Ten Times When It’s Okay to Procrastinate

Delaying action gets a bad name, specifically: procrastination. The term procrastination implies that action is needed and is being avoided for no meaningful reason. That certainly doesn’t sound good. Take a deeper look, though, and see that sometimes, procrastination is a good thing.

By delaying action, we give ourselves a chance to change our minds, analyze situations, receive updated data, and put things in perspective. For unnecessary or dramatic, life-altering circumstances, this can be a good thing. Here’s your guide to knowing when it’s acceptable to delay the inevitable:

1. When there’s no hard deadline. Will anybody care if you reorganize the files today or two months from today? If there’s no urgency, then procrastinating won’t hurt. If a non-deadline task is stressing you out, wait until you’re truly motivated and have time to come up with an effective attack plan. (Don’t worry, the motivation usually comes when you’re trying to put off something even less exciting.)

2. When there’s a chance circumstances will change. Overhauling a system that’s going out the window is a waste of time and energy. Spending hours prepping for a grant that you might not qualify to apply for is another way to deep-six your daily effectiveness. Waiting to get the lay of the land isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if your efforts won’t be rendered moot in a few months.

3. When it stretches the life of items. If you procrastinated the purchase of each new computer by six months, you could easily save thousands over your lifetime. The same goes for cars, appliances, clothing, furnishings, and shoes. As long as the items aren’t broke, let yourself procrastinate on purchasing upgrades and watch the savings add up.

4. When no one’s counting on you. If procrastinating won’t affect anyone but you (be honest here), then it may be time to focus on things that others need instead of your own list. If your self-imposed deadlines are getting in the way of truly urgent tasks, consider a healthy dose of procrastination.

5. When there’s no next action. If the undesirable task is an island, you may be able to put if off indefinitely. This leaves you time to rattle ideas around and slowly come up with the best approach. Meanwhile, your attention can stay focused on things that are part of a chain that needs to be accomplished.

6. When it’s a purely aesthetic or cosmetic. Sure, you want to repaint the kitchen, but will delaying it really hurt anything? Stop feeling guilty and just enjoy the indulgence of putting off purely cosmetic work.

7. When more information is upcoming. Why do all the work if you don’t have all the necessary information? If currently unavailable information will be coming at a later date, consider putting off any related tasks that might be affected. After all, few things are less productive than an unnecessary overhaul or fixing mistakes that could have been avoided.

8. When it could save you money. Staying lazy until end-of-season sales can save you a bundle on any seasonal items and clothing. Similarly, procrastinating until you see an item on ad is a good idea. Forgo the pleasure of crossing items off your to-do list and savor the inertia of waiting for a deal.

9. When you’re not sure it’s necessary. If you’re not sure that a task is truly necessary, then put if off until you’re sure it is. (Of course, I’d classify routine maintenance as necessary, so don’t wait until your teeth fall out or your engine blows to find out if check-ups really were needed.)

10. When you could really use a break. In and of itself, needing a break isn’t a terrific excuse to procrastinate. However, when you need a rest, there’s rarely any point in pushing yourself to the brink over something that could easily be accomplished tomorrow.

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