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Learn To Put Off Projects - Constructively

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The Wall Street Journal

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 5, 2008

Maryland lawyer Dana Moylan Wright was trapped in a vicious cycle. The more her work piled up, the less she wanted to do it.

"At that point, I had many deadlines and was having trouble making myself do anything," she says. "My anxiety level would absolutely soar."

One day in 2005, Wright, 42, was surfing the Web, avoiding several pressing matters. She searched "procrastination," seeking an antidote. Instead, she found a way to exploit her habit: "structured procrastination."

The brainchild of Stanford University philosophy professor John Perry, structured procrastination involves doing small, low-priority tasks to build a sense of accomplishment and the energy to tackle more important jobs. Perry, a chronic procrastinator, suggests followers choose an important task, but defer work on it while tackling others. "Don't be ashamed of self-manipulation," he says.

Too often, Perry says, people focus on their biggest and most important duties, then waste time on unproductive tasks - like surfing the Web and watching television. His Web site, structured procrastination.com, features a picture of the author "jumping rope with seaweed while work awaits." He suggests procrastinators fill their time with less formidable - and more useful - assignments, such as following up with clients, completing expense reports or catching up on industry news. He says the smart procrastinator can earn a reputation for productivity while giving in to the urge to delay.

What about the big jobs? Perry says either a non-negotiable deadline will force action, or the procrastinator will gather enough information and perspective to make them appear less daunting.

Piers Steel, an associate professor at the University of Calgary and author of the forthcoming book "The Procrastination Equation," estimates that procrastination costs the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Steel says the computer games Minesweeper and Solitaire alone probably account for billions in lost time and productivity.

Although there is neither a single explanation for why people procrastinate nor a single recommendation for how to overcome the behavior, suggestions include goal setting, or breaking down large tasks into a series of smaller ones, and energy regulation - that is, planning to tackle difficult tasks at the time of day when one's energy level is highest, often around 10 a.m. Some authors promote sophisticated time-management and organizational systems. Others urge procrastinators to focus on positive goals, such as professional advancement or more family time.

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