When Procrastination Makes Sense – and When It Doesn’t

From the Marshall Memo #438

“Procrastination is not always bad,” says University of Iowa professor David Perlmutter in this Chronicle of Higher Education article. “Sometimes the work you put off doing is better left undone. And sometimes the best ideas just come late.” But in general, he says, procrastination is not helpful: “Put off everything until the last minute, and you will perennially fall behind, disappoint others, and hurt your reputation. So learn when it’s OK to be late, and when you’re only hurting yourself.” Here are his suggestions:

• Know the real deadline. Some grant proposals won’t be accepted if they are a minute late. Other deadlines are less rigid and even negotiable (“I’ll have it finished in a week. Is that okay?”). The key is knowing the difference. Perlmutter suggests creating mini-deadlines for big projects and putting ticklers in an electronic calendar for each stage.

• Be clear about the level of quality required. Perfectionism is one reason people procrastinate – we want to keep working on a project until it’s flawless. But at some point it’s time to let it go. “We have lots of work to get done, every day,” says Perlmutter, “and the world cannot wait for us to get it just right.” He once said to an instructor who was berating himself for less-than-perfect teaching, “When good teachers stumble they figure out what went wrong, get up, dust themselves off, and teach again with solutions in mind.” 

• Put everything in a master plan. “We all underestimate how much time and effort it takes to do anything worth doing,” says Perlmutter. He recommends creating a comprehensive plan for all projects and major activities, being sure to include everything and budget time realistically. 

• Expect the unexpected. “An experiment fails or a homework assignment proves too confusing for the students,” says Perlmutter. “Your child comes down with chicken pox or a major service project is dropped in your lap. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do when confronted with the unexpected but revise your plans.” Which suggests we should build in extra time for contingencies. 

• Recognize when to cut your losses. “Knowing when to quit one project, walk away, and start a new one is a key survival skill in our trade,” says Perlmutter. “When you find yourself continuously stymied, when problem after problem delays you, when you seem to have lost your enthusiasm for some venture, maybe you should just give up…. [S]ome of the world’s most successful people – whether inventors, military strategists, politicians, or entrepreneurs – have learned that quitting can be a smart move.”

• Sometimes procrastination is the right choice. A project that you abandoned for good reason can suddenly become relevant and worth pursuing a few years later. 

• Dare to be early. Finishing work early can endear you to superiors, give you extra time to review your work before the actual deadline, and leave time for your family and leisure pursuits. 

“Varieties of Procrastination” by David Perlmutter in The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 25, 2012 (Vol. LVIII, #37, p. A39-A40), 

http://chronicle.com/article/Varieties-of-Procrastination/131904/