Maybe Procrastination is Actually Your Superpower…
People really love to point to procrastination and yell, “PROBLEM” at the top of their lungs, but what if it’s not really that much of an issue? What if it’s simply the way you work?
I confess: All my life I have been a hopeless procrastinator. From the final paper that would ensure I graduated from high school with honors to the monthly articles I send to the editor at the last possible moment, never in my life have I finished a writing project early.
But that’s a glass-half-empty view. Never in my life have I completed an assignment late either. Instead of crumbling under the pressure, I choose to take these final moments before the final due date to thrive. Maybe you do, too.
One of the most irritating and long-lasting bits of advice I’ve seen extolled on the Internet from life coaches and productivity gurus is that procrastination must be eliminated at all costs. It is a plague on society. We must move beyond!
Have you ever stopped to wonder why? I mean, what’s so horrible about procrastination anyway? It’s not like you’re failing to complete the task. You’re just completing it right before it needs to be done. Is that really such a terrible thing?
My opinion is that it depends. If procrastination is seriously stressing you out or putting you in a low vibrational state (feelings of which may include fear, depression, worthlessness), then maybe it’s time to find a better way. If, however, you’ve come to see procrastination as your process for getting the job done, then I think you can stop worrying about what other people think.
As continues to be the case with everything, there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all advice. Procrastination is only a problem if it feels like one to you. For me, sticking to a schedule is the problem. I hate to do it, and I will rebel against the guidelines I’ve set for myself with the full force of my being.
I used to beat myself up about my inability to do things ahead of schedule until I realized that I almost always do my best work under the wire. I’ve never had clients complain, and although I sometimes stress myself out, I’ve mostly accepted that this is who I am and how I work. I don’t need to become more efficient. This process is efficient enough for me.
So, consider what procrastination truly means to you. Is it your preferred method of completing tasks or has it become another way for you to avoid your work and then feel bad about yourself? What if you accepted that this is something that works for you, despite the endless advice to the contrary? Would that change how you view your workflow processes?
I’d also encourage you to take a radical view of your inability to quit procrastinating: What if the reason why you can’t seem to find the right tools or techniques to stop stalling is because procrastination is actually your superpower? Perhaps you can’t move past this way of working because it actually kinda-sorta works for you. Maybe you’re actually the Queen of Productive Procrastination! Someone hand this gal a crown…
When it comes right down to it, you don’t have to change anything about yourself that you don’t want to change. Would it be nice if I sometimes got things done a little earlier or gave myself more space to accomplish a task before the deadline? Maybe. But after years of lamenting and attempting to alter my behavior, I’ve found that I’m not all that upset about being a procrastinator.
It’s how I work in the world now, and it’s how I’ve done things for as long as I can remembered. The more recent development is that I’ve accepted this thing about myself. I’ve even gone so far as to love my ability to produce amazing work on a tight turnaround. Often, it feels downright empowering! And if working this way is also working for you, I hope you can find the space to celebrate your inner procrastinator with pride as well.