I just wanted to share with you the concept of what I call productive procrastination.
Currently it's playing out for me as I try to finish a book that I've been working on for a long time and I'm closing in on the finish line.
And I notice as I close in.
Other things become more and more appealing.
Things like cleaning up around the house,
Other organization,
Other tasks,
Responding to emails,
Doing a variety of different things that are productive,
But they aren't the thing that I really deeply want to be doing and know that I kind of should be doing.
And they're very easy to justify and they're very tricky and kind of insidious in this way because they are productive as opposed to maybe just sitting on the couch and watching TV.
I know that that is procrastination,
But a part of my mind can justify doing all the other things because they are,
In a way,
Productive.
So I don't know if this resonates with you or you find yourself doing the same thing.
Sort of calling myself out in the moment because even making this video is in a way productive procrastination.
And it helps to call yourself out,
To just notice it.
Sometimes it's nice to just have language for something like this.
Oh yeah,
Productive procrastination.
That's what's happening right now.
So by noticing it and calling it out,
I can redirect myself back.
To what I most deeply want to be doing.
And maybe I can investigate why I might be avoiding that thing.
For me,
With writing a book,
As long as I don't finish it,
It can still remain in the realm of what it could be,
The possibility for it to be some success,
Whatever that might mean,
And to bring it to the finish line.
Is to face the reality of whatever it is as opposed to what it could possibly be in my mind.
So I'd love to hear.
What that might be like for you and what might be the resistances and the reasons you would avoid doing those things that you most deeply want to be doing.
Productive procrastination.
When productivity becomes a form of avoidance.
