How To Procrastinate Your Way To Freelance Writing Success
A champion loafer (and successful writer) shares his secrets
Can't I get this done tomorrow?
Shoulders shrug, eyebrows raised.
I mean, it's such a beautiful day out, and I could…
Go to the park.
Catch a movie.
Bake some bread.
But do the work I'm supposed to do?
Heck. There are so many options. And tomorrow is just as easy a day to get my "work" done as today is.
I found myself in a procrastination spiral, and it took me a few minutes of going through this swirl before I snapped out of it.
That darn question.
Can't I get this done tomorrow?
That's a question we all ask ourselves at least once a day.
For pro-level procrastinators, that question is asked on an hourly basis.
It got me thinking. Thinking about how on God's green earth did I ever start and scale a multi-million dollar company with that mindset. And more so, how do I even get articles written for clients (and myself) if I'm in this constant swirl of "maybe tomorrow."
My realization was that I had become a pro-level procrastinator.
Or as my wife calls me, The Prince of Postponement.
Pro-level procrastination is a real thing, and there are specific things you can do to put things off like the pro you want to be. As procrastinators, we all know that procrastinating doesn't have to be an awful experience.
There are ways to play the waitin' game productively.
And the funny thing about this mental exercise is that I decided to write out, for you, my friend, how you too can be as successful as you wish and still dilly-dally like the best of them.
Buckle up; you're about to find out how you too can push things off till tomorrow like a pro.
What is procrastination, and who are we?
I know that you already know what procrastination is, but here it is again for the sake of being on the same page.
Procrastination is the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there will *possibly* be negative consequences for doing so. The word originates from the Latin procrastinatus, which evolved from the prefix pro-, meaning "forward," and crastinus, meaning "of tomorrow."
Procrastinators are people who like to avoid tasks they find unpleasant, or frankly, we just don't feel like doing them at that moment. Bojanglin' around can have detrimental effects on productivity, as it may take longer to accomplish those tasks at later dates due to delays in starting them now.
Or will it?
So procrastination is a delay of something that we're supposed to do, knowing that there will be negative consequences in doing so or at least delaying accomplishing those things later on.
But how does one procrastinate like they would want to? What are some specific ways you can put off your task until tomorrow without breaking out into anxiety over deadlines looming nearby?
How to procrastinate like a pro
One of the best ways to procrastinate is to procrastinate on procrastinating.
I know. That's a tongue twister. But what it really distills down to is this.
The more you think about procrastinating and all the ways and things you can put off till tomorrow, you're actually doing it.
Make sense?
The very fact that you're considering dallying around means that you've already bought into it. At this moment, you should be getting that TPS report ready for your boss. Still, you're considering all the myriad of ways that you can put it off till manana (tomorrow).
TL;DR: The mere thought of how to go pro means you've already been indoctrinated. If at this moment you're thinking about how you can become a successful procrastinator, then you're already in. Welcome to the club.
Why procrastinating can be beneficial for your productivity
On my "pause and postpone" journey, I learned many things and procrastinated in all sorts of novel ways.
One thing that I've learned is the value of procrastination in the creative process.
When we defer that task until tomorrow, it's often easier to develop ideas or generate new thoughts.
Personally speaking, I procrastinate because I'm aware that some tasks are complex for me to do. Thus allowing me to relax my brain and create an "open space" for new ideas to flow before diving into a challenging task.
This procrastination break may give your brain some much-needed rest, so now could be the perfect time for brainstorming or finding inspiration for the next task at hand.
Another thing procrastination can do is make the task seem less daunting.
When procrastinating, it's easier to think about what you have to do and how long it will take because pushing it aside provides a buffer before starting the difficult task.
Procrastinating also helps provide perspective when starting on more challenging tasks than others, making them seem not so bad in comparison.
We know procrastination can make tasks less intimidating in the long run. Still, procrastinating can also help with creativity and provide insight for other jobs we have to do.
TL;DR: Procrastination can be beneficial to your productivity. When you procrastinate, you give yourself space and time for reflection. Creativity comes from procrastination.
It's not wrong to balance your tasks out by doing some of them now and then delaying others for later. If you procrastinate correctly, it reduces the anxiety of tasks ahead.
The benefits of procrastinating
For procrastinators, putting things off until tomorrow can be both a blessing and a curse. And if you procrastinate enough, then strategically stalling reduces the anxiety you might generally face. It's not always easy to procrastinate the right way, but it provides you with all of these benefits below when you do it right.
Level up your productivity.
One time I put my tasks off for so long that by the time I realized I *might* be behind, I actually worked and produced at warp speed. The realization that I could work at a faster pace and be super-efficient was an even more significant incentive to continue my goldbricking ways.
Learn the secrets of others in the world- gurus, billionaires, and tactical geniuses.
Here's what I mean. Ever had those moments in between tasks where you just start surfing or scrolling? Well, if you do it with intent, you can learn.
All I mean is this.
Instead of randomly clicking on Tik-Tok vids, do it with intention and surf through profiles or things you can learn and grow from.
Feel me?
Find your natural flow state and bring that energy to other places in life.
Pushing that essay, report, or whatever it is until tomorrow may be just what you needed to get back into rhythm. To find that flow state.
Dragging your feet on that item you should be doing now, in other words, may be the perfect solution for times when we get stuck.
The phrase, "let it go, let it flow", is very apt here.
TL;DR: Done right, procrastination may help you be more productive, learn from billionaires and get back into your Zen mode.
Procrastinators are not lazy people; they just have different priorities in life than most others do
You may think procrastination is about being lazy, but procrastinators are actually folks with different priorities than most people.
To be a pro-level procrastinator, it's not enough to just lounge around and avoid doing anything meaningful. It means you have to plan your procrastination in advance, delegate tasks you don't want to do to someone else, and then still find a way to fill your time productively so that you're finally able to chillax. There are plenty of ways procrastinators can procrastinate without coming across as being lazy or apathetic.
But the key is to first grasp that we're not lazy; we're just on a different path than you are.
Tips for overcoming procrastination (if you want to)
For those of you who are totally fine with being a procrastinator, you can skip this.
But the other ones, the ones who want to kick the "P" habit, well, here's how you might do that.
Find the procrastination trigger and avoid it like the plague.
There are plenty of things that could be the trigger behind this. A boring job, stress at home, not having goals set personally or professionally. Sometimes the trigger is simply feeling overwhelmed and freezing in place.
Whatever it is for you, first identify it. Then figure out how to overcome it.
Take care of your physical needs.
Eat healthy, exercise, or take a nap when you need to recharge your energy. Not much more I can say about that now.
Get in control of your time by planning out your day.
List all tasks you have on paper and set deadlines for each one. Or better yet, plan your day the night before and plan your weekly activities each Sunday night.
Give yourself incentives to complete the task you're procrastinating on.
For this to work, there must be a legit sense of urgency. For example, this article. The one you're reading now.
It's relatively short, and if you're a writer, you likely know that something like this should take just a few hours. A day at most to edit and find the photo stock.
Well, it's been 4.5 days for me.
You see, I had no incentive to wrap this up and publish it. I procrastinated like a boss because nothing was compelling me to get it done on a deadline.
TL;DR: We're people too; we just have different life priorities than you. And frankly speaking, most folks secretly wanna be us.
The final word
If procrastinating is your thing and you're not hurting anyone or anything else in the process, then go ahead.
Do it tomorrow.
Procrastinators are not lazy people who can't be productive; we just have our priorities set differently than most people do. It may seem like procrastinators procrastinate because they're apathetic, but they actually procrastinate because they're too busy with other tasks and goals that they think are more important.
In other words, procrastination isn't indifferent; it's just a different way of prioritizing.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it… (tomorrow)… I'm sticking to it tomorrow.
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Learn how to lounge and still kick-a** as a freelancer…all the goodness is here.
About the Creator
Rick Martinez
I help CEOs & entrepreneurs write & publish books that give them authority & legacy | Bestselling author | Former CEO turned ghostwriter |
California born, Texas raised.
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