But why wait?
Consider if procrastination is actually serving you.
One of my favorite TED Talks is from Tim Urban of Wait But Why.
The theme is procrastination: how to harness the creative energy of last minute urgency.
Tim and his brilliant blog are among the many reasons I am writing this today. His output is impressive and his creativity undeniable. This eleventh hour imaginative fervor has been harnessed. It works for him.
Procrastination does not work for me.
I am rarely proud of any work I deliver in the last minute. Deadlines do not feel good and nor do I when approaching them. A 2pm meeting prepared for at 1:58pm is unlikely to go well. Confidence, understanding, and thoughtfulness do not appear just-in-time. Rushed work usually feels like it was rushed.
I prefer "pre-crastination". Here is a diagram to explain why.
In creative or knowledge work (the typical genres in which I operate) I believe two things are true:
Good ideas get better with time.
Everything benefits from an edit.
When you procrastinate, your investment is not afforded the time necessary to mature. The opportunity to iterate is eliminated. You’re stuck with your first draft. How many first drafts are your best work?
Are there trade-offs? Sure. Better can be the enemy of good. Given the time, you may spend too much time on a given task. (But I bet you won’t.)
Maybe you’re like Tim. Or maybe, you’re like me.
If something is worth your time, give it time.
—Phil
Ps. Tim's essay about the TED Talk prep process is also quite good.