Procrastination… Is It Really That Bad? Raising the Barr Weekly Memo: Issue 320

Go ahead, ask my wife, and she’ll tell you that I’m a great procrastinator. For some reason I don’t feel the urgency of getting my newsletter done ahead of time, writing my next book chapter in advance, and worst of all, getting to the airport in the recommended 2 hours prior to a flight.

But what’s so bad about procrastinating? I acknowledge that when there’s a critical deadline for a huge business project, I do take the pressure on and get it done.

Thinking it through, I realize that there is a process that transpires during that period of procrastinating. I’m always thinking about the project and let it percolate even taking notes, mental or physical, and planning the steps needed to bring it to fruition in my head. I’ve come to understand that the procrastination or percolation is giving my brain time to weigh options and strategies before I commit. It’s really not wasted time at all.

With this perspective, and especially in the winter, it’s good to “stew” for a bit before jumping into the end product under pressure. Procrastinating equals pacing myself. It’s all how you look at it.

So, get to work, but let things cook in your brain, then take the leap to the finish line.