present study suggest that taking a break from work on a topic is differentially advantageous, and depends on the type of task undertaken during the break. "(2)

Start by thinking about the issue you are facing. Try to solve it a bit, then work on something completely different. The subconscious mind will run in the background, attempting to find a solution.

Delay with Diligence

Image Credit: Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Use your procrastination to focus on other neglected projects. I designed a time management class for a training project in the past. One of the strategies was to take breaks by doing other, less taxing work like checking emails.

If you are overwhelmed by a particular project, shift your attention. Work on smaller parts of the same project. You are delaying the more extensive parts but completing other crucial parts. This strategy can help make procrastination productive.

One problem with procrastinating is running out of time because something you didn't know would require as much time as it does. So, knock out the little bits and pieces and leave the most considerable part for last.

I have met several people who work better with the rush of a looming deadline. You can give them the assignment months in advance. Only when the deadline nears do they dare begin.

The deadline forces them to focus, and their focus is intense. Fewer distractions, less deviation. Those people work much better this way. If you are one of these people, consider doing the little things related to the overall project so you don't get stuck on something small and irrelevant when the time matters most.

Overpower Perfectionism

I am an over-analyzer—a perfectionist. I always believe I can do better concerning any work I produce, but you have to release it sometime. By procrastinating, you eliminate the need to be perfect. For perfectionists, starting a task earlier may mean nitpicking every detail and going over the minutia, the largely irrelevant parts. It may lead to completing and redoing the same things every day.

When the deadline starts nearing, suddenly, those details become less relevant, and the most important thing is completing the assignment. You focus only on the information, items, and images you need to complete the project at a minimum.

It is easier to ignore the tiny details that do not impact the overall presentation. Decisions become economical. Simple. Only the most essential parts get the majority of the focus.

What's Next?

Procrastination draws negative connotations when mentioned. Still, it can have positive values. Not all procrastinators are lazy. It could be frustration with the process. Boredom. Distractions. Several reasons.

Sometimes it takes doing something others won't to make it work for you.

It is essential to know yourself and how you operate. Instead of attempting to conquer procrastination, find ways to use it to your advantage.

Put your subconscious to work. Introduce yourself to the problem, try to work on it then shift your focus to something else. Switching to an unrelated task allows your subconscious to work for you.

If you feel compelled to delay a primary task, exchange it for lesser, related tasks or important, but not urgent, activities like checking emails.

By using our breaks to accomplish other tasks, we can use our procrastination in one area as a means of production in other areas.

Procrastinating can help overcome perfectionism. As a deadline approaches, the focus moves to completing the task, not focusing on little imperfections. The focus becomes more intense since you now have urgency. People in this mode tend to be more efficient and effective.

Whether it is because of the adrenaline rush, the work is unpleasant, you aren't motivated, or you get easily distracted, procrastination isn't all bad.

The most important thing about procrastination is to learn to forgive yourself.

In a 2010 study, researchers found that students who could forgive themselves for procrastinating when studying for a first exam ended up procrastinating less when studying for their next exam. They concluded that self-forgiveness supported productivity by allowing "the individual to move past their maladaptive behavior and focus on the upcoming examination without the burden of past acts." (3)

Forgive yourself, use procrastination to push forward, and make the most of every opportunity.

References