You probably clicked this article in the hopes of justifying your habits lately. Procrastination isn’t really that bad, right? Some of us just don’t have the drive to do things in a snap. Maybe you are the type who have no desire to do tasks until you feel the rush of additional pressure. However, I hope that you are also aware that you can’t always put some responsibilities on hold. And so now, here you are, in this article.
For me, I realize that I can make procrastination beneficial to me. Yes, a habit with such a bad reputation can actually make your future self thank you. Instead of cursing on your past self for procrastinating and giving future you so much stress, you might even thank your lazy self.
Perhaps you can start by rewarding yourself if you are breaking lazy habits. According to this source, you can actually get a network-attached storage solution for your media. But before you indulge in watching movies and videos, take a step back and think if you deserve the play if there’s no work. Do you really deserve all the fun and leisure if you can’t quiet down the voice at the back of your mind reminding you of your long list of to-dos?
Procrastination isn’t Always Bad
Yes, you read that right, it isn’t always bad to procrastinate. But before you go and scold your friends for judging you, you might want to read this whole article first. Procrastination gives us a momentary good feeling. This can lessen our anxiety about an activity, which can also make better decisions since we can observe the situation much more clearly. This fact is also backed up by studies, and they have shown how rushing through your duties can mean more mistakes.
How many times have you put out doing a task because it just doesn’t motivate you. If work starts to feel like a chore, understandably, you won’t be enthusiastic to do it. And when that happens, you’re also losing the chance to discover your potential in doing the task amazingly. This feeling happened to me where waking up and going to work feels like a dull obligation. I feel like a robot on auto-pilot, and I’m forced to do the daily grind.
However, I start to see some changes when I start to procrastinate. When I don’t force myself to do the tasks like someone being held hostage, I began seeing the value behind why I have to do those tasks. But you also have to understand that when I say procrastination, it is procrastinating smartly.
I don’t just blindly delay my responsibilities. Instead, I am managing how procrastination can work to my advantage. Think of it as putting a task on hold until I have the mindset and time to do it enthusiastically. When I find the way on how to hack myself into being productive from procrastination, I don’t see those tasks as a chore anymore. Instead, I find them as a step towards a reward.
Procrastination Can Make You Productive
The key takeaway in this article is that you have to discover how you can make procrastination work for you. For example, you might find yourself more inspired to work when you are under pressure. Let’s say that you have a deadline set for a week. You might be one of those people who perform well 2 days or 1 night before the deadline. But if this isn’t your thing, that’s okay too.
Some people like having a deadline so they can have a gist on what to expect from themselves. They don’t feel as stressed because they can divide their tasks and do what they want to do on a day. At the end of the day, both types of people are still productive. They just do the amount of tasks differently. You might seem like procrastinating to others, but in reality, you just have different peak productivity periods than them. If 2 am is your peak hours, then do your work at 2 and enjoy the rest of the day.
I, myself, is more of a chill worker. When I’m not in the mood to write emails, I simply don’t. It might sound like I’m rewarding myself before the progress, but that’s what works for me. I watch some series first, and afterward, I can last a whole night doing my tasks. And what’s great is that I don’t feel obligated, so my performance is still excellent, and I still end up doing quality work.
You don’t have to act busy and copy other people’s enthusiasm when you don’t feel as energized yourself. You can spend your time doing minor things that might seem unrelated to the work itself, but in truth, they are influential factors. You might end up cleaning your work desk and decorating your room. And the effect of the new environment will then make you feel more inspired to work and do your duties.
When Does Procrastination Becomes Negative
You might be nodding along while reading earlier, but it’s also important that you don’t abuse procrastination. Even if you’re delaying a task, you still have to be aware of it. You can do other things that feel more enjoyable at the moment, but at the same time, have significant effects on the task itself.
Procrastination can still cause you more problems if you failed to manage it. Before you put a task on hold, think if it will benefit your future self. Are you doing it to get in a better time and mindset to do the responsibility much better? Or are you doing it blindly for a temporary feel-good moment. And by the way, this temporary feel-good moment isn’t worth the more permanent problems later on.
Depending on your lifestyle, you might have certain tasks that you need to do immediately. You also don’t want to cause stress on the people around you because you just don’t feel like being responsible. Be a responsible procrastinator that is deserving of the price from your willingness to be productive.