Productive and intentional procrastination 🍃
Hey folks,
It's been another wild two weeks. At work, I launched the thing I've been working on for the past couple of month, and so far it's been received really well. A lot of work is still ahead, but it's a solid start.
On a personal note, I've turned 40 and wrote a blog post about this momentous occasion.
Last time I promised to talk about tracking goals, and I promise we'll talk about it soon. Today, though, I want to focus on what makes goals, well, goals. I want to talk about procrastinating intentionally.
Procrastination
It's all too familiar to many to just not do what you're supposed to be doing. You have a list of tasks, but you just can't make yourself start checking them off the list. Some would scroll through Instagram or Twitter, others would find something else to do, anything really, to avoid getting started.
Thing is, for many of us, it's just how we are wired. And a key to getting out of this loop is to make procrastination intentional. Yep, just make a conscious decision to procrastinate, choose a form of procrastination, and hit the ground running, procrastinate away!
And guess what? You just started chipping away at your todo list. It's just that your first order of business is to do other stuff, that's it. As soon as you're done with doom-scrolling or laughing at some funny tweets, you'd be much more inclined to proceed with other items on the list.
Here's the kicker: as soon as you make peace with the fact that procrastination is a) inevitable, and b) productive in its own way, you won't feel like you're just wasting time watching Netflix, you're doing this on purpose, intentionally, and it's just a part of your workflow. And when you zoom out to your annual goals, well, it's no different. Did you want to spend at least an hour a day outdoors, but really don't want to, and prefer to keep staring at the screen? Turn it around by making staring at the screen a part of "going outside"! Maybe, research some nearby trails, and then go and check one out. Go look up those sneakers you've wanted for a while, then go outside and imagine how they would improve your resolve to spend more time outdoors. Just do it purposefully, giving yourself permission to procrastinate — it's just how you do things.
Going with the flow
How is any of the above different from just adding "Procrastinate" to the list of tasks or goals? First, it's you being kind to yourself by just having this option. Second, as humans we tend to have limited attention span, and giving yourself permission to procrastinate makes you feel more in control. Being in control is a huge deal: you probably know what it feels like when you need so much done but are stuck on square one. Now, with the power of procrastination on your side, you're "procrastinating" towards square two!
You now have the flexibility to adapt to your specific situation and goals, you're free to go with the flow. Steer your energy towards the task by intentionally doing other things. As an example, I've had an item in Jira at work that required a bunch of focus and undivided attention, and appeared very time-consuming. I could've spent weeks postponing it further and further, feeling bad about it, and let it snowball into an even bigger obstacle. Instead, I watched a bunch of Youtube videos from my "Watch Later" list; this was the decision I've made! I'll watch these videos before looking into the task. I will control when I actually get to doing the work, because first of all, I'm watching this video and that one too. After I'm done, not only do I have a win on my hands (I did it, I watched those videos!), I have reserves of resolve to keep going and just knock the task out.
This approach doesn't only work for a preset tasks, but it also helps you adapt and regroup. Just got a curve ball and need to scrape a bunch of your work and start over? Sure thing, first, I'm reading some twitter, then I'm having lunch, and then I'll get to the task at hand. Try it, it works!
Too tired to do anything
One of the key factors here, though, is sincere intention to get things done. Sometimes it's just not the case. Sometimes, you say to yourself "tomorrow" without actually meaning it. Sometimes, you have no energy to, in fact, start working after giving yourself some procrastination space. What I tend to do in such cases, is either commit to starting today, intentionally having a break from task/goal/work, or taking an honest look at the task and determining whether or not I'm going to start it ever. Being honest with yourself, trusting that your decision is the right one is certainly a leap, but consider trusting yourself here. After all, you probably can power through the todo list just fine, but is it worth it feeling miserable and worthless the entire time? Perhaps, you are telling yourself something important, and intentional procrastination is just a way of saying it?
…and then you win
At the end of the day, after giving yourself permission to slow down, get distracted, do some important procrastination, you win regardless of how much of an actual task you get to complete. You've been a bit kinder to yourself, established trust, made some concrete decisions, and, therefore, got closer to an accomplishment. Rinse and repeat until you find a work/procrastinate balance, and get things done on your own terms!
The downside of this approach is mostly its optics: you're not checking off items, you're not working and watching Youtube instead. You're being lazy and nonproductive. This can't be further from the truth: you're productive in your own way, that's what you are! You're just being your happier and productive self. This only requires your permission to work the way that's best for you, not someone else's view of how you should be productive.
Arguably, none of the above would work if you're in a situation where you literally don't have any control over your circumstances; it's not your fault that sometimes humans are squeezed so hard that there's no room left for, well, you. Still, when you get home after a day of mind-numbing work, you don't have to feel bad about not doing something you're supposed to do. What little freedom over your life you may have, use it to give yourself permission to intentionally procrastinate. It's self-care.
Next time, I promise, we'll get into measuring progress towards your goals.
Cheers,
Art