What if procrastination is desirable?

Most of us believe that procrastination is undesired, that it’s not a good thing to have. I wrote this article as a fellow procrastinator because I want to explore – what if procrastination has its own value and usefulness too? Let’s have a nuanced conversation around it here! 

Thanks to societal conditioning where goal getters are applauded and indecision is not, here is some lines you might hear or believe in: 

“If you want it badly, you’ll find a way.” 

“Why are you NOT taking action?”

“What’s stopping you?”

And then we believe that we fall short in some ways just because we’re not taking actions quickly enough. 

Here’s 3 types of procrastination that I observed, showing up in my life and in others too and how they could be different from each other. 

For each type of procrastination, I’ve also listed a few guiding prompts for reflection too. 

Procrastinate because of overwhelm or fear

This is where you’ve been given a lot of information. Or you are trying something completely new and unfamiliar. For example, a new way of creating content or starting up a new business where you don’t feel like you’re an expert. 

Here’s what could be circling around in your head. 

“I don’t know what to do! (or to do next).” 

“I’ve no idea.” 

“This is too hard, I should just give up.” 

You’ve shut down and it feels too hard to solve. 

You may also feel drawn to or getting distracted by something else instead of plowing through the same thing that has created the overwhelm for you. 

Prompts that can help

1. What is the most important thing to focus on right now? 
2. What is my best guess even if I don’t know? 
3. To whom or where can I go to for insights? This can be a good friend to unload on, especially hearing ourselves talk is a great way to get clear too. Or Googling or using ChatGPT for answers. 
4. What is my brain trying to protect me from?
5. What am I pretending not to know?
6. Why is this important for me? 

Procrastinate because not feeling the timing 

You could also be procrastinating because intuitively, you’re not feeling that it’s the right time yet to take action. You might be letting the ideas percolate or even asking the Universe or God for a sign. One way to discern if you are here, is that you’re simply not feeling it in your body, e.g. in your gut or sacral. 

Prompts that can help

1. Do I trust myself to wait? 
2. How can I strengthen trust in myself here? 
3. When do I want to check in with myself with regards to this? (You might want to schedule this in your calendar.)
4. Ask God / Universe / your spirit guide for a specific sign. 

Procrastinate because of decision making 

You could be procrastinating because you are weighing your options and taking your time to make decisions. You could also be in research mode, gathering the data you need to make a choice that you feel certain with. 

Prompts that can help

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is this decision?
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how urgent do I need to make this decision? 
3. When would I want to decide by?
4. What are some signs that I’ve made an aligned decision? How would my body feel? What would I say to myself?