Procrastination. We all do it, almost all the time. But did you know there is a positive way to procrastinate? Positive procrastination is strategically delaying your tasks to a specific time in your day while focusing on smaller and more urgent tasks.

No longer should you equate procrastination with lack of productivity and laziness. Use it to your advantage, instead of putting things off indefinitely manage your time effectively by setting some tasks at a later time. Procrastinate positively!

Let’s look at how positive procrastination is not your regular kind of procrastination that we are used to. The traditional idea of procrastination would be labelled as ‘negative procrastination’ which may hinder your productivity or affect your time management.

Procrastinating negatively is when you put off tasks that you don’t feel like doing or think that you don’t have the time for. While through positive procrastination you focus on knocking out more urgent and less demanding tasks out of the way to free up time for that one task.

While the traditional way of procrastinating has negative effects on your routine and productivity. Positive Procrastination can enhance your skills and help you in more ways than you might initially think. Here is how:

 

  – Productivity Increased:
You will find yourself working harder and quicker on tasks knowing that you are reaching your deadline. This will increase your overall productivity and allow you to check off more tasks than you thought you would.

 

  – Improved Time Management:
By setting time limits and deadlines for your less favoured tasks you will begin to respect your time more. Managing your time will become a habit that you take on in your daily life.

 

  – Better Focus:
Knowing that you need to finish off your tasks or projects within a specific time frame you force yourself to remain focused to avoid slipping on time. With practice, you will find yourself better at focusing in general.

 

By now you are probably sold on positive procrastination, so here are some hot tips on how to integrate it into your work routine.

 

  1. Create a to-do list: define your tasks of the day in bullet points, no matter how small a task is – if it is something you will do, jot it down.

 

  2. Set dedicated time slots for each task: for each task set a dedicated time slot and deadline. Allow yourself enough thinking time, do not cram yourself with super tight unachievable time limits. Be realistic.

 

  3. Prioritize your tasks: look at your list and determine which ones are more urgent and which ones can be set to a later time in the day. Work on important, time-sensitive tasks first.

 

  4. Reward yourself and relax: make sure to give yourself some downtime between long hours to allow your brain to unwind and recharge. Taking short breaks between focused sessions of work promotes sustained concentration, it’s a popular time-management technique called Pomodoros.

 

Transform the way you work by adopting effective methods that can help you maintain high productivity, complete more tasks, and eliminate stress. We would love to hear back from you, let us know how positive procrastination has helped your daily routine in the comment section.