Procrastination is often thought of as something completely negative and to be avoided at all costs…
But, procrastination in and of itself is neither good nor bad. Yep, you read this right!
There are times when procrastinating is the best thing to do. There are tasks that do need to be left off until tomorrow (of course you need to make sure you’ve scheduled it right so there’s no nagging feeling that takes away your sleep at night!)
One of the ways to procrastinate productively which I absolutely love is making a “to read” list. I actually have lists for “procrastinating” or “bored” so when I feel like doing nothing, I go off, get these lists and find something enjoyable on these lists to “waste” my time on..
Of course try to make sure the tasks you put on these lists are valuable or have a long term benefit. Or, simply, if you need to relax a bit..that’s good too..
Here’s how to setup a “to read” list.
1. Figure out where you want to keep your lists.
I personally use Todoist which is a free and really cool online task management solution.
If you want to go pen and paper, that’s cool too! I like online solutions because they are so easy to edit and if I think of something while I’m offline, I’ll just jott it down and then type it into my todoist account. (Takes an extra 30 seconds of work but..worth it!)
2. Now, create a folder or a tag (if you’re using todoist) called “to read”..
3. So when you hear about a groundbreaking must-read book that you don’t have time to read. Just put it on your list tagged “to read”..
4. Order the book or get it from the library if you really want to read it.
5. Wait!
6. When you feel like procrastinating, just go over to your to-read list, pick the one you want to read. Get it off your shelf and get started!
Note:
You don’t have to limit your list to books, any articles you wanted to read, any magazine pieces, newspapers can all work here. Use your imagination.
The key is to make sure that even if you do procrastinate (because you decide that procrastinating is the most productive thing to do at that moment given the circumstances)..use your procrastinating wisely and get some long term value out of it!
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