The virtue of laziness: how strategic procrastination can fuel creativity

Tips to Conquer Procrastination

Can Procrastination Be Cured??

What Is Procrastination and How Can You Stop It??

We’re in the final quarter of 2023 and headlines are still screaming at us to quit procrastinating. When I browse articles like this, I can’t say that they inspire me to get to work. Not only that: I think they’re somewhat misleading.?

When I founded my company Jotform 17 years ago, I was always worrying about my productivity. I would make massive to-do lists and judiciously plow through them. Procrastination was eliminated from my vocabulary. You could say I was my most productive self ever, and yet, I felt like I was running on empty. I barely had any creative juices left for the projects that could make an impact.?

I remember once we had an imminent product launch and a design issue we just couldn’t wrap our minds around. Then, a personal matter forced me to check out for a few days. I disconnected completely.?

The next week, I returned to the office and my colleagues and I revisited the issue. With fresh eyes, an idea came to me instantly. Our issue was solved and it got me thinking: was putting off work exactly what I needed?

My experience has shown and research confirms that some procrastination can replenish creativity. As it turns out, procrastination isn’t something we should avoid or cure, but rather, something we should learn how to use strategically and harness the benefits. Here’s a closer look at how.

The proven perks of procrastination

I’ve come a long way since my early days as an entrepreneur when I thought I always had to be doing something. I’ve since realized that especially when I’m working on a project that requires problem-solving, stepping away is often the best thing I can do. A little bit of doing nothing at all goes a long way. Research backs me up.?

In 2020, professors Jihae Shin and Adam Grant published the findings of various studies that looked at procrastination. Using YouTube videos as a temptation for procrastination (an all-too-real workplace temptation), they found that moderate procrastination (as opposed to low or high amounts) did not result in higher task efficiency, but it did lead to increased creativity. The researchers emphasized that this was true provided employees were intrinsically motivated and had a job that gave them the opportunity to generate new ideas. They theorized that the creative boost had to do with the “incubation time” that ideas need.

It makes sense. When we don’t let ideas simmer, we tend to run with the first available solution. But when we give ourselves time to explore and play with ideas, we can come up with an even better solution, at the price of a touch of efficiency. I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer a smarter solution even if it takes a bit longer to arrive.

So, moderate doses of procrastination are shown to get the creative juices flowing. You might be wondering: How can leaders encourage some, but not too much, procrastination??

Here are some ideas to mull over.

When possible, be generous with deadlines

As entrepreneurs, we can’t always offer lengthy deadlines. When urgent problems arise and clients or users demand an immediate solution, time is a luxury we might not be able to afford. In fact, in certain circumstances, I’m in favor of creating additional time constraints. For the past few years, my company has implemented one-day hackathons, during which our cross-functional teams engage in sprint-like problem-solving and come up with some pretty innovative ideas for better serving our users.?

But when the circumstances permit, leaders can set longer timeframes for creative projects. When I manage a project, I try to employ “systems thinking” — to begin, you have to map out every part of a project. Then, working with team members, I establish reasonable checkpoints for each task, where we can exchange feedback and rejigger deadlines as needed. This keeps the project moving forward while allowing room for some pauses, aka procrastination.

When setting timeframes, flexibility is key. That way, you can continually improve the system.?

Automate busywork to take real breaks

We all know busywork: the tedious, manual tasks that we all too often find ourselves drowning in — things like invoicing, data entry, replying to emails, and scheduling meetings.

No matter what constitutes your personal version of busywork, chances are you can partially or fully automate it . Or, even if it’s not possible to fully automate it, you can probably automate significant parts of it. That’s why, when deciding what to automate, I recommend starting by mapping out the entire process, breaking each task into its smallest, most basic parts. Once you visualize the steps you can search for the relevant tools (and consult sites like G2 for reviews).??

The beauty of automation is that it increases both speed and efficiency, leaving more time for meaningful activities—including procrastination.?

As you’ll note in the Shin/Grant study, subjects weren’t firing off emails to procrastinate, they were watching YouTube videos —?an activity that truly changes the channel in your brain and allows your mind to wander.

If procrastination is the key to increased creativity, then consider automation a path to the door.?

Final thoughts

The idea that procrastination must constantly be kept at bay is a myth. There are plenty of reasons that we might put off a task. Priorities, both personal and professional, pop up, and we’re forced to kick the can down the road.

Instead of trying to hack your way around procrastination, try to understand why you’re putting something off in the first place. And when time permits, lean into it strategically.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to check out my new book,?Automate Your Busywork: Do Less, Achieve More, and Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff