Believe it or not, sometimes getting a task done is worse off than not being productive. Popularly termed at a new millennial work ‘Precrastination’; it means ticking off the to-do list way in advance. Sometimes doing so, can set you back instead of getting you on track with your chores.
Here is all you need to know about this behavior!
Procrastination has always been termed as the enemy of success. A whole army of well researched books, studies and even philosophies are hinged to fixing the behavior of letting things set until the very last minute. However, the other end of the spectrum isn’t pretty either.
What is Precrastination?
Precrastination is defined as the incessant need to tick things off a mental to-do list to quieten deadline anxiety. It is the same urge that drives us to pick a carton of milk the first thing at a supermarket and then roam around the entire grocery shopping with its weight, instead of picking it right before hitting the cash counter. And when it comes to the overused ‘hustle’ culture, it can only be rewarded if you feel truly busy. Doing something just for the heck of it can often detract one from questioning whether it is actually a productive use of time.
Precrastination simply means working on things in advance even if they come with the cost of extra burden or the need of redoing it. It occurs when someone quickly completes tasks without checking to ensure that those tasks have been completed properly. For example, you might work on several items on your to-do list without first focusing on your MITs (Most Important Tasks) or those with looming deadlines. This however will always have a negative impact over things. In their zeal to be productive and avoid procrastination, they overlook the drawbacks of taking action too hastily.
Precrastination while is instigated from the extra adrenaline rush of being over-efficient in advance, it also causes an underdeveloped plan.
How To Stop Precrastinating?
In the long term, ‘precrastinating’ might not seem like the bad guy in the story. After all there is no running away from the gratification one can feel by ticking off the to-do list. This often happens in order to terminate the brain anxiety that ponders over a task list. However, in the long run, it can involve expanding additional time and effort on trivial tasks and dampening the very productivity that it is predicated on. Long story short: waiting till the very last minute to start working on a report and then racing against time to finish isn’t healthy, but working on it just to get it out of the way—while some of the information is yet to come in—isn’t helpful either.
Practice planning: Before you begin working on a particular project, practice planning a check-list.
Double-check your work: Review your plan before you start working and refer to it at regular intervals to ensure you’re on the right track, as this will feed your motivation to get things done.
Prioritize your to-do list: Make it a priority to work on the most-important tasks first