Yes, you can productively procrastinate
Why procrastination is great for your creative job and how to make the most out of it.
As we all know, procrastination has been marked as the worst habit we can develop, however, it depends on how you do it(yes, there is a technique to master the art of procrastination).
Procrastination is often considered as the opposite of productivity; Pablo Picasso said “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone”, we often thinking that we procrastinate the things we don’t want to do, what if we actually postpone the things we care the most of?; the pressure of getting things done ahead of time is usually high especially if we are not designers or artists but, even though I like to get things done ahead, this is how I learned to procrastinate.
Some of the most important speeches and works have been created after procrasting, the “I have a dream” speech of Martin Luther King was done before he got on stage and he started working on it the night before, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa took years to be painted even after the idea was sketched, and, probably the best paper or work that you made in college, that one that you feel most proud of was also delayed for at least a couple days; they all were put off until the last minute and ended up with fantastic results.
Ideas are much like fine wine, they need time to develop and to refine, they go through a process of selecting the best grapes, processing them until bottled and letting time do its job. We tend to think that the sooner we get something done the better, however, it only works for non-creative activities and small tasks that don’t need much deep thinking; giving ideas time to incubate for a longer period of time would end up with a better outcome.
Haven’t it happened to you that after finishing something you still get ideas to improve it? When you start working on an article/paper/work as soon as you get it assigned, it is likely that if you finished it, you will not make any changes in the future even if you have the time to do so, nevertheless, you still get ideas and get to think “I think this other title is better” or “I should cover these points as well”, isn’t it? then, think when you argue with someone and after two hours you get the perfect way to say what you just said, it has happened to everyone.
As Adam Grant states in his book Originals, it is important to have the idea and to begin working on it, start developing it but the final touches of the idea are for the last minute after it is clear and perfectly shaped in your mind.
How to productively procrastinate? here is the three-step process that has helped me the most.
- Start by reading the task and make a little introduction of your idea, it gets your brain going and having in mind what you have to do rather than just waiting for the last minute to begin from zero means that your idea has been around in your head for enough time, start preparing a draft with what comes to your mind in the meantime.
- Always have a notebook or a commonplace book where you can jot down the ideas that come to your mind, it is not necessary to say that ideas come up in the least stressful moments like having a shower or having a cup of coffee with a friend, it is better to be prepared for when they arrive, otherwise you will end up thinking “what was what I thought while I was running?” and your idea will be gone.
- Finally, previously arrange some time for finishing up your idea, plan your schedule so you will have time for the final touches before the deadline, don’t wait for the last minute to clear your schedule and found out that you have just minutes to finish it plus a ton of accumulated work.
Even though procrastinating will help you shape your idea, I would not recommend you to let the whole work for the two hours before the deadline, there is plenty of work that you can get done ahead such as the introduction, the previous investigation it needs or start reading papers ahead if the task demands it.
Adam recommends to have a break deliberately while generating new ideas or working on a task, even if you are about to finish, go for a walk or for a cup of tea, it gives ideas time to incubate and you will come back fresh and ready to kill it.
I hope this article will help you as much as it has helped me, I will love to read your comments below, there is nothing more helpful than feedback.
