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Being a good procrastinator

Procrastination.... ring any bells? It is a term used to describe the tendency to systematically put things off until tomorrow. First of all, I have to admit that I don’t really like this word that shouts out at me and, even worse, is difficult to pronounce. This very descriptive word has existed for a long time.

In some works from the 17th century, the term was already being used in historical accounts describing the late arrival of the army on a battlefield. In other words, the reinforcements arrived too late. Is this what happens to your good ideas, good intentions, even your good resolutions?

The goal of this note is to give you some time to think about this very widespread and equally misunderstood mind set. There is no scientific confirmation to support this, only the opinion of someone whose greying hair gives him a certain ease in expressing himself.

Most articles on the topic propose solutions to prevent procrastination. But there are others that show that the issue is not about preventing procrastination, but to use it properly and I openly endorse this position. Simplistically speaking, there are three major types of procrastination. One or more actions are involved:

• doing nothing
• doing something of little importance (often more satisfying)
• doing something more important

The last behaviour is an example of good procrastination. This is an interesting approach that balances my stubborn reaction to this term.

We are not machines regulated to quarter turns that only concentrate their energy on priorities and important things. Thank goodness we are human and as such, we demand the right to behaviour that is more in line with our moods than with the priorities of the moment. However, there are some fairly negative consequences when we choose bad procrastination which, as mentioned above, consists of putting things that need to be done off until tomorrow so we can attend to less important tasks or simply do nothing at all. This doesn’t sound like me, don’t you agree? No problem! We can invoke the OTHER, which, for the purposes of this article, we can designate as the guilty party.

I always feel that postponing something always and systematically carries a risk and a consequence that may or may not be significant. For example, reserving a table for two at our favourite restaurant can be put off until tomorrow without problem. There is a risk that the table we want is not available at that time, which, with all things considered, is not serious. In the worst case scenario, the restaurant might be full. Whether this is a catastrophe or has a trivial impact, only the OTHER (the one who puts things off until tomorrow for bad reasons) will know.

In a work environment, there are plenty of occasions for procrastinating. They abound on a daily basis. Between you, me and the OTHER, if the term procrastination didn’t exist, we would certainly have to invent it!

But let’s focus on the proper use of procrastination. For me, the key is in managing time and priorities. In crisis mode, when certain deliverables are absolutely required by a certain deadline, Murphy’s Law lies in wait for us and invariably presents us with an unexpected challenge. The lack of time and resources forces us to leave the beaten path to respect the schedule. Although heroic, this approach is indefensible over the long term. An example would be financial statements that do not balance at month end because of a failure in the process or the software involved. Action stations to the ready! All available resources, and even those that are not available, will be called upon. The department of miracles opens its doors wide and after intense emotions and frustrations, the project is completed despite these horrible conditions. The fact that failure is familiar and that it is the reason for the state of emergency, shows that someone probably procrastinated, but who knows. At that very moment, there was probably another even more critical emergency!

Finally, my opinion on this term is softening and, forced to use it, I find it easier to pronounce. Few things are binary in life. Our daily activities consist of a large grey area that inevitably causes us to postpone activities to the next day by procrastinating. However, we do have another choice—I did mention good procrastination. Leave the not-so-good choice to the OTHER.

Alain Desjardins