Helpful Procrastination?
- Aubrey Rose
- Jul 31, 2018
- 3 min read
We know the concept of procrastination all too well. We've used it in (the way of) our studies, beginning our new projects or starting our own businesses. Loosely defined, it is the suction that clears out and destroys all creativity.
Or maybe not.
As I have progressed through my blogging journey, I have come to many dead ends or "writers blocks". Such moments of halted productivity are absolutely useless and make you question everything you ever thought you were good at. They bring you to your knees and make you question your loyalty to your grades, your cause, your passions.
Or so I thought.
While completing a TED Talk project for a family friend, I came across the video that would change my perspective.
I love this video for the content and message of course, but also because he reminds me of my favorite high school English teacher.
Adam Grant is a professor at Wharton University in Pennsylvania and the author of several books such as Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. In this Talk, Grant exemplifies his failure to see the vision of the originals that formed Warby Parker, causing him to lose out on the opportunity to invest in a company that is now worth over 1 billion dollars.
Yikes.
Rather than wallowing in this loss, however; Grant's curiosity is peaked: How is it that such an unsure, nervous, and tardy team can come together to create something worth a billion dollars?
If you'd like the entire story, you're going to have to watch the video, because I don't want to butcher his work; but I would like to share the key notes that he put in bullet points in his presentation:
1. Originals Are Late to The Party: People that rush into a situation, ready to complete it are less creative than those who spend moderate amounts of time procrastinating. This is because they don't make the time and space for new or innovative ideas to enter their minds. They're so busy trying to gather all of the important details quickly that they end up leaving behind some truly valuable perspective ideas.
Example: Martin Luther King Jr. was still scribbling notes in his March on Washington speech just before his turn on-stage. Eleven minutes into his speech, he put aside his prepared remarks to utter the four words that were not in the script: "I have a dream."
2. Originals Feel Doubt and Fear: Everyone that goes into a new project or business venture is going to feel doubt and fear. Grant brings up the difference between self doubt and idea doubt. While the former is crippling and leads to low self esteem and low commitment, the ladder is what inspires originals to keep improving on their idea. This is still an unwavering loyalty to the concept itself, it simply means that the creator is leaving room for more creativity. This may come across as unsteady, but they do this so that they can commit, knowing that should they fail, they have other options.
"On the surface, a lot of Original people look confident, but behind the scenes they feel the same fear and doubt that the rest of us do- they just manage it differently."
3, Originals Have Lots of Bad Ideas:
"The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most because they're the ones who try the most."
I used to think that putting off my writing was only going to lead to my creative demise- but as time carries on I realize that much of this time allowed me to have the energy to generate new ideas. Such ideas are already solidifying and I am so excited to share them with you so that we can shape our health, happiness and overall destinies together.
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