The Power of Positive Procrastination: How to Hack Your Mind Out of the Depths of Hopeless Negativity

Try swimming with the current for a change.

Peter Herrmann (Unsplash)

I know what a depressed rut feels like.

Even if I never held any sympathies for self-imposed sadness at any point.

That’s why I’ll be blunt with you too.

If you’re in a rut and you constantly feel depressed because of your ‘life circumstances’ — no medically certified bullshit — there’s only one solid reason why.

You do not want to get out.

And the truth is you can always get out. And do it easy.

I’ll show you how with a simple technique I call Positive Procrastination.

But First — The Customary Discovery Story.

At a certain point in my life too (and probably everyone else’s)…

I had zero motivation to do anything even remotely close to work. I would sit beside the windows for hours watching sparrows play with puddles in the rain.

How I got there can be left as conveniently as how Suttree ended up fishing on the boat in the epic Cormac McCarthy novel. In short: none of your business.

However, at another certain point just three months afterwards…

I had regained all my calisthenics gains I’d lost in the last 6 months, found a lifelong friend, and shattered my monthly income PR to pieces I could not recognize.

Well, that was short, wasn’t it?

That’s the point. Just how simple and straightforward the entire process could be — only if you DECIDE.

How Did It Happen?

Did I wake up one day full of Tony Robbins levels of motivation determined to not stop and then did not actually stop until I ‘realized my goals’?

No.

In fact, I did not even put a goal.

Forget breaking a PR — I didn’t even aim to get out of the rut I was in.

So What Did I do?

I decided to enjoy.

Now, stop freaking out thinking what happened all of a sudden to the high-octane, self-improvement-to-the-esophagus kind of article this was supposed to be.

Stay with me.

’Cause we’re not talking about a dumbed-down version of Jordan-Belfort-kind-of-enjoyment.

More like the Heineken kind — Responsibly!

At the lowest point of Tim Ferris’ business career, he decided to go on a 3-month world tour with nothing on his mind. Even if Tim himself would never advocate vacation as a solution (or worse, therapy) for lack of performance — I did something a lot similar to that.

I decided to indulge in greatness.

1. I thought of all the great movies I had always wanted to watch…
2. All the great books of fiction I had shelved…
3. All the people I hadn’t caught up with and…
4. I decided now was the time for it.

And that’s how I initiated change. I procrastinated any real work — but I did positively.

Something triggered, a switch maybe, and things started falling into place.

What is Positive Procrastination?

In a nutshell, the process is this.

You start doing some very simple activities— that are both enjoyable and productive. Not just dopamine spikes like doom Tiktoking for 3 hours straight but not deciding to climb the Mt. Everest either.

Say: Watching a good movie, going to meet your aunt, or listening to your favorite LA Woman album.

I call them chill goals. Completing them is fun and simple — yet somehow satisfactory.

Some of my chill goals at the time: Movies and Shows I decided to watch

Two things happen when you do this:

1. You get in the habit of doing things.
2. Completing small tasks inspires you towards bigger tasks.

And once the ball starts rolling, you can feel the shift in your psyche. From then on, you become responsible for taking the foot off the peddle. You can either go back to the slump you were in or start setting bigger goals — all up to you!

The Psychology Behind: Why Does The Shift Happen?

Food for Ego

Man likes the idea of accumulation. More knowledge, more food, more people, more resources. Always more.

But this addiction turned in the other direction can be fatal. We can start piling more reasons for sorrow on an already sorry life.

Always better to pile wins rather than losses.

Small tasks you achieve are the wins you need right now.

Right Consumption

We are what we consume. If all you have been doing for the last 3 days is watch porn, there’s no wonder all you can see in your head is filth.

Remember what I said about deciding to make the switch. The first and foremost decision has to be that of consuming the right things.

Start consuming a lot of epic stuff — epic documentaries, epic music, epic TV shows and you’ll become inspired to deliver more of the same in your life.

What You Need to Do Now?

Think of the all things you had always wanted to do but you didn’t have time for. Do them.

Now is the time to watch all the Disney movies you still crave.

Now is the time to make the perfect Spotify traveling list you always missed on the subway.

Now is the time to go on a walk with no destination in your head and end up lost in a part of the city you had never seen before (hopefully, not too unsafe).

And now is the time to get a taste of the life you always had forever missed since you were ‘too busy’.

Do these things and you’ll notice doors opening for magic to enter your life. Again.

You don’t even need to force anything. Just watch your mind start craving for more and let your body follow.

Give it a shot.

Unleash Yourself Out of Productivity Ruts by Mastering Your Most Coveted Weapon — MOMENTUM

Positive procrastination is the first step.

Once out of the mental rut, for further steps towards building an unbreakable work ethic — check out the story above.