When you’re doing one thing, you’re not doing almost an infinite amount of other things. Are those other things more important than the task you’re currently performing? If not, you’re carrying about your business in a normal manner – that is, you’ve probably prioritized and figured out an efficient course of action. If you 
are currently doing something of low priority when there’s a mountain of other stuff running up to deadline… well, meet your ol’ pal Procrastination.
You’re currently reading an article on the subject. You may have some undesirable work you’re avoiding, but perhaps you have very good reason to be reading this (aside from the fact that it is an incredibly well-penned and carefully thought-out piece of writing.) I can’t cast any judgement on your current to-do list and or how productive you’re being, but I can tell you one thing…
… between that previous ellipsis and the one at the start of this sentence, the state of my flat has gone from a complete bombsite to one which I’d be happy to invite the Queen into for tea.
For the record, I can’t stand ironing. I honestly think it’s one of the most irritating and arduous tasks going – if I had a time machine, I’d go back to pre-trouser press days and make sure it became a fashion to wear creased clothes. What happened between the last two paragraphs is that after I tidied the whole house, I started the ironing… two shirts in, and I walked away thinking “I best go finish that procrastination article,” a situation in which Alanis Morisette would find humour in.
Although bumbling from one task to another like a bluebottle trying to escape a glasshouse is a negative approach to getting stuff done, procrastination can be a very powerful tool.
Honestly, it can! Read on and I’ll tell you how…
… after I put the kettle on.
When Procrastination is Appropriate
So, it was your birthday and you need to send a letter to Aunty Bethel to thank her for the card she sent. Your mother is hassling you to get it done sharpish, since days have passed since your celebratory hangover and poor old Bethel will be wondering whether you got it or not. What do you do?
Forget about it, is what. Not entirely, mind you, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t procrastinate the task. Again we go back to prioritizing – Bethel can wait, whereas catching up on work deadlines cannot. The awesome thing is that you’ll often discover that your procrastination-borne instincts turn out to be worth following: Bethel will still be delighted to get a thank-you note even if it is two weeks late, but I suspect your business associate will be less than impressed.
So what can we deduce from this? Really, it’s not a case of judging your own priorities but deciding who you need to please and when.
This sounds like a glib way of putting it, but to demonstrate let’s imagine you have two tasks to complete in a finite amount of time:
a) You’re asked to help a good friend organise a stag party. Frankly, the task is a pain in the butt and will take at least a day of your time to organize, but if you help out it’ll secure your legacy as the greatest party thrower in party-throwing history.
b) At the same time, you work as an article writer in a parallel world where copywriting pays crazy money – an editor has just called you offering £1,000 for an article. It has to be in within two days’ time, and it’ll take a whole day to complete.
Now, you may be thinking “simple! One day to do the article, one day to plan the party. Everyone’s happy.” But that’s not effective procrastination.
For most people, successfully completing option B will yield the best personal result (namely, a grand in the bank.) If you spend two days working at this option, at the expense of helping out with the party, chances are you will sail above and beyond the call of duty and impress the person who can have a massive sway in your future (promotion, more assignments, greater respect, etc.). Sure, to everyone else it’ll seem like you’re dragging your heels and spending way too long on a single task, but it’s the long term benefits which make this worthwhile.
I’m not suggesting you should blow off your friends to make a quick buck – far from it – but occasionally spending time doing other projects to the dismay of those close to you might make sense, even if only to you.
Mike Joel has provided this brief employment guide to us at no cost. He also writes on behalf of Palliser furniture specialist Sofasandsectionals.com