Productive Procrastination

Recently I walked into my house and it was spotless.?There was a ton of old toys and things thrown away.?There were 6 trash bags of donations in the garage.?All of my kids stuff was neatly organized and in their rooms.?I told my wife Emily that it looked amazing, but then I said, “don’t you have a commission due in two days?” (Emily is a professional artist) and she said, “yes, but look at everything I did today!”?She was doing what we all do from time to time: procrastinating.?But it wasn’t just any kind of procrastination, it was PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTIONATION.

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You know what I'm talking about, right? It's when we trick ourselves into thinking we're being productive, but really, we're just avoiding the most important tasks. It's when we spend hours reorganizing our desks, deep-cleaning our homes, or creating overly detailed to-do lists instead of actually crossing off items on those lists.

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While these activities might make us feel like we're getting something done, they're often just excuses to avoid the big, scary tasks that we don't want to face.

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So, how do we avoid this trap? Here are a few tips I've found useful:

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1. Prioritize Your Tasks: Not all tasks are created equal. Identify the most important tasks and focus on those first. For those of us in sales, a lot of the time the thing we don’t want to do that day is the exact thing we MUST do, cold calling, being direct with a customer, asking for an exclusive or an interview time.

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2. Break Down Large Tasks: Big tasks can be intimidating, which often leads us to productive procrastination. Try breaking them down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This will make them less daunting and easier to start.?I was doing my mid-year review over the last few weeks and I broke it down into 4 different time blocks to work on.

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3. Set Specific Goals: Vague goals lead to vague results. When setting goals, make them as specific as possible. This will give you a clear direction and make it easier to stay focused.

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4. Use Time Blocking: Dedicate specific time slots for different tasks. This will help you stay focused and prevent you from spending too much time on less important tasks.

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5. Stay Accountable: Share your goals with a friend, family member, or mentor. Knowing that someone else is aware of your goals can help you stay motivated and avoid procrastination.

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Remember, it's not about being busy, it's about being productive. So, let's say goodbye to productive procrastination and hello to real productivity!

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