This kind of procrastination will get you further

Can procrastination be good? 

Yes.

First of all, let’s just admit that procrastination gets a bad rap these days. Because it’s seen as the place where poor unfortunate souls get stuck when they can’t focus. And to some degree, that’s true. Because you know what it feels like when you lounge around in your indecision. And how you start to feel bad after awhile. But what if there were another kind of waiting to decide that was actually good? Because there is.

This kind of procrastination can be good.

Because there is an effective way of deferring a decision on purpose that gives you time to collect more data. And a practical way to wait to decide until you have to make your decision. Moreover, most of the world’s greatest creators and thought leaders use this technique. For example, Daniel Kahneman, in his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, talks about it like this: there is your rapid response brain, and the more analytical, slower thinking brain. And it is the slower thinking brain that can be very useful for making certain kinds of decisions. And, yes. It’s essentially procrastination. But it’s a good kind of procrastination.

Your turn.

But Kahneman’s book is long. And you might not want to read that much about how to engage the analytical side of your brain. However, you can apply this practical tool right away, anyway. Because the first step is to simply acknowledge that there is a structure inside of your brain which makes both fast and slow thinking normal. So — got that? Good. Now, when you don’t have an immediate answer to a question, give yourself a break. And then, shift it over to the slower part of your brain. And mull it over awhile. But don’t chew on it forever. Instead, give yourself a deadline, and stick to it.

Need a little help?

If you need a little help with this, feel free to write to me at mark@marknewtonpdx.com. And if you’ll give me a brief description of what you’re struggling with, I’ll have suggestions for your next step. Because as an experienced men’s life coach, I work with smart, creative men every day, getting focused and moving again.

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