Procrastination – A Sought Out Commodity For Organizations and High-Pressure Tasks

Procrastination has gotten a bad rap over the years. In fact, many of my clients seek coaching to see them through specific projects/goals because of their “putting it off for too long” or just not getting around to “it” yet. All too often, these become the most successful clients. How then, can procrastination, as counter-intuitive as it may sound, be considered a strength that high pressure jobs should seek out?  

There is a type of behavior called incubation that often gets confused with what we think of as procrastination. These incubators, are usually successful in many areas of their lives (education, work, family, etc.) but seem to need a certain push to get started (or finish) certain projects. Furthermore, these people are usually highly creative, intelligent, and enjoy being in control of their environment.   

When no clear and precise deadlines are established, tasks have a tendency to drop down on the priority list or are reorganized according to their own self-interest. By contrast, when clearly defined deadlines are established (by their boss, client, etc.), the work gets done on time (even if they started at the last minute.)  

The difference between procrastinators and incubators is that whereas procrastinators will deliver average or below average results, incubators will come through with above average work. They seem to thrive on working/studying at the last minute and produce excellent results doing so.  

While working on team (or individual) projects, incubators do not seem to be affected by the pressures of an approaching deadline. Although they may a little aloof at the start of a project, they are often the ones that offer the most, even if it they were late starters.  Knowing the difference between a procrastinator and an incubator can be very useful to an organization and release the stigma associated to falsely being labeled a procrastinator.