As I stepped out of the car, the cool spring air hit my skin, and I took a deep breath in. I felt satisfied and proud of myself for finally returning the impulse garbage can purchase I made the previous week.
Sure, I planned to do other things, but instead, I decided to get out of the house and enjoy being out in the world after being cooped up in my home office for several days. I felt happy and had a spring in my step.
But instead of being a proud case of "finally-getting-shit-done," it turns out it was a common case of procrastivity or "active procrastination."
Art first, it felt like a proud accomplishment, but now, I felt ashamed. Talk about turning my lemonade into lemons!
Before hearing the term "procrastivity," I would have called my garbage-can return "productive procrastination." To me, it sounds a lot more positive, and I don't know about you, but I wouldn't get anything done without a little productive procrastination!
Even though it may look like we're mindlessly doing things to avoid important tasks, sometimes, it's necessary for our well-being. These two facts aren’t new to anyone who lives with or has read a book or two about ADHD:
→ Trying harder can literally make us sick.
→ The harder we try, the harder things get.
Plus, let's face it, when else would the laundry and those 10 million boring-as-**** other things get done?
In my opinion, I don't see "procrastivity" as being entirely bad, and to be honest, I'm not even sure if procrastination is entirely negative either. But it makes sense to be intentional about it.
To help me be intentional about it, I need to think of it a bit differently though.
The thing is, I'm just not a big fan of the word "procrastivity." It adds an unnecessary layer of shame. That's why I suggest we call it "subconscious procrastination" instead. And when we're talking about the more mindful and productive type of procrastination, let's call it "productive procrastination."
I've been working on this post for almost two weeks now, and I've come to the realization that using these two phrases can really help me approach procrastination in a smarter way. Instead of avoiding tasks mindlessly, I can be more intentional about it and get back to important tasks more quickly.
If you don't feel the need for these two specific terms, that's okay. Your mind, your flow. But for those of us who are looking for a different way to think about procrastination, I hope that "subconscious procrastination" and "productive procrastination" do the trick.
Ask yourself which forms of procrastination you tend to use. Then ask yourself, how it serves you and if you’d like to change anything.
In case you're interested in exploring this topic further, I wanted to share some Mindflow products that might be helpful.
For starters, the ADHD Planning Bundle was designed to help you move towards your dreams, even when you don't feel like working on the most urgent tasks.
Another product that I'd highly recommend is the Dopamine Boost Menu, which is part of the ADHD Rescue Kit. It's filled with strategies to help you get the most out of your brain One of the options included is Productive Procrastination (added before I wrote this post).
The key is to approach it mindfully, along with every other activity on the menu. It's all about finding what works best for you.
Over a year ago, when I was (re)diagnosed with ADHD, I had to make some major changes in my life. I did a lot of inner work but also spent a lot of my time focusing on being more productive and organized. As I researched, I learned why typical systems of planning and organizing did […]
*/The wind whipped a relentless barrage of icy needles against my face as I tried to enter our keycode without dropping my tea, 2 bags of Tim Hortons Chilli, bag of groceries, and overflowing purse - all while pulling up on our door handle in a weird angle so that the latch would actually release. […]
*/The reason I created the Dopamine Boost and Adhd Offense Maneuver Menus is because I struggled to do the things I needed to do to manage my emotions. I believe this is so important to our well being, but I'd always forget and end up doing the wrong things or nothing at all. It was […]
*/
