I added a little tiny box to my start-of-day routine. It's been miraculous.
Acceptable Procrastination:
That's it.
I pick, at the start of the day, what's acceptable to procrastinate on.
Then, if I catch myself about to screw off doing something random, I just make sure I'm doing my acceptable procrastination -- reading a book, or science papers, or writing some letters I want to write to old friends, or watching videos on project management, or walking around a cool neighborhood of a city, or whatever else.
When the feeling of aversion strikes us, it hurts us primarily on three levels --
1. We're procrastinating, and thus not getting whatever that important thing is that we're procrastinating on.
2. The general tendency of procrastination is doing worthless things (obsessively compulsively click-click-clicking through Facebook and Twitter, surf the net randomly, play useless not-so-enjoyable games, whatever).
3. And, not least of all, we feel bad.
Well, if you pre-define procrastination, you still have to deal with #1. You're not doing the important work.
But it basically cures #2 and #3.
You probably have a variety of interests that are very life-affirming: maybe you like to rockclimb or scubadive, study history, or learn languages. Sooner or later, you're going to want to go check out new spots for climbing or diving, or get more into a language you're fond of.
This never occurs to us to do in that scared/averse/procrastinating mode. But if you've pre-defined it, you do it.
So I say, "Okay, if I'm procrastinating anyway, I might as well start checking flights and trains for when I'm in China next to see if I want to take rail and stop in the countryside for a few days."
There's probably magazines, journals, books, and papers you want to read sooner or later, or videos and courses to watch. If you're ever going to do it, it's probably good to do it when you'd otherwise be screwing off.
I actually get really jazzed up researching financial statements and stocks. I just really like it. I don't know, maybe it sounds boring to you, but for whatever reason, I can just pour through financial statements and reports about companies and look for stocks that seem to be underpriced under something like Ben Graham's criteria.
Now, this feels all very indulgent to me most of the time. It's not the best use of my time to be researching stocks and financials, not at all. But if I'm screwing off anyways, then, well, hell, what's the Japanese government going to do with their stake in Nippon Telephone and Telegraph, how are the new low prices going to stabilize to net income at NTT DoCoMo, the forward P/E on NTT is 6.1 on Morningstar and with a projected dividend yield of 2.39%... hmm...
I've got better things to do than that, but if I'm struck with writer's block or confusion or whatever at the core thing I'm doing, there's certainly worse ways to spend the time than digging into stocks and financials.
Which brings us to the final point -- when you've consciously chosen your procrastination, yes, you get that boost that you're doing something at least mildly useful. But far more importantly, you don't feel bad.
It's allowable. It's kosher. It's all good.
Perhaps it's melodramatic to say it this way, but I don't think so --
A lot of time procrastination quickly turns from mild anxiety into full-blown self-hate and wondering why we can't get a grip on what we're doing.
But if you're learning a language, researching your next travel, reading about your favorite hobby, sharpening your skills, doing research, or otherwise employing that time productively -- you don't feel so bad.
Actually, you feel pretty good.
Perhaps even -- dare I say it? -- in control of yourself.
And that feels good.
And then, hey, maybe I can start working again. Just a little.
And then we're working.
That's pretty cool.
And that's the paradox of the whole thing.
Defining acceptable procrastination seems to both increase the quality of time spent procrastinating, and decrease the time spent doing it.
Sounds crazy? Try it tomorrow morning. What've you got to lose?