How to Procrastinate: Tips from an Expert

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First of all, let me say that I have actually gotten much better over the years about NOT procrastinating. (I especially put that into practice in my first month here in Spain while completing my TEFL course. There was so much work that I decided to really stay on top of it to preserve my sanity.) But that doesn't mean I have lost my skills. I can still procrastinate with the best of them. So here is my list of tried-and-true tricks for adding some procrastination to your daily routine.

1. SNACK: it is important to stay adequately nourished for all of the important tasks that you need to complete. Make sure to head to the kitchen regularly throughout the day. In order to get the most bang for your buck in this method of procrastination, I would encourage making snacks/meals that you have never prepared before and that are more elaborate than your usual fare.


2. WATCH VIDEOS: of course, you can watch any kind of video you want, but in order to walk the line of effectively putting other things off while also maintaining a justifiable reason for watching the video, it can be helpful to watch things with a purpose. For example, this video by Matt D'Avella on how to effectively manage your time would be perfect. He does great work.


3. START NEW HABITS: another effective technique is to finally get around to that regular meditation practice that you've been meaning to start, or to begin learning that new language (or just dive further into the study of one you have already been learning). Either of these options can easily be adjusted to kill whatever amount of time you need to fill.


4. ORGANIZE: this is another method that I particularly like because it can be applied in so many different ways. You can organize your bedroom, your files (analog or digital), your kitchen, your books, your email inbox, your clothes...you get the idea. 


5. MAKE LISTS/SCHEDULES: grocery lists, lists of the things you have to do later, birthday lists, spreadsheets of how much money you spent this month, calendars, lists of books you want to read. Feel free to customize this to your needs and add more detail in order to take up more time. Color coordinating and adding pretty designs can also help. I recommend a combination of Google Sheets and an analog bullet journal (specifically the blank kind where you create all of the spreads and layouts yourself, like these. Then type "bujo designs" into Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration.).


6. SOCIALIZE: catch up on all those phone calls, video calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages that you've been meaning to get to. It's easy in this busy world to get caught up in work and not stay in touch with our friends and what is going on with their lives. They will appreciate you reaching out, and it also gives them an easy way to procrastinate without having to plan for it. I call that a win-win.

I'd like to add a caveat that SOCIAL MEDIA does not appear on the above list because I have been trying to limit how much I use my phone for things that aren't really necessary. 

The key with all of this is to not put the "real" tasks off so long that you can't complete them on time. Instead the goal is to push them back just far enough that you can still get them done but with the utmost amount of stress and guilt. (Another side benefit is that this gives you the option to add "Work well under pressure" to your resume. You can also include "Effectively manage time to meet deadlines.")

And if you have already exhausted the above list and still need something to take up time? You can always write a blog post about how to procrastinate.