Is procrastination a productivity killer or a creativity trigger? š¤
Business Marketing with Nika
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Food for thought I had a few days ago:
When people are bored, they are more likely to feel bad about it or do nonsensical things. They may even "waste their time" and fail to get things done.
On the other hand, when we are bored, our minds have time to wander, and that is usually when we come up with something unusual or unique (creativity).
Where is the truth?
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Prabath Hewasundara@prabathhewa
As a bit of a perfectionist, I find myself procrastinating at times because I'm worried about not achieving the perfect outcome. But hereās the twist: Iāve discovered that this procrastination can actually be a double-edged sword.
š Mind Wandering: When I procrastinate, my mind tends to wander, and thatās often when I stumble upon unique and creative ideas. Itās like giving my brain a mini-vacation to explore new possibilities.
šØ Creativity Boost: This unstructured time can trigger creativity. Some of my best ideas have come from moments when I was avoiding a task.
āļø Balance: However, itās a balancing act. Too much procrastination can definitely be a productivity killer, but just the right amount can be a creativity trigger.
So, whereās the truth? I think itās somewhere in the middle. Procrastination can be both a productivity killer and a creativity booster, depending on how we manage it.
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I listened to a podcast this morning about Cal Newportās new book, āSlow Productivity,ā which might broadly answer your question.
Iāve noticed a huge difference in getting things done for the next scenarios: working non-stop, jumping between projects, and taking things slower with better attention. In the last scenario, Iām definitely happier and eventually come up with better ideas than when Iām being āproductive.ā I really hate the stereotype about how cool a busy life is. Iāve been there for many years. Now I allow myself to do nothing.
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@anastasiia_stepko Interesting approach. TBH, I am more between the first and second but I do not think that the first one is sustainable for me. The second is more likely to be sustainable (For me).
@anastasiia_stepko how did you transition? Iāve been trying for years but struggle. I agree with you about the stereotypical ābusynessā being the social norm which it shouldnāt be.
Putting productivity aside, being busy all the time impacts relationships with family and friends and also just the enjoyment of life.
Itās a balance I guess. Easy to say and hard to do. Especially when you compare to others because then you say to yourselfā¦ I should have worked harder. lol what is cycle š
@luca3927 Luca, honestly, if you ask my family and friends, they will say I haven't transitioned yet. Still a struggle. I'm trying to be very serious about some aspects of life I find important. For example, sleep. These days I'm trying to consider sleeping time as the most important "meeting" I might have during the day. Can't skip, can't be late. Period.
I just can't bear the thought that once I grow old I realise that work was everything I ever had.
@anastasiia_stepko ohh yeah I agree with you 100%, I have the same thoughts as well. There is an Italian saying "la dolce vita" which means the sweet life, I have recently been thinking about that and thinking how to balance the enjoyment of life, my wife, my daughter and family and friends with 9-5 plus a side business.
I think you are right, there needs to be non-negotiables on somethings but the hard part is accepting that you may not be as ahead as you want to be. It's all a balance :)
Thanks for the insight!
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@anastasiia_stepko did you like this podcast? I want to read a book, but wonder is it as good as "Deep Work"
Launching soon!
While I'm procrastinating I come up with creative ideas. I always think, "I would have been done sooner had I not procrastinated, but I'm not sure I would have come up with this idea that I really like." I don't have an answer for what the truth is, but have definitely had the same thought you had many times.
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@dan_o_malley It is a culprit but crucial to me is that I can produce something from that "boredom" :)
@busmark_w_nika itās good if you know that about yourself, it might remove some of the negative emotions with boredom.
The truth is in the market you have to be honest and work
Ahh, its like a egg -hen riddle. Procrastination in a creative way to achieve goals i;e to be in action is a win but only procrastinating will led to anything.
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@asaayushii yes, you do not know where the truth is because the truth is everywhere :D
I think it depends on what you do while procrastinating. I procrastinate because I am worried that once I do the job, it won't be done perfectly.
So in my case, when I procrastinate I am still worrying- that doesn't help with my creativity. It hampers it. So for me, its just a productivity killer.
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@my3_murthy are you a perfectionism striver? :D welcome to the club :D
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@my3_murthy Right, and actually your first sentence reminded me of my productive procrastination. You know, the one where I just can't get started on some kind of serious task, so I put it off and do laundry, wash dishes, and even start learning a new language. Anything but that serious task :D
Procrastination can be a double-edged sword; while it often hampers productivity, it sometimes allows creative ideas to incubate. Finding the right balance is key to leveraging its potential without falling into its trap.
Well, I wouldn't put it that way, I wouldn't say bored... I think like most things in life you can train yourself to be creative, schedule some free time to let your brain wonder, without expectations.
What boost my creativity is to have a walk near the river, seeing trees, birds, hearing water. Having a tea in a quiet cafe near the river.
This got me thinking,... I never feel bored...
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@paula_schiffelbein It is a fact that we are all unique. For me, creativity is not done in a certain "time blocking". It comes unexpectedly.
It all depends how do you persue it.
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What do you mean by that? @stephen_maden
I have always been a person who hates downtime, especially when I am sick. I always try to work through it and then end up taking ages to recover.
So I do think downtime and being bored is important. The brain does need to switch off and I do notice when I am sick and I do relax I start totally thinking differently to when I am not relaxing at all.
I think itās a good thing. Itās hard to stop though. At least for me.
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@busmark_w_nika ummm in all honesty most times badly š¤£. I usually get very frustrated cause my mind wants to go go go go but my body does not.... I really struggle with that.
But I will say I think I am getting better, because just after COVID I experienced burnout and that still has effects on me today, so from that I have learnt that I need to balance things.
It is hard because it is very easy to just look at one aspect of life and think... I wish I was better in this. So then naturally I think to myself, I will put more effort in. But then that has negative consequences in other places such as mental health or my relationships.
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@busmark_w_nika No not an extrovert, just that during COVID in my 9-5 was so crazy busy that by the end of it I was broken and ended up experiencing burnout. I couldn't work for a period of time and had to go to a CBT psychologist to try help me develop habits to keep the stress down.
This was in 2021 and for maybe 2-3 years it was very dark days trying to recover from stress. It is debilitating. I still struggle from it, but I have learnt to cope much better. But similar to a physical injury a pro athlete might experience, you never come back the same.
What I mean by that is, the stress levels I could deal with before, I just can't cope with the same amount now. So now I need to find creative ways to be as efficient as before I guess.
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@busmark_w_nika so in those moments what do you end up doing? Literally nothing or just watching tv or doing something non-productive?
Also, on a side note what is the definition of non-productive? Take a professional athlete, they are not working out 24/7 as important as work-out and practise is, rest is equally if not more important. Also in the span of a day, they most probably end up resting more hours than working out / practise.
So from that perspective resting, being bored, being relaxed makes sense. I think as someone else said above, there is this culture of being busy is cool and so we just fall into that trap. Sucks really...
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@busmark_w_nika I find sport helps me too... I try to do something everyday, usually gym and basketball or if I can't do that at least go for a walk.
Funny, if I was to run I could run maybe 200m and be tired, but if I am on a basketball court I can run for hours and will be fine :) I don't know how people just "run" I have never seemed to be able to do that :D
Great question!
I think it can be both, it all depends on the person.
I try to avoid any hint of procrastination in my schedule as it makes me unfocused and inefficient ((
Procrastination is a health saver to avoid boring/ repetitive tasks
Procrastination can be a double-edged sword; it might delay productivity but also spark creative fireworks in the mind - kind of like a chaotic yet magical brainstorming session! š§ āØ
The key is to procrastinate without consuming content. thatās why many good ideas appear during showers
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