Can Procrastination Be a Good Thing?

A little procrastination can be a good thing. The idea that procrastination is good might be difficult to digest for most people, but for some it just might work. Organizational psychologists detail the theory that putting things off temporarily gives people extra time to think and be creative. It allows time to gather ideas and reflect on different problem solving options. This directly relates to defining goals, especially the part about the problem itself being the shortcut to the solution. This heuristic principle is at the heart of what is misunderstood by most people. Some people always finish everything right away and make quick decisions, but the procrastinators give themselves a chance to think and separate the possible from the impossible. Intelligence is not a fixed trait and a few extra minutes or hours can be the difference between making the right or wrong decision.

Crystallized intelligence is when a person reaches a deeper understanding due to their education and experience. Procrastinating for a short time gives a person with this type of intelligence time to use their knowledge to weigh all the options before making a final decision. This is key for business people as well. People with original ideas who take action after careful consideration are not afraid to fail. It takes courage to be creative and seeing something from a different angle can open the door to better understanding.

Not every problem has a simple solution and great people like DaVinci took years before they finally created their masterpiece. Of course, in the business world, you don’t usually have years to make decisions, but taking time to reduce self-doubt and anxiety can open the door to creativity, clarity and success. You want your final decision to be the right one, so a little procrastination might help. Slow starters are often known to succeed. Extra time can be helpful to take the pressure off and do your best work.