How To Procrastinate Responsibly

How To Procrastinate Responsibly

The word “procrastinate” has been given a very negative connotation by most people, even though it simply means to “put off” something. A lot of people have grown to associate it with laziness. It is a simple term that has been used in the negative context time and time again.
However, it should never be used as an excuse to skip doing a task.

Since people think of procrastination in a bad light already, the term “procrastinating responsibly” seems to be a complete oxymoron. Nevertheless, there is such a thing as procrastinating responsibly. Actually, this is how procrastinating should really be done. Read on and find out how.

Too much of something is always bad. For you to be able to procrastinate responsibly, you must only do it when the situation calls for it. Say you’re already feeling down and out yet you have already planned writing that day. Since it’s also bad to push your body into working when you’re obviously not feeling well, just take some time off to rest. Sleep if you must. If you’re really not up to it, you can work on your writing later. Just make sure that when you put off something, it is for a good purpose and that you still leave some ample time for yourself to be able to finish the task before it is due.

A lot of people usually make the mistake of putting off something, then actually end up not doing it completely. That is not procrastinating responsibly, but a simple case of laziness. Make the most out of your procrastination time. It’s not bad to procrastinate once in a while, especially when you really need to do so, like when you’re having a bad day, you’re sick, or you have been tied up to other commitments. Since you’ve taken some time off, you should still be able to use it productively.

If you’re not feeling well, then use your procrastination time to rest so that you’ll get better soon. If you are not in the mood to do something, then “psyche” yourself up. For example, if you are putting off writing because you are not “in the mood” for it, then take your time until you come up with ideas to draw inspiration from. Try leafing through books, listening to good music, or just listing down everything that pops in your head. The important thing is to do something productive, so that you wouldn’t end up wasting time.

Even though procrastination may leave you feeling guilty sometimes because you haven’t accomplished (yet) the things that you need to do, you shouldn’t burden yourself with guilt either. Be mature enough to trust your judgment - that you are just putting things off because that’ll help you get better results for your work. You should know yourself well enough to be sure that you would really make the most out of your “procrastination time” and not waste it.