Positive Procrastination - can it ever be helpful?
Hello,
This week’s Brew artwork has come from the absolutely awesome Amy Nolan. Now, I don’t really want to share her new doodle shop with you as I want all the doodles for myself but it really is a great content resource. So I have to. You can check it out here.
Last week’s poll came back with 80% of you having a content plan but it going out of the window. And the only person who clicked another option was me to see how the poll worked. So that kinda makes it 100%.
This is why I’m doing a content planning day (the first one is free) and have a little plan up my sleeve about how I can help you stay on track with your content - if you’d like that.
I also realise I did an oopsie last week with the questionnaire form settings so if you fancy telling me what you’d like in a content planning day (or even if it should be a full day) then you can do so right here.
If you want to get a bit of a head start, I’ve got a blog on creating a content calendar with a free template.
Right, that’s all the admin stuff out of the way. Let’s talk about procrastination (warning: no procrastination was used in creating this newsletter).
Positive Procrastination
There were five minutes left to the deadline. I flew through the labyrinth of hallways, printout firmly in hand, skidded through the department doors and dropped the essay into the pigeon-hole with moments to spare.
This was my one and only 98% essay score at University and I barely hit the deadline. The topic was one of my all-time favourite films: Citizen Kane. And I’d had weeks to deliver it.
Except, I procrastinated. I did everything except sit down and write the essay. Instead, I took myself off to the library two days before the deadline and started my research. Then I had the kindness of a friend with a laptop (this was the early 00s and not everyone had a laptop) and a printer to help me reach the deadline. Plus my running shoes.
You could give me a month to get something done and I will still do it at the last minute.
This might be considered a failure but I prefer to think about it as a valuable skill.
Procrastination is often overlooked as a key part of the creative process. Talk to any writer and they’ll tell you about how they get a writing commission, then spend a lot of time staring out of the window, looking at cat videos on YouTube and picking at food in the fridge.
Only at the 11th hour do we sit down and furiously type then furiously edit.
It is in this procrastination time that our minds are thinking. And I’m not just talking about writers here - or any other creative person - but people in general.
Switching off the mind
We often want ideas to come to us on demand like magic. Take writing a newsletter for example. Every so often, I have a big stack of ideas in my notebook that I flesh out and develop into what you’re reading right now.
Those ideas don’t pop up like magic. They often come to me when I’m busy doing something else. Usually a long piece of editing work. The idea is then a bit of creative procrastination from the work I should be doing.
But mostly, my ideas come to me when I’ve walked away from what I should be doing to make a cup of tea. As I’m staring blankly at the kettle, my brain is ticking over in the background.
If I didn’t have procrastination then where would the thinking space come from?
Sure, you can make a date with yourself to go sit in a coffee shop with a notebook and pen but doesn’t that feel a bit forced? Wouldn’t it be better to go sit and people-watch for an hour and not worry about what you should be doing? That’s when the magic thinking happens. When you’re not thinking at all.
Benefits of procrastination
I think we need to reframe our procrastination as a good thing when done right. It is a benefit to our work, our imagination and our business. We can use procrastination in a couple of ways as well.
Firstly, is to help our creative thinking like in the example above. But we can also use it to reflect on the things that we don’t want to do. If we’re procrastinating because we’re putting something off, we need to ask ourselves why.
Do we simply not want to do the task we’re putting off?
I can guarantee you that the reason I procrastinate about tax returns is definitely that I don’t want to do them. And so the answer is to outsource them.
I’ve recently got a VA who is more than happy to do the admin bits that I hate and don’t prioritise. So tidying up my notes, putting things in the diary, clearing out emails. That kind of thing. Putting a filing system in place where I can find what I’m looking for instantly is a huge time-saver.
Using procrastination in this way means you can find other people who do like doing it to help you. Running a business should never be a lonely task - although it may often feel like one - you need other people around you to help.
Okay, I used to scoff at this kind of advice thinking: “it’s alright for you but I can’t afford it.” If that’s you right now, that’s okay. But what I’ve learned is that some people can do things faster than I’m able to and it frees up my time to do the stuff I love. Like writing. Or reading. Or plotting a new idea.
A word of warning about procrastination
Let’s be clear though if you leave something until the last possible second and have no time to actually do the work you are causing yourself more problems and stress than you need.
I’m not advocating for procrastination where nothing gets done. That’s not a good look for anyone.
If you are the kind of person who does not work well under the pressure of a deadline then probably change procrastinating for regular small breaks in the day.
There is a distinct difference between taking a few minutes to do your Wordle or doom-scroll Instagram and spending half a day clearing out your cupboard rather than facing that big scary task.
If this is you, do the hard task first before anything else in the day.
Evidence about procrastination
While I’m arguing that procrastinating can be helpful, the overwhelming scientific evidence is that it’s not. People end up more stressed and it can diminish results. Many of these studies look at students who leave things until the last minute and not at people who use procrastination to let their brains tick over ideas.
There is a 2005 study that identifies two different types of procrastinators.
Passive procrastinators are the ones who leave things until the last possible second and really need a kick up the butt about time management.
Active procrastinators need the pressure of the deadline to do the work. And are actually using their time well on things that may well not be doing the work but are activities that will help them do the work.
So all that staring out of the window like writers famously do is active procrastination. It’s known as intentional delay.
Let’s say you have a blog to write for your business. You’ve drafted out some ideas but you’re putting off the writing because you don’t know where to start. And every time you sit in front of your screen, it puts you under pressure.
Here you can use some active procrastination to help you form those ideas. This is when you need to stare out of the window or go for that coffee. I recommend this over anything screen-based because it really does let your mind wander.
If you can also muster some positive feelings for writing the blog - such as thinking about a story from your life that you can use as an example in the blog - this will help when you get back to your desk.
I should also emphasise that a deadline can’t be a date you pick from nowhere. You need a bit of carrot and stick to get you going. For example, knowing you need to get something done before a certain time or else you’ll miss a great opportunity and probably some sales is a good one. And you can reward yourself with something you enjoy when you get it done.
This isn’t about simply leaving things until the last minute for the sake of it. But recognising that you need outside forces sometimes to get a task done. And that maybe we’re giving procrastination a bad rap when some good things can come from it when we do it well.
The outcome of the study was that active procrastinators actually produced better work than their non-procrastinating counterparts. And there was a second study that backed this up.
The key is not to use procrastination as an excuse to not meet the deadline or do the work at a quality level.
Looking back to my dash to the deadline in university. I may have submitted the work at the final moment and even started the writing at the last minute but I’d already been forming my arguments and ideas in the run-up to those two days. I also know that I can write at speed and this is where I work well.
You need to be aware of whether this works for you before you do it. Can you ruminate on ideas and let them bubble away? Or do you need more planning?
There is no right or wrong way. However, I will argue that living under constant productivity is probably as unhelpful as too much procrastination. Taking breaks, putting your phone in another room, and staring out of the window are all things that can help our creativity and improve our work.
How I help
Get your content reviewed with a Content Clinic.
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Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next Thursday!
Fiona