Most people think procrastinating on tasks is a bad thing and that we need to break the habit. But

Rory Vaden, the author known for his provocative views and ideas, has a different opinion, as usual. He says procrastination should be

intentional. Not only that, he sees it as essential to success in time management and organization, and in life in general.

The central—and striking—idea here is that no one can control or take charge of their time. All we can do is

choose what to do now and what to do later. This means deliberately choosing to do some things while not doing others at the same time. From

This is where we can save the time we have.

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Read also:Entrepreneurs’ tips for organizing and structuring your time

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Rational Choice Theory

In sociology, there is a theory called “Rational Choice Theory,” which claims that social actors consistently do what

benefits them. They choose what to do—and what not to do as well.

Perhaps that is what Rory Vaden meant when he wrote his book “Procrastinate on Purpose”; he says that one should

Deliberately postpones certain tasks, saving time for what needs to be done right away or for carrying out those tasks

that will be more worthwhile, even in the long run.

This leads us to categorize the tasks we’re responsible for as important and urgent, important but not urgent, unimportant

and not urgent, and so on. Stephen R. Covey explains these categories at length in his best-selling book,

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Once people make this distinction, they stop excusing themselves by saying, “I’m busy,” because they’ll find that they have clearly defined tasks they can rely on

Their value as well; not everything we do is useful, and not every task is worthwhile. When you identify which of your tasks are worthwhile, you’ll find

yourself becoming more productive—and perhaps less exhausted, too.

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Read also:Business Automation and Time Management

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الحذف المتعمد

Deliberately putting things off and choosing to do some tasks rather than others is, in essence, a form of elimination as well. For every task

or activity we choose to do, we leave out or eliminate another task or activity. That’s how it works: time is limited, and we can’t control it,

so let’s take control of ourselves instead.

Rory Vaden sums it up:

“There is no such thing as time management; there is only self-management.”

This deliberate elimination has another major benefit: if you can drop and remove unnecessary tasks,

you’ll free up time to spend on important and worthwhile things. That means you’ll find more room in your schedule—

and not just more time, but enough time to get what needs to be done finished to a high standard and efficiently.

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Read also:The Eisenhower Method for Time Management

Many unimportant and unnecessary things take up our time. If we remove them from the equation, we’ll find

a great deal of time. One example is work meetings, most of which are disruptive and waste time.

Perhaps this is what Ron Lamb, president of Reynolds and Reynolds, realized when he concluded that if you assign the right tasks

to the right people, you won’t need weekly meetings and can get by with monthly ones, boosting productivity by

“up to 36 hours per person per year.”

The more unnecessary things you remove from your life, the more extra time you gain elsewhere,

and that’s another benefit of cutting things out—or, if you prefer, of the intentional procrastination we’re discussing here.

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Read also:6 Free Apps to Help You Manage Your Time

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Procrastination Is a Double-Edged Sword

No one can deny the harm and risks of procrastination, but only when what’s being put off is genuinely important. But if

Otherwise, doing these things is nothing but a waste of time.

It takes considerable experience and training to know what is worthwhile and what we should do, and what we should

set aside or postpone.

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يقول Rory Vaden:

“Sometimes, time is what helps you learn to let go of one dream so you can pick up

حلم آخر”.

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Read also:How to Manage Your Time Effectively as a Freelancer

Another thing to understand about intentional procrastination is that some tasks need to be postponed and completed at the last minute;

because they are constantly changing and subject to ongoing developments. In fact, some tasks are

Putting them off is the best thing you can do. Think, for example, of harvest seasons: these tasks must be delayed and carried out at

the last minute.

This kind of procrastination is entirely useful and worthwhile; in fact, not following it would be a complete mistake, and the consequences would be disastrous if you did.

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