Believe it or not, Active Procrastination is a solid route to productivity

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today”

I love this quote by Benjamin Franklin, especially when I need an extra dose of motivation to seize the day.

But does it always work? Or is it always relevant?

Certainly not.

That’s because, on the other side of the rainbow, there awaits procrastination— productivity’s top enemy. Studies show that around 20% of adults procrastinate chronically alongside 50% of college students who do as well consistently,

Now, this paints a hopeless image where procrastination is getting the best of our precious time as we remain unproductive. But how accurate is this image?

Active procrastination can actually be a solid route to productivity.

The truth is, active procrastination can actually be a solid route to productivity. (If you are laying in bed passively procrastinating all day, then it’s about time you make a change)

It boosts your efficiency:

As you keep putting off the tasks that stress you the most, in a way, you are creating more room to clear out the rest of your responsibilities quickly. Soon, you’ll get to the bottom of your to-do list with no choice but to face your procrastination head-on and kick off the work.

It stimulates your creativity:

Often, delaying work is beneficial, and jumping on tasks immediately might not be the best move. Priorities might change, and crucial details can be revised. This can affect your work making it non-relevant. On the other hand, delaying gives you time to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas. This all happens subconsciously as you procrastinate; Your mind will still be running the show in the background, even when it seems you are doing nothing.

It encourages prioritization:

Procrastinators have one of the most productive to-do lists. That’s because they have clarity on the important things to address. And this is easily reflected in their agenda. Ironically, procrastination kills distractions and unnecessary work out of stress to meet deadlines, to only keep the focus on what matters the most.

It builds up work autonomy:

Having control over our own tasks is great. Rebelling against the standard ways of approaching tasks is even greater. By procrastinating, we are saying no to imposed schedules. Instead, we are growing as responsible individuals who can get things done when needed, at their own pace.

It kills perfectionism:

You can’t be a procrastinator and a perfectionist at the same time. And that’s good news. As perfectionism gets in the way of achieving tasks since you thrive to “perfect” that design or other project. However, when you are under time constraints (which is often the case for procrastinators) you understand that you can only do your best with the resources you have at the moment. That alone is reassuring enough to accomplish the work.

Emna Ghariani is a multi-time entrepreneur and digital wellbeing activist who spent years building solutions to fight the hustle work culture and find real ways to get to work-life balance. If you want to get on this journey, start by reclaiming?your time? using to Veamly analytics app, your Swiss army knife to fighting burnout and decision fatigue.