I took up yoga recently. This, to most people who know me, was jaw-droppingly shocking. Mostly because I’m a person who jumps, runs, and kicks, not someone who sits and chants Om. Hiking? Sure. Mountain climbing? Bring it on! Shoulder stands? I don’t think so.
But last year, my family had a series of health issues that are going to have a long-term impact and while we’re not going to be able to stave them off altogether, we could reduce the damage that happens as a result of them by making a few changes in our lifestyle. One of the things that was suggested to us was yoga. Paralysis at age 40 or yoga? It wasn’t a hard choice, really.
I knew an instructor who was low on the spirituality quotient and high on the “your migraines and balance issues will be a thing of the past” scale and started practicing with him three times a week. And he pushes us. Oh boy, does he push us. If you thought yoga was all about breathing and gentle calmness, you should meet this guy. He makes your aerobics instructor look like she’s on training wheels. Just when we think we’re going to pass out any minute from the way we’ve twisted our bodies, he gives us a five-minute break. To meditate.
Now, I’ve got a very anxious mind and I’ve never been able to meditate for more than a minute at a time, but given the choice between 50 more crunches and meditating, the meditating comes pretty easily. In the middle of our session, I can meditate for ten minutes at a time with a completely clear head, no problem.
This is something I like to call productive procrastination. You’re avoiding doing one thing by doing something else entirely, but something equally productive.
I’ve been seeing this a lot in my writing and lately, have learned to find a way to make this work to my benefit.
My novel, as I’ve mentioned before, had been stalled for three years while I raced ahead with my freelancing career. But recently, I’ve been a bit disenchanted with freelancing. My clients are cutting rates, no one pays you to travel any longer, and I’ve been doing this for so long, a lot of it doesn’t even seem challenging any more. About three weeks ago, I was procrastinating on sending out pitches, but while earlier I would have gone on Twitter or ranted on a writing forum, this time, I went to my novel. As long as I worked on my novel, I didn’t have to send out those awful pitches, right?
I wrote 6,000 words that day.
It was exactly like meditation. Something I’d been avoiding doing because I thought I sucked at it or couldn’t find the energy for, but because I was actively avoiding doing something else, suddenly it became easier to do.
I like the idea of productive procrastination because unlike most people who tell you to find ways to be super productive all the time, I don’t believe that you’re ever going to stop procrastinating. You’re going to do it, it’s just how the human mind works. And sure, you’ll find techniques to ensure you’re not constantly trying to avoid doing the hard stuff.
By actively finding a substitute activity that holds importance even as you’re stalled on a particular project, you ensure that you keep pushing your career and your productivity forward. So you might end up putting together your portfolio website while you’re procrastinating on sending out pitches or you might send out pitches as you avoid rewriting that article an editor sent back to you. If you’re anything like me, you tend to wait until the last minute to do things anyway. This way, you ensure that all that time in between still remains fruitful.
I’m currently having a tough time with the novel. I’m nearing the end where I must wrap up everything, tie up the loose ends, and because I’ve never done this before, it’s difficult and I’ve been procrastinating. This time, though, instead of wasting time on Twitter or leaving likes by the dozen on Facebook, I’ve been working on an e-course instead. And when I hit a slump on that, as I know I will, the novel will be right here, waiting for me to finish it.
What have you been procrastinating on lately? How about indulging in some productive procrastination instead?