Procrastinate with purpose by harnessing positive procrastination

Dr Mansi Karajgaonkar

Procrastination is a complex behaviour with deep roots in psychology. It involves the voluntary delay of an intended course of action despite knowing the aspect of loss due to the delay. The study of procrastination from a psychological perspective encompasses various theories and factors, including motivation, self-regulation, personality traits, cognitive biases, and emotional responses.

Procrastination is a common behaviour characterised by delaying or postponing tasks, often leading to stress, decreased productivity, and missed opportunities.

Key aspects of procrastination include avoiding tasks that are perceived as difficult, unpleasant, or overwhelming. This avoidance can be both conscious and unconscious, delay in initiating the tasks which are deferred to a later time, often leading to a build-up of work and increased pressure as deadlines approach, substitution and replacement by frequently replacing important tasks with less critical or more enjoyable activities, such as browsing the internet, watching TV, or engaging in social media.

Common reasons for procrastination include fear of failure, criticism or negative outcomes, perfectionism resulting in waiting for the perfect moment or conditions to begin, overwhelming feeling of large or complex tasks lacking intrinsic motivation, lacking immediate rewards by poor self-regulation which makes it difficult to resist immediate temptations in favour of long-term goals. Easy access to distractions, such as social media, games, or TV, can make it extremely difficult to focus on significant and important tasks.

Procrastination is often linked to deficits in executive function leading to poor time management skills by inadequate planning and the struggle to allocate appropriate time for tasks and lack of impulse control.

Certain personality traits are associated with higher levels of procrastination. Traits such as low conscientiousness, high impulsivity, and high neuroticism have been linked to a greater tendency to procrastinate.

We see procrastination with a negative lens, however, have you ever thought that the procrastination could be positive, a great habit?

Procrastination could be a skill to be developed!

YES!

By delaying the delay!

By procrastinating the procrastination!

By procrastinating the procrastinating impulse!

The psychological intervention technique of Positive Procrastination is recognising the urge to procrastinate but consciously deciding to delay acting on that urge. Instead of giving in immediately, you set a specific time to allow yourself to procrastinate later, creating an opportunity to start and perhaps even complete the task before indulging in distractions.

Positive Procrastination by procrastinating the procrastinating impulse is a strategic approach to manage procrastination effectively. By deliberately delaying the urge to procrastinate, you can create opportunities to engage with your tasks, build momentum, and enhance productivity. This method not only helps in overcoming the initial resistance to starting work but also fosters a more balanced and stress-free approach to completing tasks.

Through practice and reflection, you can develop this technique into a powerful tool for improving your work habits along with achieving your goals leading to more balanced and productive life.

Let’s go from delay to triumph by leveraging positive procrastination!

Let’s inculcate the art of productive delay by mastering positive procrastination!

(The writer is psychologist and Yoga teacher).