Confessions of a Pro(fessional)crastinator

I can’t believe I finally completed this article! I'm excited! I’ve been looking forward to writing down my thoughts on this topic for a very long time. As long I can remember in fact. 

But for some reason, I just kept putting it off… and putting it off… and putting it off… 

I think you get the point. What I’m talking about here is 'procrastination.'

You see, I’m what you call a pro(fessional)crastinator. And believe me when I tell you that I left the ranks of amateur “crastinators” a long time ago. I'm a lean, mean, easily-distracted machine! 

But don't get me wrong. For me, “waiting until the next day” to do something – whether it is a house chore or a blog post – is not really a bad habit. Or an obstacle to greater achievements.

Procrastination is a skill, a gift even! And I’m only half joking…

The Pros of Procrastination

When it comes to procrastination, the key in my opinion is not to pay too much attention to what’s not getting done. Rather, you should focus on what is getting done instead. 

If what you’re doing while procrastinating is of greater value to you than what you’re temporarily putting off, then you’re definitely not wasting time. In my case, as a creative strategist and writer, I see occasional daydreaming as way more valuable than, say… doing the dishes or filling my taxes, for example. It’s an exercise in imagination and problem solving, both of which are assets in my job. 

Procrastination can even have benefits for the task you’re postponing (that's right). Since it leaves you with a shorter amount of time to complete it, your survival instincts are forced to kick in and you start only paying attention to what’s crucially important. 

When everything goes well, the last-resort burst of energy produced can help you be more focused and efficient, and even come up with better, more creative ideas and solutions. It also helps that you’ve had more time to collect information and think the situation over before getting started. 

The Cons of Procrastination

Of course, there are also limits to the virtues of procrastination – eventually everyone has to pay their bills and clean up their apartments. We can’t just put this stuff off forever (or can we?). 

As you’ll no doubt have noticed, when you procrastinate, you’re more likely to feel stressed out and anxious, to cut corners and overlook details, and to do a poorer job on the task at hand than you would have if you spent more time on it. 

It’s easy to understand why most people try to avoid it.

But ultimately, I truly believe that there’s a productive way to procrastinate, if you’re willing to put up with a bit of uncertainty every once in a while. 

My advice is to take notice of what you do during “off” time and to try to become really good at it. And to only tap into your source of last-minute magic when you absolutely need to – otherwise, it’s bound to eventually run out. 

You’ll see, when used in moderation, procrastination can do wonders for all aspects of your life! 

How do you feel about procrastination? 

Do you have a success (or horror) story about procrastination? Or any tricks for making the most of your tendency to put things off? 

Please share them in the comments section (like, right now… not tomorrow… or later this week… NOW!).