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What is productive procrastination? -

The term "productive procrastination" refers to the practice of doing something beneficial, in order to delay doing something more important.

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Example -

An example might be a student who decides to do a routine school assignment instead of studying for a more imminent and important exam.

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Potentially beneficial -

In certain scenarios, productive procrastination can be beneficial (although it’s generally always worse than not procrastinating at all).

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Potentially detrimental -

However, productive procrastination can also lead to various issues when not used properly. It is therefore important to get your head round how to use it effectively.

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Cost vs. benefit analysis -

Before we get started, let’s take a quick look at the benefits and drawbacks of productive procrastination.

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Getting things done -

Firstly (and perhaps obviously), productive procrastination is generally better than unproductive procrastination, because at least you’re getting something done.

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Better than the alternative -

For example, working on an assignment other than the one that is due is still more productive than, say, scrolling through social media.

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Motivation -

Another potential benefit of productive procrastination is that it can motivate people to work on tasks that they would otherwise avoid.

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Mind games -

Indeed, you may be able to 'trick' yourself into completing an undesirable or boring task by adding another, even more daunting task to your list.

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Potential drawbacks -

When used improperly, however, productive procrastination can exacerbate the problems caused by regular procrastination.

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Exacerbating stress -

For example, people who put off important tasks often end up feeling stressed, and procrastinating further may compound that stress, regardless of whether it’s productive or not.

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Delaying for too long -

Furthermore, productive procrastination can sometimes cause people to put off their most important tasks for too long.

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Missing deadlines -

This could result in missing a deadline for an important project, after using productivity levels as an excuse to continue procrastinating.

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Risk of burnout -

Similarly, someone who procrastinates productively when really, they should take a break, may end up burning themselves out.

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Replacing breaks -

As a result, they may never get round to the important task at hand; a situation that never would have occurred if they had taken a break rather than productively procrastinated.

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Avoiding the issue -

Finally, productively procrastinating can give people a false sense of security and make them believe their procrastination in general is not a problem.

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Considering productive procrastination? -

If you are considering productive procrastination as part of your routine, it is important that you first weigh the benefits against the costs to your individual situation.

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Weigh the positives -

In particular, you should consider how much you have to gain by using productive procrastination, i.e. how much more you may be able to get done and whether it will motivate you.

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Against the negatives -

Then you should also have a think about any negative consequences that productive procrastination may have in your current routine.

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Knowing when to proceed -

In general, introducing productive procrastination is only a good idea if the benefits outweigh the costs. Otherwise, the better option is to work on eradicating procrastination in general.

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Top tips -

If you do decide to use productive procrastination, there are certain techniques you can apply to help ensure the practice is beneficial.

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Work on meaningful tasks -

First up, be sure to work on meaningful tasks. When deciding what to work on, make a physical list of tasks that are beneficial, and a list of those that are entirely meaningless.

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Plan carefully -

Next up, be sure to structure your tasks in a way that helps you meet your goals. As previously mentioned, you may be able to trick yourself into completing certain tasks. 

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Plan carefully -

To do this, start by scheduling a task that feels urgent but is not actually that important. Then you can use the motivation of procrastinating that task to tick other things off your list.

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Get the crucial tasks done -

In order to avoid any unwanted negative consequences, it is important to put a mechanism in place that ensures you definitely get the most important things done.

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Get the crucial tasks done -

For example, if you absolutely need to complete a certain task by a given deadline, you could ask someone to hold you accountable and remind you of the deadline.

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Minimize negative effects -

It is also important that you minimize any other negative effects of your procrastination, such as stress.

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Minimize negative effects -

If you find that you keep worrying about the main task that you are putting off, try practicing anti-procrastination techniques, such as mindfulness.

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Remember to take breaks -

Last but not least, remember that sometimes taking a break is better than productively procrastinating.

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Remember to take breaks -

If you are too exhausted to work on your main task, consider that it may be more beneficial to get some rest than to try and force yourself to be productive.

Sources: (Solving Procrastination)

See also: How you procrastinate, according to your star sign

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