Procrastination and productivity seem to be two sides of the same coin. And there are certain situations when procrastinating can actually end up being better for final productivity instead of forcing ourselves to take immediate action. But what if you proceed doing nothing only to regret it in the end? In order to make this concept a bit more understandable, let’s dive into some specific situations when procrastination helps productivity.
Also read:What Is Positive Procrastination and How Can It Help?
1. Uninspiring Tasks for Writing/Drawing/Creative Professions
Now, this doesn’t mean that people who have a creative job, writing and drawing included, will always benefit from procrastinating – but in certain situations, they might. I can speak from my experience as a creative writer, that not every article topic tickles my interest and makes me eager to do the research. Actually, some topics are completely opposite. And if I have the time, I tend to spend an unnecessarily long amount of it on this article that doesn’t really inspire me to be productive.
If you have a similar creative profession, you probably already know how long it takes you to complete a paragraph, an outline, a rough design, and so on. I have noticed that I go well above this timeframe when the topic fails to inspire me.
The thing is, we won’t always get work that inspires us. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be inspiring for other people. Instead of dragging my feet and wasting time working on a piece for hours, I find it’s often better to leave such work for later, the closer to the deadline the better. Then I don’t have the time to dwell on it, complain to the universe about how boring it is, or waste my productive time on slow writing and research. Procrastination helps productivity in the long run here, as it’s helps to move on and complete other tasks.
2. Make a Decision You Can Be 100% Comfortable With
We have discussed many times just how beneficial it is to be more decisive, ways to improve your decision-making as well as the things to avoid that could impede it. However, when we’re faced with a rather difficult decision, especially one that may as well be life-changing, it may be better to give yourself more time to think about it.
Let’s say you’ve been offered a new job. This new job gives you more responsibility and freedom of expression, the pay is better, and the office looks amazing. But the position requires you to move. This is definitely not a choice you should make boldly. There are plenty of factors to consider. When you have time to think, the things that seemed to stop you before may present themselves with an adequate solution and vice versa. It’s important to trust your gut, but during times of tough choices, it’s also important to trust your logic.
3. Dealing with Difficult Clients/Customers and Their Demands
If you work with clients or customers, you are probably painfully aware of how difficult some of them can be. If you’re feeling moody that day as well, returning to the same project or conversation with the same client or customer again can lead to rash decisions. Even though it may feel like it would be satisfying to put an end to your cooperation or even act rudely, it is definitely going to do you better to step back and simply breathe.
Now, it’s true that sometimes working with people means that you’ll encounter unreasonable clients. But that’s not the case all that often. Keep in mind that your clients also have deadlines and work to do; asking for project revisions or further clarification on something may not be them being difficult – it’s just a way to add a final touch to the task at hand.
Furthermore, if you act in a rude or dismissive manner, you risk criticism from your manager or even losing the client, with negative feedback popping up online about your business and professionalism. Forget about productivity – you could lose your job or your client. If you don’t feel like answering a demanding client as soon as they contact you, simply don’t. Give yourself enough time to procrastinate until you’re ready to tackle their demands with a positive mindset.
4. Fixing Disagreements with Your Coworkers
It happens to the best of us: sometimes during a bad day, we may take it out on a coworker who has unfortunately asked one too many questions or made a mistake, even though that mistake is rather easy to deal with. Venting like that can provide immediate relief, but it can definitely take its toll in the long run. Not only can you create an awkward situation that may cause the whole team to walk on eggshells, but you could also ruin your relationship with more than one coworker. If there’s a sure way to destroy a team’s productivity, it’s this one.
Obviously, the best thing to do in these situations is not to give in to irrational anger. But in case you already did, you can remedy the situation by apologizing and explaining yourself. However, even if you recognize your own mistake almost instantly, don’t jump into making quick apologies. Both you and your coworker need to calm down a little and avoid the additional heat of the argument. In this case, procrastination can give you enough time to find adequate words, understand your own behavior, as well as take a look at things from your coworker’s perspective.
While we should actively try to overcome our tendencies for procrastination, it’s also helps productivity in the long run to use this card when appropriate. Yet, if you have all that covered and are looking for ways to boost your productivity during the day, you may want to turn to your evening routine first.