For years I unsuccessfully fought against procrastination – as an art student I was guilty of prepping a sketchbook after I’d finished my final piece (I wasn’t the only one, right?) And when I was studying for my post-grad I transformed into a domestic goddess whenever an essay was due.
It wasn’t until I was working out how to charge for my time as a freelance consultant, that I was forced to acknowledge that procrastination *is* work – it’s thinking, or ‘part of my process.’ But under the guise of efficiency and productivity, I still fought against it. However lately my attitude has changed. The constant barrage of pro-AI, outsource-your-brain, work-faster-not-harder, boost-your-productivity, don't-think-just-work type content has made me take a step back and think again (geddit?!)
So it's taken me a while, but I’m finally embracing procrastination – to join the dots, to write better words, and for my mental health.
This isn't a groundbreaking approach – for every five LinkedIn articles on overcoming procrastination, there'll be at least one pro-procrastination post. This is my contribution.
Writing this down is procrastination. Creative hobbies are procrastination. Vacuuming is procrastination. Painting my nails is procrastination. Putting the kettle on is procrastination. Yoga is procrastination. Watching that floofy little sparrow on the windowsill is procrastination. Doing almost anything other than the task at hand is procrastination. BUT. Staring at my laptop, checking emails and doomscrolling – these activities are NOT procrastination – they're a distraction which is a completely different, very unproductive thing.
After lots of experimenting, I've realised creative procrastination is the winner. Crochet, embroidery, photography, writing for myself, making jewellery, gardening – these slow, physical, all-absorbing, joy-bringing processes keep me human and connected to other humans (an essential for writers). And giving myself a creative focus that *isn’t* the task at hand helps me mull things over, see the world from a different angle, find a rhythm, and stay grounded.
If you've read this far, is my approach familiar to you? Do you embrace procrastination, or are you laser-focused? (There are likely perimenopause and parenting side quests to explore here too… but that's a procrastination for another time.)