The 9-Second Version.
We’ve been taught that procrastination is the enemy of productivity.
But a recent study reveals that moderate procrastination can actually boost creativity by giving your brain time to incubate more original ideas.
Discover.
The Goldilocks Zone of Delay
Procrastination is universally seen as a vice—a failure of self-discipline that kills creativity and performance.
But what if that’s only part of the story?
A 2023 study published in the scientific journal Heliyon challenges this conventional wisdom, revealing that delay can be a powerful tool for innovation.
Researchers investigating the creative process of employees in a furniture company discovered that procrastination has a surprising relationship with creativity.
Here’s what they found:
The relationship isn’t linear; it’s an inverted-U-shaped curve, meaning there’s a “sweet spot” for optimal results.
No procrastination often led to the most conventional ideas. When we rush to solve a problem, we tend to grab the first and most obvious solution that comes to mind, preventing deeper thinking.
Too much procrastination killed creativity under the pressure of a looming deadline. The rush to simply get the task done narrowed focus and hindered the ability to restructure the problem and access novel information.
Moderate procrastination was the Goldilocks zone. Employees who delayed their work moderately were rated as the most creative by their supervisors.
This delay created a crucial “incubation period,” allowing their minds to wander, approach the problem from new angles, and connect seemingly unrelated concepts, ultimately leading to more original outcomes.
The study also found a key condition: this creative benefit is strongest when employees are either genuinely interested in the task (autonomously motivated) or when the job itself demands a creative approach (high task engagement).
History is filled with brilliant procrastinators like Leonardo da Vinci, who was known to let ideas simmer for years.
Think.
How does your relationship with time impact your creative output?
- When you face a creative challenge, is your first instinct to solve it as fast as possible, or do you build in time for ideas to develop?
- Does your team’s culture reward speed over originality? Where might a “strategic delay” lead to a bigger breakthrough?
- Think about a recent project. Could it have benefited from a bit more incubation time before you locked in a direction?
Do.
This week, try running an experiment in strategic procrastination.
- Select a Task: Pick one problem on your plate that requires a creative solution, not just rote execution. It could be drafting a marketing campaign, outlining a new initiative, or solving a tricky operational issue.
- Schedule a Delay: Instead of tackling it immediately, intentionally schedule time to start it a day or two later than you normally would.
- Let It Simmer: Don’t completely forget about the task. Keep it on the back burner of your mind as you work on other things. Jot down any fleeting thoughts or ideas that pop into your head.
- Engage and Compare: When you finally sit down to work on it, notice the quality of your initial ideas. Are they more developed or original than they would have been if you’d started under pressure?
To your creative success…
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About Josh
Josh Linkner is a New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, venture capital investor, professional jazz guitarist, and a globally recognized innovation expert. To learn more or to explore a collaboration, visit JoshLinkner.com
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