Thomas A. Alspaugh
Fruitful Procrastination for Efficiency

Avoid immature procrastination — it has no advantages. This is the kind of pracrastination practiced by teenagers, for example. Instead, use procrastination fruitfully.

If you're going to procrastinate anyway …

  1. Wait until you know what needs to be done. If whatever it is can be postponed, then wait to make decisions before you have enough information, and wait to take action until you know what action needs to be taken.
  2. Wait until you know it has to be done.
  3. Do beneficial things you usually avoid while you are procrastinating. If you are going to be idle while you put off whatever big thing you're putting off, use that time to do some things that are beneficial but that you ordinarily don't feel you have time for.
  4. Use procrastination to train yourself to work quickly and effectively. Procrastination gives you repeated opportunities to work fast in order to get it done before it's too late, so use this to practice getting things done without wasting time.

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