How to procrastinate strategically

And no, procrastination isn't all bad.

Photo by Djim Loic on Unsplash

Procrastination often gets a bad reputation. It's easy to think of it as a sign of laziness or avoidance, especially when deadlines loom. But what if I told you that procrastination is not all bad? In fact, sometimes it can be a strategy for productivity—when used wisely.

Let’s be clear: procrastination isn’t one-size-fits-all. It can take many different forms and have a variety of effects on us. For some, putting off a task until the last minute brings a rush of adrenaline that sharpens focus and propels you into action. That urgency might be just the thing you need to push through.

But if writing under pressure leaves you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or burned out, it’s worth rethinking this approach. Monitoring how procrastination affects you is the first step in deciding how to manage it.

That’s the key message in my free downloadable guide, Write More, Worry Less: Practical Tools to Manage Procrastination. If procrastination is dragging down your writing practice and leaving you feeling guilty or overwhelmed, it’s time to take action. The guide has loads of small, actionable strategies to try out.

Beyond last-minute adrenaline, procrastination has another, often-overlooked benefit: it can help you better prioritize your time. Strategic procrastination allows you to devote less time to low-priority tasks, which would otherwise consume too much of your valuable energy.