Can procrastination be productive

Procrastination hits many founders, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing:

• Is there a way to turn procrastination around to make it work for you, instead of working against you? The guide below can help you turn incognito procrastination into something productive!
• Cross-promotions can be a huge factor in moving the needle for your newsletter or product. Check out these tips to make the most of creator swaps.
• After 6 years of failed products, Ollie Efesopoulos accidentally built a profitable startup in one night. Here's how he got the idea for Roastd, a tool that will roast your product within 48 hours, and how he plans to grow.

Productive Procrastination

Procrastination hits most of us in one way or another. Sometimes, it can be hard to spot. However, if you can identify it, you can actually turn it into something productive.

Let's explore this further!

Incognito procrastination

Traditional procrastination consists of consciously doing things other than what you know you need to do. Examples include scrolling social media, daydreaming, etc.

Incognito procrastination, however, is trickier. It sneaks up on you because you don't know that you're doing it.

I started thinking about this when I posted about whether incorporating a company is really necessary when you first get started. Filing for an LLC seems productive, but it is so often just administrative procrastination.

Where else does incognito procrastination happen? Here are some other examples:

• Incorporating before it's necessary: You typically don't need to incorporate until you're making a good amount of money.
• Building new products or features: Don't let shiny object syndrome distract you.
• Over-optimizing: Your product doesn't need to be perfect!
• A/B testing: Some founders get lost in the data and make small tweaks forever, instead of doing what matters.
• Design: Your design is probably fine. Make it look decent, then move on.
• Learning: Some folks just love to learn. But, if you're always learning, you're never doing.
• R&D: Some research is good. Too much is not.
• Any work that is easier or more fun than the work you should be doing!

This type of procrastination is more dangerous because it's hard to spot. You can do it all day and feel good about yourself, but it never truly pushes the needle for your business.

Leveraging incognito procrastination

1: Notice it:

Turning incognito procrastination into productive procrastination is all about awareness. If you're aware that you're procrastinating, you can make decisions about how you do it.

Create a list of all the ways that you incognito procrastinate. Keep adding to it. Once you've identified the ways that you do it, it'll be much easier to notice when it's happening. Ask yourself:

• What is the level of priority? Is there something else that is a higher priority?
• How long have you spent on it? Too much of anything will become procrastination at some point.

2: Harness it:

So, you're wasting time while pretending to be productive, and you notice it. Here are your options:

• Stop doing that thing, and start doing something that is a higher priority.
• Stop doing that thing, and start doing something that will give you a break, while still being productive. This includes exercising, meditating, journaling, etc.
• Keep doing that thing, but be mindful of it. Admit that you're procrastinating, time it so that you're only doing it for a short period, and consider doing something related, but more productive.

If you feel that familiar pull to check Reddit or do some traditional procrastinating, consider doing some productive procrastinating instead. You could even have a list of fun, productive tasks that need to get done at some point, even if they're a lower priority. Then, use those things as a break!

3: Get back to work:

Nothing special to say here. Just get back to it!

Avoiding procrastination

Check those out for more tips. Here are some things that have helped your fellow:

• Know your goals and mission.
• List and prioritize your tasks.
• Break your tasks into tiny pieces.
• Track your progress.
• Hold yourself accountable.
• Give yourself positive reinforcement.
• Build in public.
• Team up with a partner.
• Create new habits.
• Turn off social media notifications: But, if you've got to be on social media for business purposes, define what actually counts as "work."
• Schedule your time, and start as early as possible.
• Temptation bundle: This is when you pair something you love with something you need to do, like listening to your favorite podcast only when you work out.
• Follow the two-minute rule: If a task takes two minutes or less, do it now.

How do you procrastinate? Share your experience in the comments!