Become a better procrastinator to boost your productivity

As a counterpoint to the seemingly endless pursuit of productivity, I’ve chosen this week to dive into an alternative view.

Oliver Burkeman points out in his book Four Thousand Weeks that an average person alive today will live to 80 years old.  Which is about 4,000 weeks.  In my case I hope I’ve got a bit more than 1,500 weeks to go. 

It’s a similar idea to what I’ve heard about raising kids. You only have about 18 summer holidays with them so make the most of each one!

His main point is we are becoming overly obsessed with mastering something we will never be able to achieve. That is, you’ll never be able to accomplish everything you’d like to do in the time you’re alive.  

It’s a modern problem we’ve created for ourselves following the invention of the clock and the industrial revolution idea to pay workers for their time.

The more you try to conquer your time, the more frustrated, stressed, and empty you feel, rather than satisfied you are doing more than before.  He calls this the paradox of limitation.

Facing up to this is liberating he says and gives you agency to choose to live a life that has meaning, which ultimately makes you feel better than obsessing over doing more of what’s not important.

I found it interesting to learn about German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s view that all we are is a limited amount of time. So how we choose to spend our time, in his view, is actually who we are. 

So, striving to get everything done may not help you do what should be done and being the person, we want to be. 

The reason doing work that matters can at times cause discomfort is that it forces us to face our limitations. You might find that you don’t yet have the talent to pull off a creative project. So, you tend to delay or avoid working on it by succumbing to distractions.  

Solution - become a better procrastinator

Burkeman suggests you prioritise limited goals, pay yourself first with your time and be clear on what you won’t spend time on. This helps you become a better procrastinator he argues because it means you waste less time with distractions and achieve more.

He suggests letting go of over planning and a ‘when-I-finally’ mindset that puts conditions on our ability to enjoy the present moments of life. 

In the eyes of the universe, writing a book or pursuing any goal that you care about is a worthy way to spend your 4,000 weeks.

This way you get to experience more of what matters to you in the limited time you have. 

Note:  Only 49 weeks of 2024 to go.

If you enjoyed this article, share it with a friend or colleague.

For less than a minutes investment you could help change the course of someones life for the better.