Last week I caught myself procrastinating productively.
I wasn’t scrolling or watching TV. I was busy. I did plenty of useful work, tidied loose ends, and cleared out a cupboard that really did need doing. By the end of the day I’d achieved a lot.
But there was one thing I hadn’t done: send some pitches I’d been planning. Once I got curious instead of critical, I could see why.
Busy is a very good hiding place
People like me are always productive, always busy, always doing something purposeful. That’s exactly what makes this kind of avoidance so easy to miss. A productive day feels like proof that nothing’s wrong.
So instead of telling myself off, I asked what the busyness was protecting me from. The answer was fear of rejection. I was uncomfortable about those pitches, and keeping busy meant I didn’t have to feel it.
First, is it really procrastination?
We use the word for everything, and it makes us feel bad. Research by psychologists Fuschia Sirois and Tim Pychyl suggests procrastination has more to do with managing our mood than managing our time. When a task brings up an uncomfortable feeling, putting it off gives instant relief, and our future self pays for it.
In her training at One of Many, Joanna Martin offers a useful way to sort it out. Procrastination, she says, means putting off something important. Putting off something unimportant is simply prioritising. Putting off something important because you’re exhausted is energy management. Neither deserves the guilt.
Three questions to ask
1. Is it actually important? If not, let it go. That’s prioritising, not failing.
2. Do I have the energy for it right now? If you’re running on empty, the answer is to replenish first, not to push through.
3. Why am I putting it off? This is where the real answer lives, and it usually points straight to the fix.
Six common reasons, and what helps
Low momentum. You haven’t been doing much lately, or you’re starting something new. Break the task into small chunks and get moving. Momentum builds momentum.
It’s out of flow. The task isn’t a natural strength, such as detail work if you’re a big-picture person. If you can, hand it to someone who enjoys it. If not, batch these tasks into one slot and give yourself a reward at the end.
It’s unpleasant. A difficult conversation, a hard decision. Do it first thing the next day, and schedule it so there’s no wriggle room. Reward yourself afterwards, and tell a friend or coach so someone can hold you to it.
You’ve got too much on. Big tasks that need a clear hour or two keep getting pushed back because there isn’t enough energy left. Lighten the load before you add anything.
Fear of imperfection or rejection. You’re worried it won’t be good enough, that it will be criticised, or that you’ll be turned down. Imagine the worst case. Say it doesn’t work, or someone says no. Then what? Can you cope with that? Usually you can, and the fear shrinks.
You can’t decide. You’re stuck going round in circles. Make any decision with what you know now, and be open to feedback. A decision you can adjust beats no decision.
And if none of them fit?
Then ask whether the task is important to you at all. When you’re clear on your “why”, it’s hard to put things off. If you can’t find the energy, it may not be as important as you thought, and that’s worth knowing.
What was it for me?
Fear of rejection, and a familiar feeling of being an imposter in a setting where I’ve felt it before. Once I named it, I noticed something important: the feeling was echoing earlier experiences. It wasn’t necessarily the truth about now.
So I tried the worst-case question. I imagined the pitches being turned down, and asked myself whether I’d be okay. I would. That was enough to take the next small step, and I sent them.
If a feeling shows up, ask whether it’s telling you about today, or replaying something from the past.
Try it this week
Pick one thing you've been putting off. Run the three questions. Choose the fix that matches, and take one small step today. Be kind to yourself while you do it. Guilt doesn't help.
If you'd like a gentle structure for noticing what's going on and choosing a next step, The Small Redesign is a free workbook built for exactly that.
And if something keeps getting put off and you'd like help working out why, I'd love to talk it through with you.
References
Sirois, F. & Pychyl, T. (2013). Procrastination and the Priority of Short-Term Mood Regulation: Consequences for Future Self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12011
Martin, J. One of Many Soft PowerCast on procrastination (definition, three questions and six reasons, adapted).
