Procrastinate your way to six figures
Turn delays into dollars to Procrastinate like a PRO
Does your best work happen under pressure?
We’ve all been there. Staring at a blank screen, deadline looming, clock ticking.
You had plenty of time to finish. Just like all the other times.
How did it happen again? You psyched yourself up that this time would be different. But you never felt the spark, it just never came.
Now it's due, you're no where near finished or worse—you haven't started.
Procrastination gets a bad rap, but what if it’s actually your secret weapon?
A secret weapon? It doesn't feel like it. It feels like a monkey on your back, taunting, laughing at how we lie to ourselves. Laughing at our delusions of on-time, meaningful progress.
The pressure cooker effect
I've tried to start things sooner, it just never seemed to work out. My brain can't focus or get creative when I have more than enough time to get it done.
"Just set mini-deadlines for yourself," or, "Use project management and productivity tools to manage and track your progress."
Be accountable to my own timeline? Another tool? Those are definitely not solutions.
I've all but stopped fighting it. I've accepted that it's true. I do better work when I’m scrambling to meet a deadline.
And, you could argue, I’m more efficient.
Down to the wire
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands (or contracts) to fill the time allotted for completion.
Say I need to write sales copy for an offer and email sequence going out in 2 weeks.
Almost guaranteed, I won't start until day 13. If I'm really pushing it, I'll start on day 14 at four in the morning and hyperfocus on it until it’s ready.
Total time: a few hours to a full day.
On the other hand. The few times in my life I started a project with plenty of time turned out to be a waste of time instead.
With all that time to complete something, my focus is gone. Picking and pecking at the tasks, making little progress.
Total time: unknown, untracked, way too many
At the last minute, I’d still have to confront the bland, forgettable work only to redo when creativity struck.
Way more work for marginal results and still end up with the world falling apart around me on due day.
Take your procrastination wins
In spite of the chaos, I was still launching bigger offers with a trail of happy clients behind me. So it didn’t move me to change anything.
If it ain’t broke… don’t fix it.
Could I somehow turn my procrastination into a superpower? Like just go with it, but harvest it for benefits. At the very least, factor it in, plan for it?
Now who's laughing monkey.
6 ways to make it work for you
Whether you suffer from this affliction sometimes or every time, here's how you can use the pressure of procrastination to your advantage.
Last-Minute Laser Focus
Build intense motivation. When a deadline is close, your focus sharpens. The pressure of a looming deadline always leads to more motivation. For me, it’s a laser focus that’s hard to come by any other way.
I focus harder, so I get more done than usual.
Chili
Let your ideas simmer. Procrastination gives your subconscious time to mull over ideas. If you’ve ever made chili, then you know it's always better the next day. That's when the seasonings have had time to get to know each other.
When you have time to consider all angles and possibilities before getting started, all the data points fit better.
How I do it: What is it about a walk, a shower, or doing the dishes? It’s when I get some of my best simmering done. Have a way to capture ideas you’ll forget otherwise though. I text or email myself often– hard to do while bathing.
Ever hear of Tim Denning’s trick? He showers with dry-erase markers to capture ideas on the wall.
Job-to-be-Done Clarity
Prioritize under pressure. A looming deadline always helps me realize what needs to be done first, next and immediately after that. Keeps me focused on the tasks that require my attention and which ones I could keep on the back burner or cut altogether.
By delaying, I'm forced to rank tasks based on urgency and impact.
Whether you’re a solopreneur or a human, your time is your most valuable resource.
Creativity Under Fire
For me, Herculean creativity flourishes in the face of impossible constraints. In fact, these rush sessions have led me to some of my biggest wins.
It's also helped me create unique systems and solutions I can use later or create offers out of.
Sharpen the Ax
For some, procrastination brings an alertness, sharpness–motivation to see the task through. You stay focused, intent on tackling tough challenges you'd rather not. The ones where if you had time, you’d put off. Tight deadlines sharpen your workflow in the moment and pushes you.
I've had to hone more than a few skills quickly under fire.
Mind the Gap
Procrastination can give you time to reveal gaps, uncover hidden flaws. Gaps in your skills or the project scope that are often and easily overlooked otherwise.
By making chili with your subconscious processing in the background, you’re able to spot areas that need attention.
By this measure, could procrastination be your most surprising productivity tool?
Woah there…
Ok, maybe it’s a stretch to think procrastination is better for us in the end. But it’s forced me to create systems I otherwise wouldn’t have.
To me, it's not about setting mini-deadlines or using productivity tools. It’s about recognizing when your creativity peaks and building your workflow around it.
If you know pressure helps you make progress, schedule for it to maximize it.
And there’s the real takeaway here. Procrastination is not your enemy. Not having a system in place to account for it is.
Factor your procrastination in, plan for it. Lean on your system.
Procrastinate here, not here
Having a system is a superpower for anyone, but especially for distractibles like us.
Systems reduce chaos, delays, and stress. Systems make your workflow smooth. They also make rushed moments more manageable and productive.
Systems are also a six-figure shortcut.
So don’t procrastinate getting more systems in your life. With a system:
You build a repeatable process helps you save time and make more– without working more.
Repetition is inherent to a system, so you get better and better and more efficient. You consistently deliver better results that take less time.
Great results turn into high-ticket offers.
I hereby give you license to embrace your procrastination. Do it wisely and with a plan. Have a system. One that leverages your best, most creative periods.
Then you can procrastinate your way to the top, too.
I had honestly never thought of procrastination as something to embrace. It has always been seen as the enemy. I like your take on this, especially the point where you suggest we embrace it wisely and with a plan.
Now, will it work for everyone?
That's the funny thing-it's not a matter of if it will or not; it has to! Because, in the end, I'd say that 90% of us procrastinate (consciously or not), so what better solution to it than to administer it to our benefit.
Thank you for this take.