{"id":1779,"date":"2021-11-18T08:34:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T08:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/?p=1779"},"modified":"2021-11-18T08:38:28","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T08:38:28","slug":"procrastination-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/procrastination-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Purposeful Delay: The Art of Procrastination and How You Can Benefit From It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone knows a procrastinator\u2026 or maybe you are the procrastinator that everyone knows.<\/p>\n

Merriam-Webster defines procrastination as intentionally putting off doing something that should and can be done. The key to procrastination is that you have the means to do the task but you are intentionally choosing to delay for a number of possible reasons. If the statistics<\/a> are correct, about 20% of adults self identify as a procrastinator.<\/p>\n

Hands up if this describes you.<\/p>\n

The good news is that being a procrastinator isn\u2019t all bad, even some of the most successful people are guilty of leaving things to the last minute. Margaret Atwood herself admits to spending her mornings worrying and puttering around before finally digging into her writing late in the afternoon. Considering she has pumped out dozens of novels (fiction and nonfiction), scripts, and poems, procrastination has certainly not hindered her success.<\/p>\n

Of course, we are not all Margaret Atwood. For the average procrastinator, passing in an assignment or a report one minute before the deadline is a win worth celebrating.<\/p>\n

Many procrastinators will say that there is a method to their madness\u2026 and they may be on to something. From the outside looking in, a non-procrastinator will see chaos and stress but that is not the whole picture and there are some interesting benefits to procrastination that merit a bit more attention.<\/p>\n

\"Procrastination<\/p>\n

<\/span>Procrastination Encourages Creativity<\/span><\/h2>\n

While procrastinators tend to leave the actual work until the last minute, their brains may still send them reminders about the pending project, working diligently behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

Mundane tasks in our everyday life represent opportunities to think, and there is great value in being idle. Psychologists have found that creative inspiration often comes after being incubated by unrelated tasks like walking, chores, or even in the shower. Keeping a notebook handy is a great way to capture ideas as they come (even for non-procrastinators) and can serve as a springboard on the night before the task is due.<\/p>\n

That said, there are a number of tried and true ways to increase creativity that don\u2019t involve procrastination that are worth a shot. Verywellmind.com<\/a> has a great list of suggestions if you are looking for inspiration. Their list includes rewarding your curiosity, building your confidence, and brainstorming just to name a few.<\/p>\n

In the hustle of modern life, the opportunities to just sit and think are rare. Some people may confuse intentional pause with procrastination as they can often look the same.<\/p>\n

\"Procrastination<\/p>\n

<\/span>Procrastination (Initially) Decreases Stress<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ignorance is bliss, right?<\/p>\n

You can give yourself permission to not stress about a task when you know that it exists in some distant future and there really are people who work best under pressure. While some people can count on internal motivation to jump into action as they need to, a looming deadline represents external motivation to procrastinators to get the job done.<\/p>\n

In all seriousness, the ability to ignore a task until such a time that you chose to dedicate your attention to it may not be procrastination at all but an intentional and purposeful delay, the intention and motivation matters when it comes to distinguishing between the two.<\/p>\n

The logic behind delaying action may actually be built on a subconscious understanding of a procrastinator’s unique time management techniques. If you know, from experience, that you can produce a solid report in one evening, why spend days stressing when you can channel your energy in a shorter period of time and produce the same or even better result? This mindset is certainly risky but it obviously works for some people.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind though, stress has a way of catching up with us. While procrastinators may find peace in advance of a deadline, there is growing evidence that the stress compounds in the rush of getting things done.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Procrastination Can Lead To Better Decision Making<\/span><\/h2>\n

The key word here being can, it is not always the case but let\u2019s talk about when it is the case.<\/p>\n

Decision making is an essential skill. Our ability to make good decisions is pressed by the need to move through life as fast as we can and hustle. There is growing evidence that slowing down is better for our health but is also better when it comes to our decision making abilities.<\/p>\n

Frank Partnoy, a professor at the University of San Diego, covers the topic of delaying decision making and wrote an insightful book on his findings called Wait: The Art and Science of Delay<\/a>. He challenges the notion of trusting your gut feeling and instead advocates waiting until the last possible minute and gathering as much information and insight as possible before making a decision.<\/p>\n

Of course, his assumption is that the time used to procrastinate is productive which may not always be the case.<\/p>\n

\"Procrastination<\/p>\n

<\/span>Procrastination Can Help Conserve Resources<\/span><\/h2>\n

In time, some issues may resolve themselves without your input. Someone else with more appropriate expertise may pick up the issue or maybe new solutions present themselves that are much less demanding on your time and energy.<\/p>\n

Better yet, the project is canceled altogether!<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, procrastination (in some cases) may actually help you save time and conserve your resources for more pressing or important matters. In this way, procrastination may help you prioritize your work to focus on the most important and pressing of tasks.<\/p>\n

In the fast paced world we live in, we often have to pick and choose what we focus on anyway, which usually means some items get neglected even for the most ambitious of us. If you possess decent executive functioning skills, the tasks that you chose to focus on will be the most important.<\/p>\n

Whether some procrastinators possess a higher level executive functioning abilities or simply luck out may be hard to say but if you are having consistent results, you may just be purposely delaying as opposed to procrastinating.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Procrastination Can Initiate Your Flow State<\/span><\/h2>\n

For some people, there is a sense of excitement when they know they have to push through to complete a project on time, this can drive or paralyze people. This additional pressure and excitement can also help to initiate your flow state.<\/p>\n

In case the concept of flow is new to you, psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura describe it as a sense of fluidity between your body and your mind. People with ADHD may recognize this feeling as hyper focus.<\/p>\n

Being in a flow state is also known as being \u201cin the zone\u201d. When you are in this zone, the world around you appears to dissolve and the task at hand is the only thing in front of you.<\/p>\n

Magic (and productivity) happens when your mind and your body work together.<\/p>\n

Check out How to Induce Flow State for Heightened Performance<\/a> for more information on how to initiate flow state\u2026 with or without procrastination.<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

<\/span>Why Do People Procrastinate?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are a million reasons why someone may delay performing a task. Some common reasons people procrastinate include:<\/p>\n