Using procrastination as a winning strategy sounds like a complete fantasy for anyone prone to putting off until later what ought to be done now. Nonetheless procrastination can probably help you get a lot more done than you might expect.
First a quick definition of procrastination. Procrastinators put things off. But procrastination does not mean doing nothing. Procrastinators can be and often are very busy. It's just that the activity they are engaged in right now is not the one that they (think they) should be doing. You can use this knowledge to be really productive.
One trick starts with a task that above all else you do not want to do...but must. To exploit your procrastination over that task, also have in your mind a list, in order of importance, of other things which need to be done. Depending on how important but undesirable the task inducing procrastination is, you will find yourself willing to do stuff on the to-do list to get out of doing it. A good to-do list combined with a task you really want to avoid can help you get a lot of useful things done. Things that if they were your top priority you would never do in a million years. A key mistake to avoid though is trying to reduce the number of tasks you have. The fewer tasks, the more important each becomes. You may then find yourself doing nothing useful at all, since that is the only alternative to doing a small number of things you'd rather procrastinate about. And what happens to the task at the top of the list which is never done? In due course something important but even more undesirable will come along. At that point the put off activity becomes an excellent means of avoiding the new must-do.
Using your inbuilt inclination to procrastinate at work can actually get you a reputation as a dynamic and goto individual: simply make sure that you interrupt work you'd rather put off whenever you get an alternative, say an email question with a relatively simple answer, and deal with the new work immediately. The recipients of your replies will assume that you process all your work in such a speedy and decisive way and your reputation will be enhanced.
It's possible to move from the insight that procrastinators are usually busy rather than idle to a startling conclusion: the procrastinating activity could actually be a better thing to do at that point. For example a research scientist might procrastinate over household chores and sneak in a bit of extra time in the lab, or just thinking about the latest research results. If that undisciplined behavior contributes towards a breakthrough then it's obvious which activity proved most useful in the long term. Who remembers whether Einstein ever did his housework on time? If you know that you are procrastinating you are likely to make sure that your replacement activity is something you can justify as worth doing in its own right to ease your conscience. Just because there is something important to do doesn't mean that you can't find a more productive alternative.
What other benefits are there to procrastinating?
- Rushing straight into something doesn't allow any time for creative thought. Your best insights will require a bit of time - sleeping on a problem really does produce new solutions.
- If you have put something off until the last possible moment, you may find that the energy and focus required to get it done in the short time left help you put in your best work. Although be careful not to use this approach too often. You don't want to get addicted to doing everything under the adrenaline buzz of pressure lest you store up health problems and put undue strain on others relying on your work.
- Your procrastinating may be unconsciously picking out things which didn't really need doing after all. It is amazing how many seemingly important things actually aren't. Sometimes your urge to procrastinate might be your intuition spotting that the task isn't worth doing.
So rather than trying to reform yourself, why not work with your inner procrastinator and see whether you can divert him or her into helping you achieve your goals?
