Rumination VS Procrastination — How to Use Them For Good, Not Evil

I can see the first sunshine after days of rain so I’ll put off writing this blog. I want to go outside for a walk. But I’m also using a technique that harnesses the power of procrastination to get the blog in my head so I can ruminate on it while walking.

The terms ‘rumination’ and ‘procrastination’ come with a lot of baggage.

Procrastination is defined as: ‘the action of delaying or postponing something knowing full well the negative outcomes of doing so’. That can cause a lot of anxiety making it harder to truly enjoy time spent away from tackling the task. That anxiety plagues the creative process. The longer we leave the first draft, the shorter the editing time and that’s where the real work is done. Then we sweat on what it means to not make deadline.

It’s a horrible way to work and live. It can also make us unreliable colleagues.

Rumination is defined as: ‘deep or considered thought on something ‘. Negative aspects include brooding, dwelling on a topic or thought, mulling over it until every possible outcome is examined and re-examined. As writers and filmmakers, we know this is part of the gig. While it can also be an awful way to live, it’s a great tool for work. For example, it’s important to ruminate on the best creative execution of a scene, examining it for stereotyping, clichés or excessive homage to another person’s work.