To almost every ‘pro’ there is a ‘pre', the opposite end of the spectrum. The word precrastinate does not actually exist but it is not stretch to figure out what it means. If to procrastinate is to put off doing something then to precrastinate is to do something almost immediately. You get a hot email and you respond to it almost instantaneously.
A good thing right? In its extreme case precrastination could have negative outcomes but it is a better stance than its mirror opposite.
One of the best ways to make precrastination a part of your approach to getting things done is attacking the day before it even happens, planning out your to-do list for the next day in the evening. Ranking your deliverables in order of priority. Having your meetings listed so that your know how your day will play out.
Another way is getting ahead of critical items like giving feedback you promised way before the committed time. This shows that you’re on top of things. The procrastinator let’s things run away from them. Responses are only provided when a chaser is made and you do not want to be that guy.
One the other hand, precrastination has its own negative outcomes.
Imagine trying to complete a task immediately to get it off your plate without fully understanding the elements required in its completion. You will end up having to redo the work. That over productivity comes to bought.
With a finite to-do list, doing things with speed could result in plenty of idle time. This downtime could counteract any momentum developed during your precrastination zone and if you are known to procrastinate, chances are you will.
So should one pro or pre-crastinate? The later is less of negative vice. The goal is to find a middle ground leaning more towards precrastination so that you can get more things done.
My name is Nigel and I'm a recovering procrastinator...trying to precrastinate.
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