New Years Resolution: Increase the Quality of Your Procrastination

Have your New Years Resolutions fallen by the wayside yet?

If so, let me share with you one of mine that you may want to adopt:

Increase the Quality of Your Procrastination

(Note: this one is only good if the resolution you let fall by the wayside was “stop procrastinating”)

Procrastination has been an issue with me for many, many, many years. Quite often around new years I will say, “ok, this is it! No more procrastinating.” That usually lasts for 7 hours.

This year, I am starting much smaller: I just want to procrastinate in better ways.

For example, the worst manifestation of procrastination for me was sitting on the couch and watching TV. I would sit there and think to myself, “I really should get up and do some work, or clean my condo, or go workout.” Usually, the TV would win out.

So this year, I have decided to not try to force myself to stop procrastinating (that goal wasn’t working anyway). Instead, I have come up with a list of activities that may still fall under the category of “procrastinating” but are, to me, much better than sitting in the couch watching TV. Unless it was to watch something new that I am into and planned on watching (like the new season of 24!), sitting like a lump watching TV always left me with a feeling like I had wasted some life. Not a good feeling.

Here are a few of the things on my list:

1. Reading – I love to read, but I usually only do it before bed. By making reading a TV alternative, I am doing something that makes me feel good, even if it is a “procrastinating activity.” Plus, I learn when I read, and I also get ideas for a blog posts. It’s win-win-win.
2. Playing computer games – Yup, the nerd in me comes out. There is very little productive that comes out of playing computer games, but for me (and those are the two operative words there, “for me”) this is higher quality form of procrastination than TV. It’s interactive, and requires some engagement, thought, and even problem-solving (at least for the games I play). I also have to be “sitting up” as opposed to “laying down” – hey, it’s the little things that count!
3. Web surfing – This only one small step above TV, but an important one. As with the games, I have to be sitting up. Plus, surfing does lead to reading, and I will occasional learn something or get an idea for a blog post. Also, since I am on my computer, I may feel inspired to write, send some emails, or engage in other work. It has happened.

The key is that it’s not about perfection, it’s about progress.

I recently read a book where the author says, “if you love what you do enough you won’t have time for TV, surfing, video games, etc.” I agree with the sentiment and if that works for you, awesome! Go for it. But I am guessing that there are many people like me who love what they do but still fall into procrastination simply because over the course of our lives we have built that habit.

To change, therefore, we don’t need an external motivator which can go away (i.e. the project that has us fired up for now), but rather we need need to change that inner habit. The standard approach is to try a massive shift. This approach usually fails. I am proposing a slow change that will eventually change your habits to a point to get you to automatically go in the direction of your passion and dreams.

Try the “big change” approach. If and when that fails, try this:

1. Identify your worst procrastinating behavior – For me it was watching TV. What’s yours?
2. Make a list – Come up with a few things you could do instead that seem less overwhelming than, “spend five hours working towards my dream.” They should be fun (for you), and slightly more “self-satisfying” (for you) than the activity you are looking to replace.
3. Replace the activity – When you find yourself falling into your old procrastination habit, replace the activity with the new, slightly better one.
4. Repeat – Keep doing this until the new habit seems more natural than the old one. Then you may want to repeat by replacing this new habit with even better one, and so on and so on. Of course, I have a feeling that by doing this you may find yourself jumping some of the smaller steps automatically (but don’t force it!)

This approach may or may not work for you. But if you have spent years trying to no avail to overcome your procrastinating tendencies, why not give it a shot? You have nothing to lose!

About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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