The Privilege of Procrastination
Freedom...I believe we live in a time where we have so much more freedom that we as humans have ever had before. Think back about 2.6 million years ago to the Stone Age (Paleolithic Era). Cavemen didn't have the luxury of freedom to not gather food. Putting it off until tomorrow meant starvation. Today, if I don't feel like going to the grocery store, it is not a life or death matter to put it off until tomorrow or even the next day for that matter. Most of us are past the survival stage. We have homes, food, and roofs over our heads.
This brings me to the concept I want to discuss with you today; the privilege of procrastination.
It Is a Privilege That We Are Able to Procrastinate
Every single one us could have chosen a 9-5 job where we are given endless tasks that much be done each day and do not leave room creativity or procrastination. As entrepreneurs, we have the luxury of creativity and the privilege to procrastinate.
Procrastination is Not Bad
I truly believe that procrastination is not bad. In my experience, it is when we do not accept it, that it becomes a negative in our lives. If we accept procrastination as being a human privilege, then we can begin to take some really interesting steps around it to make procrastination work for us instead of against us. Professor Frank Partnoy discussed in his book, Wait: The Art and Science of Delay that the wisest leaders embraced procrastination. The idea that procrastination is a negative thing began with a sermon by Jonathan Edwards in the Puritanical era. However, studies conducted since then suggest that managing delay (procrastination) is an important tool. Procrastination is just a universal state of being for humans and that we are happier and more successful when we manage it.
It All Comes Down to Your Priorities
For me, procrastination is about managing your priorities. If you are procrastinating on something it may be that it just simply isn't a priority at the moment and other tasks are taking precedence for whatever reason. I believe that we procrastinate for two different reasons:
We absolutely do not want to complete the task and are dreading it at all costs.
We really want to do the task, but we want to do it perfectly so we end up procrastinating for fear of failure.
There is also another concept called pre-crastination. This is when someone feels compelled to complete a task the moment it crosses their mind. It's almost an anxiety disorder. An excessive amount of pre-crastination can lead to doing work that isn't actually necessary, but there is a compulsion to do it right then and there.
Own Your Procrastination
I believe that you can make procrastination work for you by owning up to the fact that you procrastinate. For me, leisure is a priority. It's not that I'm procrastinating on my work, it's just that I prioritize leisure. I love the saying, "We are perfectly human, and in being so, we will always be imperfect in getting things done." It's so true for me! These are the tips I use to accept and take control of my procrastination:
I start by taking notes of what I procrastinate on
I then ask myself why I procrastinate on these tasks
I like to schedule my procrastination
I also like to sprinkle in a little pre-crastination from time to time. I find that it is useful for making unpleasant tasks as pleasant as possible by making a game out of it and seeing how quickly I can get them done. For instance, if the bathroom needs to be cleaned, I do it right then and there and see how fast I can get it over with.
Procrastination is a privilege that we can make time for and use to our advantage. Maybe I’ll try it tomorrow…
