Benefits Of Procrastination: I'll Start Tomorrow

There’s a special brand of guilt that comes with procrastinating deadlines, assignments, homework, studying … anything, really. If you’re very accomplished at it, you’ll know how to keep pushing through while staving off the screaming protests of the little voices inside of you that beg you to get your work done.

We’ve all felt it, and I bet some of us have even tried to conquer it. The goal is to stop procrastinating and get work done, right?

Maybe you should consider procrastinating more instead.

Everyone has a go-to. For me, it’s binge-watching television shows. A lot of people I know fall prey to the simplicity of collapsing on their beds at the end of a long day and opening up a new tab to play Netflix for the rest of the evening.

But maybe to avoid making flashcards to study for a history test you whip up three batches of muffins, or maybe instead of preparing for a big presentation you learn a monologue from your favorite play by heart. Whatever you fall back on when you procrastinate isn’t something you should pass off as the activity you associate with the burning guilt in the pit of your stomach, and here’s why.

What you do to avoid everything you don’t want to do is what you should aspire to be doing for the rest of your life. In an ideal world everyone would be able to earn a living by doing what they love, and though we live in less-than-ideal circumstances, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shoot for something seemingly impossible.

From the first television pilot script I read to the first one I tried (and failed) to write, I knew it was what I wanted to pursue for a career. I went from procrastinating by watching shows to procrastinating by reading film scripts.

Even now I procrastinate writing scripts by watching shows that in turn inspire me to write more. Everyone believes the key to success is by working hard and never stopping or giving up, but the truth is that everyone needs something to unwind with, and if you can turn your postponing tactics into productivity, you won’t just be successful; you’ll be happy doing it. Procrastination can work in your favor and benefit you in the end.

If you enjoy baking muffins, do it often even if it means procrastinating other work you feel you need to get done. If you like memorizing monologues from plays, join theatre groups even if you feel you don’t have the time. If it matters to you, if it makes your heart swell and every cell in your body vibrate in excitement, you’ll make time for it. And sometimes that means pushing aside the things that will make you feel guilty for avoiding, but that is exactly how you figure out what matters the most to you. And once you know what matters the most, you’ll want to fight to keep doing it for the rest of your life.

So go ahead and binge-watch seven seasons of Castle this weekend instead of studying for a history exam. When you tell yourself just one more episode, watch another anyway. Maybe you’ll realize you want to be a film productions major. Maybe you’ll make something that inspires another person to procrastinate a while longer to watch it.

And maybe, if you work hard enough, you’ll use what you love to change the world.

pinterest.com