The Positive Power of Procrastination

Procrastination gets a bad wrap. In fact, there's a whole corner of the internet dedicated to helpful tips, guides and books to teach you how to stop procrastinating, like this one by James Clear (it's a great read!). In short, everyone says procrastination is bad - but is it that all it is? Here's why you'll want to hear the other side of this debate.

I believe that, like anything in life, procrastination has some hidden benefits which are rarely discussed. So if you're wanting to beat procrastination, I'm here to help you harness its amazing power to your benefit! 

WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION AND WHY DO WE DO IT?  

The Oxford dictionary defines 'procrastination' as "the action of delaying or postponing something." But Oscar Wilde captured the essence of it best when he said, "I never put off until tomorrow what I can do the day after."

We procrastinate everywhere - at work, at home, in our social and family lives, our health - we even procrastinate about doing the things we know will bring us joy.  

Procrastination happens for a wide range of reasons - I've categorised some of the most common ones below. Comment below which one's your favourite!

1. Avoidance

I really don't want to do the thing I have to do, so I'll find other things to do to avoid doing the original thing.

2. Tiredness

I'm tired or stressed! I know that completing the task at hand will require more energy than I am willing to give to it. Sigh. So to preserve my energy, I'll make this task tomorrow's problem. 

3. Lack of Willpower

I know the task will be hard! Don't remind me - I also know that it needs to be done. But I just don't have enough willpower to push through the avoidance barrier and get it started. 

4. Feeling Overwhelmed

There are 17 million things that need doing, and starting one thing will create a snowball effect and I will never, ever be finished! There's simply too much to do, and this is making me anxious, so I'm better off sticking my head in the sand and not looking at any of it. 

5. Fear

I don't feel competent at the thing I need to do. I'm afraid that I'll look silly, be exposed, make a mistake, or make a fool of myself if I try. Sometimes, I even procrastinate out of a fear of success. 

6. Reward

I'm instinctively drawn towards things that offer me immediate reward. If the task at hand doesn't deliver a perceived benefit, or that benefit is too far in the future, I'm more likely to procrastinate about doing it. 

To read more about the psychological reasons why people love to procrastinate, I recommend you to read this article by Leon Ho.

OK, SO HOW IS IT A GOOD THING?  

Now that we understand a bit more about what it is and why it happens, let's explore some of the ways that procrastination can be used as a positive force.  In an article written by Jill Elliot, she says, "Procrastination is our body’s way of telling us to take a pause. To slow down. To consider other options."

When you find yourself procrastinating, take a moment to pause and ask yourself why. Review the list I've detailed above, and consider what's really at the heart of your procrastination behaviour. Try asking yourself the following:

• Am I just too tired, and need a rest or a break to reinvigorate my energy?
• Am I chasing the immediate reward?
• Am I feeling overwhelmed and need to take a moment to stop?
• Can breaking down my task list into bite-size chunks help me make some progress?
• Is the task I'm working on not really all that important?  

Understanding WHY you are procrastinating makes all the difference, and is the critical ingredient that turns it into a force for good. 

Once you understand what's at the heart of your procrastination, you can consider a few ways to use it to your advantage. 

1. Identifying what to let go of

The next time you're tempted to procrastinate, ask yourself: Are there things on your list that you're doing just because they're on your list? Do they add value? What would happen if you just stopped doing that task altogether?

Ruthlessly questioning where we spend our time is an important routine to embed into your process, and the tasks we are procrastinating on are a great place to start in prioritising what's really important. 

One of the most common questions I get asked by business owners as their team grows is what tasks they should be delegating or outsourcing to someone else. (Read my #5 tip to why learning how to delegate can really help you and your team in this blog article.) We have a natural tendency to not want to burden others with the tasks we don't like doing ourselves, or those tasks that are most critical to our success.  But the real question we should be asking is which tasks will someone else do better than I will.

The GREAT news is that for all the things we don't like doing, there is someone out there who loves doing them.  It gets them out of bed in the morning and brings them immense joy. And they are far better, faster and more thorough at doing that thing - so let them!

Using procrastination as a signpost to highlight the areas you least enjoy helps you set about making a plan to find someone else to do that task.   

One great example in my life is I HATE folding washing. For weeks and weeks Mt. Washmore (our ever growing pile of clean clothes) would continue to pile up until it was literally impossible to find anything. Then I'd resign myself to the fact that a magical fairy wasn't going to come and take care of it and force myself to sit down in front of a movie and spend HOURS folding all the clothes. Truly, it was torture. My eye is twitching just thinking about it! 

Recognising this pattern, I asked my cleaner to stay for an extra half hour a week and fold all the washing for me. And just like that, problem solved!! She's happy for the extra, less physically taxing work to do, and I'm thrilled to come home once a week to neatly folded and organised piles of clothes ready to put away! 

 2. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses

Often we procrastinate on harder tasks, those that are likely to cause more friction, or that we feel less confident about. Observing the tasks we are procrastinating on can also be a great indication of the areas we should be investing more learning time.  

Finances is an area that a lot of business owners tend to be guilty of procrastinating about. It can be hard, confusing and daunting to look at a P&L or Balance Sheet. So we avoid it until the last possible moment, then swear and mutter our way through the bare minimum steps required to reach the end goal.  

Even if you have an outsourced team looking after your money stuff, to run a good business you must still be able to understand and interpret your numbers, prepare budgets, analyse profit, and manage cashflow.

Without this skill you are flying your business-plane blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back, so you're far more likely to crash the thing. 

Building your confidence and capability in the areas you're avoiding will not only help you stop procrastinating about doing that task, but will add a whole set of new skills to your toolkit which will empower you to take greater control of your life or business, and will undoubtedly have other positive downstream impacts too.

Avoid procrastination by killing the reasons why you're even tempted to do it in the first place. To learn more how to get more done in less time, read my top 3 tips here.

3. Illuminate your personal growth journey

I wholeheartedly believe that we are here in this life to grow, evolve, awaken. To step into our purpose and strive every day to move closer to fulfilling that purpose. With this in mind, procrastination can be used an inner-guidance tool that shows you where you might be off path, or have some healing work to do. 

This is an especially useful tool if you are procrastinating about important things that you can't outsource or delegate, like health habits.  For years I struggled to commit to a regular workout routine. There was always something more important, always an excuse or a distraction.  

The fact of the matter is that we always make room for what is important, so I used my procrastination as a guidepost to show me that there was something deeper at play that was stopping me from committing to my own health. Some core driver for my resistance that needed to be found, heard and healed. 

With procrastination as my guide, I had a closer look at where I was getting in my own way and was able to acknowledge, heal and rewire my health habits. Now instead of procrastinating about doing a workout, I crave them. I work hard. I show up consistently and I put in the effort. And I'm the strongest and fittest I've ever been as a result. 

Need more tips in supercharging your productivity? Check out these 10 proven-and-tested tricks.

FINAL THOUGHTS 

These are just a few examples of how we can transform our procrastination habit into a force for good in our lives. Every experience we have has the potential to offer both positive and negative outcomes. You have the choice to beat yourself up about your procrastination, ignore it altogether, or look at it as an opportunity to lean in and make new choices.  

I'd love to hear about some of the ways you've been able to harness your procrastination to drive positive changes in your life and business. Come find me in the social world and let me know! 

HOW DO I GET STARTED IN SAVING MY TIME? 

Want one-on-one support in taking back control of your time? Book in a discovery call to discuss how we can work together! 👇

In addition, I'd love for you to have your very own FREE copy of my  Take Back Your Time Success Blueprint. It's equipped with 5 easy steps intentionally designed to help you transform negative time-wasting habits into productivity superpowers!  

So go ahead! Download your FREE blueprint today to start taking back your time and watch your business results skyrocket!

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Finally, I've got one question for you:

What will you do with all that extra time?

Why not join my Time Mastery Group on Facebook and let me know!

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