I like reading Sherlock Holmes novels. I have read almost all of the novels. One of Sherlock's habits that I admire and he does in nearly every case is how easy-going he is to go through his cases.
Even though the case is very important, such as involving a Bohemian King, he still almost never seems rushed and hasty. The result? Never disappointed, Sherlock always manages to solve his cases except for cases that are really beyond his control.
This morning I just read a newsletter from the CEO of Tech in Asia, Hendri Salim, who shared a similar experience. He often procrastinates on a job, and his procrastination usually ends positively. Many decisions that were changed at the last minute (because they were deliberately postponed) turned out to be the right ones.
I'm sure many of us also have stories of procrastination that have brought positive results. Based on research, procrastination can indeed be positive. But only for active procrastination.
There are two types of procrastination, passive procrastination and active procrastination. The difference is that passive procrastinators do it unconsciously. For example, if we know we have a challenging task to do and instead scroll through Instagram until it's too late because we are too lazy to imagine the task, then this is passive procrastination.
Active procrastinators are procrastinating on their tasks consciously, and they usually procrastinate because they know that the task is better to not be done now. For example, because they still don't get enough information. While waiting, procrastinators actively do other more productive things.
Active and passive procrastinators are both procrastinators. The difference is the reason for their procrastination and what they do during the procrastination period. Active procrastinators can usually be as productive or even more than people who don't procrastinate because they can manage their time better. This has something to do with Parkinson's Law, which I have discussed here.