Why procrastination isn’t all bad

Of all the obstacles standing between you and success, there’s one that has the worst reputation of all: procrastination.

You know the feeling, you have something you need to do, it’s not the hardest thing in the world, it won’t even take that long – but for some reason you just can’t bring yourself to do it. So many of us ‘lose out’ on opportunities because we fail to act when we need to act. But what if we stop seeing these as missed opportunities, and start admitting that we never really wanted them in the first place?

Most people are taught from a young age that they are in control of their own destinies; if they want success, they have to make themselves do the things that lead to success. The reality is that most of the time we are not in control at all, but at the mercy of our subconscious minds. Our actions are based on our genetic make-ups, our upbringings, belief systems and the things we have seen and experienced in life. All of these things make us who we are and no amount of pushing is going to change that. You might try your hardest to be the person you think you should be – the wealthy, fit, multi-tasking one whizzing about town in a shiny car, but in the end if this isn’t who your subconscious mind wants to be, you will simply make yourself unhappy.

There’s no use joining up to the gym if the idea of running on the spot in an air conditioned room for hours makes you feel queasy, because chances are you will find excuses not to go and end up wasting your money and spending your evenings feeling guilty.

why procrastination isnt all that bad

Instead of pushing against the natural flow of your life, why not embrace procrastination?

Your goal should not be to stop procrastinating, but to achieve something meaningful in that time. If you were supposed to go to the gym but find yourself in your pyjamas instead, why not use that time to read a book, send some emails, or watch a documentary? These things are positive activities in their own right and they do not have to be seen as procrastination. You gain something from everything you do. Once you stop forcing yourself to do things you don’t really want to do, you will discover all the things you do want to do. Perhaps the gym is not for you but what about hiking? What about tennis, sailing, mountain biking, or climbing?

Procrastination may be time spent not doing the thing you’re ‘supposed’ to be doing, but it is by no means time wasted.

If you feel guilty for not getting round to things, speaking to a life coach could help. Life coaching, and especially NLP, seeks to uncover the things blocking you from progressing in life before changing these thought patterns. You might find that you aren’t failing to progress, but failing to see your real achievements – the things you get done when you ‘should’ be doing something else. For more information, please visit our Personal Development page.

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Written by Zoe Thomas
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Written by Zoe Thomas
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