Are you procrastiworking? Here is how it sabotages your job

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BY AMANDA MCKINNEY

 

One of the main differences between procrastination and procrastiworking is that procrastiworking is sneaky and often undetected.

 

I pick up my phone instinctively and find myself scrolling Instagram.

I engage with a few accounts, answer the DMs that have come in, and feel good about being intentional with my time. Look at me go, marketing my business and building relationships.

Except . . . that wasn’t what I needed to be doing. I had a deadline for a project that I told myself was top priority as soon as I sat down at my desk. I even had the Google Doc pulled up and ready to go.

In that moment, I had fallen prey to what I call “procrastiworking.”

Procrastiworking is when you’re doing something that could be considered work, so you feel justified in taking the action, but it’s not the thing you need to be doing. It’s you procrastinating by doing other work.

We’re all familiar with procrastination. It’s defined as “to put off intentionally something that needs to be done,” according to Merriam-Webster.

We know we need to do our laundry or we won’t have clean clothes to wear.

We know we need to fix that leaky faucet or it’s going to become a bigger issue.

Instead, we watch another episode of a show, call a friend, or read a book. These things are typically more enjoyable to us than chores or learning how to do something new, which is exactly why we tend to procrastinate on a task.

According to McLean Hospital, the common reasons we procrastinate are:

  • The activity seems boring
  • A lack of belief in our abilities to complete/achieve the task
  • Fear and anxiety of the result
  • Perfectionism and distractions

We are often very aware when we are procrastinating a task and sometimes even tell people that we’re doing it. But one of the main differences between procrastination and procrastiworking is that procrastiworking is sneaky and often undetected. I actually felt proud of myself for being intentional with my Instagram time but, in fact, that was me procrastiworking.

A client of mine shared how she procrasitworks by switching to an easier task. While it’s not the task she needs to be focused on, she switches because it’s easier for her, and she can cross it off her list.

This confirms that one of the reasons we procrastinate is we doubt our abilities. When she is unsure about completing a task, my client switches to an easier one that she’s confident she can finish.

Another way this shows up for me is my email inbox. If I’m not careful, my inbox can be the ruler of my day and, just like with my Instagram example, I will feel proud of what I accomplished. I will get close to inbox zero and be thrilled that I answered questions and replied to people quickly, but I will not have made progress on my actual goal.

The reality is that our inbox is a to-do list from someone else, and if we aren’t careful, other people’s tasks will overtake our day. That’s how we end up feeling like we were busy all day but don’t feel productive.

Procrastination often leads to feeling guilty because you didn’t take the action you knew you needed to. However, procrastiworking makes us feel good because we are taking action, and this is why it goes undetected.

Now you can be on the lookout because you know what to look for. If you find yourself feeling as though you were busy all day but didn’t get anything done, chances are you procrastiworked.

Once you realize this, take a look back at your day and follow these steps.

STEP 1: AUDIT YOUR TASK LIST

Were the things on your task list actually what needed to be done in order to move closer to your goal? If not, get clear on what needs to be on your task list based on your current goal so that this doesn’t continue.

STEP 2: AUDIT ACTUAL WORK DONE

Compare your task list from the day to the list of tasks you actually completed and find the discrepancies. When you find these, be honest with what actually happened and why you switched your focus. The more honest you are, the more you will learn.

STEP 3: IDENTIFY HOW YOU PROCRASTIWORK

Get specific with how you default to procrastiworking. Once you know your habits, it’s easier to catch it happening again (such as checking email or scrolling Instagram).

STEP 4: KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER

Now that you know your default procrasitworking habit, have a plan for when you catch it happening again.

The key is to understand your habits and put boundaries in place to support what you want to change and not to compare yourself to others. We all have unique skills and unique downfalls that cause us to procrastiwork. Find yours and learn how you can help yourself so that you can truly be more productive and achieve your goals.

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