Use Productive Procrastination to Start a Daunting Task

Everyone has certain tasks that we dread more than others, but have to get done eventually. It could be something from our personal or professional life, but in most cases, can’t be offloaded or outsourced to others. The longer we put it off, the worse we feel, and the bigger that task seems.

In situations like that, structured procrastination could be what you need to get the job done. Here’s what to know.

What is structured procrastination?

Structured procrastination is “the art of making this bad trait work for you,” according to John Perry, Ph.D., professor emeritus of philosophy at Stanford University, who coined the term.

Here’s how he explains the concept:

Structured procrastination means shaping the structure of the tasks one has to do in a way that exploits this fact. The list of tasks one has in mind will be ordered by importance. Tasks that seem most urgent and important are on top. But there are also worthwhile tasks to perform lower down on the list. Doing these tasks becomes a way of not doing the things higher up on the list. With this sort of appropriate task structure, the procrastinator becomes a useful citizen.

How to use structured procrastination to start daunting tasks

When we opt to put off starting an important, probably timely task, we’re then faced with making the decision of what to do next. Here’s where it gets tricky.

One option is to simply do something we would actually enjoy, but doesn’t make a dent in our to-do list—like scrolling through social media, watching an episode of a TV show, or browsing Zillow listings somewhere you’ll never live.

Your second option is to do something that you don’t really enjoy, or technically have to do—like cleaning out your cutlery drawer, alphabetizing your books, or reorganizing your closet.

The third option is structured procrastination. Get out your to-do list (or make one) and pick another task that you need to start, but keep putting off. The key is finding something you’re dreading less than your primary project—enough that you’d be willing do it if it meant postponing your main assignment.

For example, if you’re avoiding doing your taxes, you can spend some time churning out a bunch of emails that are important, but you never to get around to sending.

OK, back to your original daunting task. Start with trying Instagram founder Kevin Systrom’s approach: “If you don’t want to do something,” Systrom told Axios, “make a deal with yourself to do at least five minutes of it. After five minutes, you’ll end up doing the whole thing.”

But what if we can’t push ourselves beyond the five minutes? That’s where structured procrastination comes in. Rather than staring at the computer screen or forms we need to fill out—and beating ourselves up about the perceived failure of not finishing the task—it’s much more productive to turn our attention to another item on our to-do list.

“You’ll probably feel relieved, and therefore more enthusiastic about tackling whatever you choose,” Inc. Contributing Editor Jeff Haden wrote in a recent article. “You might not get the big thing done, but you’ll get plenty of other stuff done. And keep moving forward.”