THE PRINCIPLE

Working with, not against, procrastination can help you get things done

The usual response to procrastination is opposing it head-on, trying to use sheer willpower to do what we are resisting. As you may have noticed, it seldom works, or at least seldom for very long. Procrastination is a more sophisticated phenomenon than it may first appear. Here are some points to consider and the actions you can take to harness the power of procrastination:

1. If your procrastination doesn’t have any negative consequences, you’re doing a good job of assessing when to start the task, even if you could have started earlier. You are one of those rare people who really does work best under pressure. Action: Determine whether your habit of delaying work on a project has any negative consequences. If not, don’t worry about it.
2. If you know you could have done better if you’d started earlier, try dipping into the task and doing a little bit as you go along. For some people, procrastination is about not wanting to finish a task, so you can put that off until the last minute, but when you reach that point you’ll find you’ve done most of the work already. Action: Allocate small chunks of time to work on the project. (There’s more on this in the section called ‘Chunk and micro-chunk’.)
3. If you like the excitement of putting things off, find another way of getting that buzz. Action: Play ‘to-do list roulette’. Write each task you want to achieve today on a separate index card. Turn them over and mix them up. Select one, turn it over and do that task. The element of chance may give you the adrenaline rush you crave.
4. BONUS IDEA: Here’s a pre-procrastination tip. Your subconscious mind can be working on one thing while your conscious mind is working on something else. Creativity experts confirm that this germination or incubation period is important, but it only works if you plant the seed first. If you make yourself aware of what is required and then put it aside, your subconscious mind has something to work with. Action: Give your brain something to work with on the next-but-one project or next-but-one task you’re planning. When the time comes to do it, you will find that you have a head start.

The key is not to see procrastination as an either/or thing: ‘I do things perfectly according to other people’s idea of a perfectly rational schedule’ or ‘I procrastinate.’ Treat it as a process that can be managed to give you the best results based on your personality and preferences.

Website bonus

At www.CreativityNowOnline.com, click on the ‘Creativity Now!’ button. Bonus 17 is a link to an eight-part mini-course in overcoming procrastination.