If..Else Log

Conscious Procrastination

Steve Pavlina has a good post on Conscious Procrastination and how taking a step back to assess and prioritise tasks can help you make the most effective use of your time and aid you long term. Each day, we probably spend valuable time addressing 'urgent issues' which, in the long term, aren't really that important.

Conscious procrastination is, of course, really prioritisation wrapped up in a different term. It's about assessing and investing your time in the really important stuff and consciously deferring less important activities. It's about thinking strategically and not tactically.

The other thing is that, as with all 'common sense' ideas, the difficult part is the act of execution. How do you classify something as being an important issue in the longterm without the benefit of hindsight? For example, Steve's blog design isn't the most attractive in the world. However, that's an intentional decision; Steve should spend his energy on the areas in which he derives the maximum gain, namely his writing, and delegate the designing to others. However, how much additional impact would his words have if he had a stronger canvas to present his views?1

And whilst many tasks are not important individually, such as answering emails, in the aggregate, they can have a value greater than the sum of their parts.

However, the underlying message is a good one and one worth acting upon; spend your time wisely for time is a precious commodity.


  1. Of course, this is all a matter of perspective; as a designer/developer, I feel that design plays a strong role in the success of the delivery of ideas; does Steve place the same value on design? [back]

-30-

2 Responses to “Conscious Procrastination”

  1. Gravatar Scott Young March 6th, 2006 1:52 am

    When you don’t have hindsight you just have to guess!

    The fact of the matter is, most of the activities we spend time on we can already easily classify as important or unimportant. Is watching television important? Is spending time on an e-mail that could have been done faster in a phone call important?

    I made a post about what is important on my own blog http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2006/03/01/what-is-important/

    To summarize, you need to find out both what you feel is important, and why you feel it is important. Importance is simply about having compelling enough reasons.

    And I wouldn’t assume that having a better website design would make Steve’s site better. I’ve found that the simplest websites are often better than ones that are overly flashy. I think a simple design enhances Steve’s message of no-fluff personal development for smart people.

  2. Gravatar Phoat March 18th, 2006 6:25 pm

    This is a matter of time management really. Making priorities is just that… making the time to do the important things and leaving the less important for later.

    There is a very good article on A List Apart called The Pickle Jar Theory.

    One of the most helpful articles I’ve read on A List Apart.