Embrace the Power of Procrastination

As a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I’ve essentially mastered the art of procrastination. Research shows that I’m not alone. Nearly 80 percent of college students define themselves as procrastinators.

But if procrastination is such a problem, how are so many of us getting away with it?

Procrastination is associated with laziness and unproductivity. But as it turns out, there are multiple benefits to procrastinating, especially in a creative career field. Here are the benefits of procrastination:

It makes you more productive. When procrastinators avoid working on a specific project, they become even more productive in other areas. We may have one daunting project still looming over us, but our other 10 assignments are done.

It enables you to make quick decisions and avoid second guessing them. When we work without hesitation, we let ourselves focus on finishing what’s in front of us instead of getting caught up in the small details.

If you need more time to edit, Brooke Castillo, one of my favorite podcasters, suggests giving yourself a false deadline. This allows you to make the most out of your procrastination skills while still having enough time to come back and make edits.

It inspires creativity. In his New York Times article, psychologist Adam Grant reveals that procrastinators are more creative. He also notes that participants in a research study rated procrastinators’ ideas as 28 percent more original.

If you’ve been meaning to put an end to your procrastination ways but somehow pushed it back for years, you might be a serious procrastinator, and that’s okay. When we embrace procrastination and use it to our creative advantage (within reason of course), we harness the power of working on a tight schedule and stop second guessing ourselves and work.