5 Ways I Productively Procrastinate
Yes, productive procrastination is a thing. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen me do a little sharing on productive procrastinating and why we need it. To quickly recap: Procrastinating, by theory means putting off something. For as long as you can. Sometimes procrastinating is synonymous with “going nowhere”. Now, there are so many reasons to procrastinate. You’re one of those people who’s at maximum productivity until you have put off what you’re supposed to be doing until the last minute. You’re not in the mood/ head space/physical space to do the actual thing you’re supposed to do. You’re not in an environment that demands structure from you. I hear ya. I’m guilty of all three. Simultaneously. But being productive 24/7 is impossible too. And so, the solution? Productive procrastination. Where you do everything but the task at hand, and yet you feel like you’re getting things done and not so shitty about yourself. It’s necessary, and it’s important for your mental health. No, it really is. And here are the 5 things I resort to doing instead of the actual thing I’m supposed to be doing:
1. Cooking
Let me preface by saying, I have heard enough about what the point is in putting so much time and effort into something you’re going to poop out in a few hours. Seriously, I’ve heard it enough. But I still love and enjoy it so much! Everything is so pretty and colourful when you’re prepping it (ask me this again when I’m peeling and cutting onions)! And then later these completely individual ingredients come together to form a beautiful medley. It’s like magic! Yes, I know it’s the heat and change in chemical composition etc, but I like to see it as magic. That you can eat. And enjoy. It’s something you can see tangible results of your efforts in about an hour!
2. Exercise
A workout or a yoga session. Why is this productive? In the words of Elle Woods “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” Okay, the last part isn’t completely relevant but exercise puts me in a good mood (I’m in a horrible mood before though. Not for yoga. Just weights and cardio) and makes me feel accomplished. Just like cooking. Which then puts me in the momentum of continuing to be productive, which then gives you (hopefully) good posts to read!
3. Cleaning up my room
You have probably heard enough about how a cluttered workspace = cluttered mind. And about how creative people usually have a more cluttered workspace. But as creative as I consider myself, I need a neat and organised environment. Sometimes, I procrastinate because my mind is completely cluttered. I have an idea of what I want to write about but things just don’t gel. Sometimes, I haven’t a clue. It’s times like this when I clean up my room and organise things. And somehow, my mind feels clearer by the end of this. Like cooking, things work out in the back of my head. These two are my version of “sleeping on it” Usually by the time I’m done, I have a new idea, or things come together. This is especially true when I feel like my whole life is in shambles. I then do a MAJOR clean up, and at the end of which, I usually feel a lot better.
4. Seek entertainment
Again, I’m stuck on something, I can’t figure out something, I have no ideas, or I just don’t want to write yet. What do I do? I watch a movie or I read a book or I binge a TV show. Sometimes, I will sit and binge a TV show for three days in a row. Yes, I procrastinate for three days sometimes. I work in bursts. These things give me ideas, they help me stay motivated in this new “follow your passion” journey I’m on, they make me laugh, they make me cry and they inspire me.
5. Seek more entertainment
This time it’s Pinterest and Bloglovin. Even though it’s fairly similar to the former, I didn’t lump this with that because I feel like they feed my brain differently. Sure, they both inspire me but somehow, it’s just not the same. Somehow, that is more passive, and this is more active for me. I read what other people are writing about to get ideas for my own website, or I find a new food blog and look through every single recipe since its conception to add to my Pinterest board so that I can try it out sometime. These require me to think, reflect and participate more than books, movies and TV shows. Yes, my life is centred around food and words. Yes, if I’m not writing, I’m reading. And, if I’m not eating, I’m cooking or looking for things to cook. And yes, I’ve never felt more… whole.
Other bits and bobs that I do include heading off to the library to find more books to read (it’s my version of going out for some fresh air), running some errands and wandering around a mall by myself to people watch (more fresh air). I hope these give you ideas to productively procrastinate. What’s your favourite way to do that?
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