Why Procrastinating Makes You More Creative

Back Porch Writer

According to Adam Grant's book, Originals, procrastinating can lead to increased creativity. What? Yeah, you read that right. My guest today is Glen Perkins. He's a fellow author and appeared on the show a few times during my first year. A few weeks ago, he mentioned that he'd stopped writing for a bit. That led to a discussion about why writers set things aside, but nothing too deep. Then I started listening to Originals. My "ah ha" moment had arrived. After years trying to justify my procrastination tendencies, science was finally backing me up! When we stop working on a project, it leaves our working memory, but when we stop in the middle of a project, our mind ruminates, i.e., mulls it over in the background. The next time you're feeling guilty about playing Minecraft or Candy Crush, relax! Chances are, your mind still is working out the next scene in your book. And when it does, that scene will propel you forward like a rocket!