THE PARADOX OF STRUCTURED PROCRASTINATION
Oftentimes, we are supposed to complete a task within a given deadline, and it gets delayed till the last minute. A few relatable examples from a student’s perspective would be putting off studies till the last day before the examinations, completing assignments in a hurry right before the deadline, filling up an application form right at the very end, etc. We all experience a proclivity for procrastination, which always impedes progress. This irresistible urge to put off the most important task is a psychological bias that causes more trouble rather than any good. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can favorably orchestrate this predilection to become productive!
This is precisely the practice of what is termed as Structured Procrastination. This concept was first introduced by philosopher John Perry in a critically acclaimed essay by the same title, which later went on to be published in a full-fledged book about the same topic. That essay was ironically written while Dr Perry procrastinated, putting off the most important tasks nearing a deadline. He claimed that if not for Structured Procrastination, he would not have written the essay! While penning down the essay was not the primary task, it was on his to-do list. So, he would have done it at some point (maybe), but not at the exact moment he did so. Therefore, as writing the essay about Structured Procrastination was a productive task for him (as it was on his to-do list), it qualifies as Structured Procrastination!
So, what is so special about this practice? Well, as he explained succinctly in his essay, procrastinators seldom do absolutely nothing. They always make themselves busy with some tasks that are probably not required as more important things need to be done. Sitting idle is not procrastination, as it is often misconstrued. Rather, doing useless things at a crucial time when it is not essential constitutes the act of procrastinating. The practice of Structured Procrastination is replacing useless tasks with less-important tasks from your to-do list. This way, one can start striking tasks off their list, albeit in an aberrant manner. This results in one being very productive by getting a lot done, although how things are done is veritably atypical as we exploit our psychological flaws in our favor.
One may raise the question of whether, if we constantly put off the most important task to do the other less-important ones on our to-do list, then when or how do we accomplish the task at the very top of the list? Self-deception is the most helpful technique in this situation. Dr Perry recognizes that a significant self-deception is necessary for this trick. But that should not be a problem, as being perfidious to oneself is another psychological bias we encounter. They complement each other, making the practice of Structured Procrastination a viable one.
It is on us to decide which task we want to give the highest priority to and convince ourselves of. One technique for actually accomplishing this is setting stringent deadlines. If the task at the top of the list is prioritized by putting an “imaginary” deadline, then we can deceive ourselves, and our mind will automatically have the tendency to do anything else—possibly anything else—than the most important task at the top of the list.
Many self-proclaimed productivity gurus discard this urge to procrastinate by claiming that one can become more productive by making a to-do list and ticking entries off that list. They make the mistake of not considering the fact that tasks can make it into the list but not be finished.
I wrote this essay overviewing and analyzing the concept of Structured Procrastination proposed by Dr Perry while procrastinating in a structured manner. I am sure you are reading this article while procrastinating in a structured manner, taking time off your schedule while you have important things to do. This simple yet sophisticated trick can be life-changing if implemented in a proper way, and anyone can accomplish things they only thought were possible in their wildest dreams!
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