Procrastinate This:

A Creative’s God-Given Right

I’m just going to come right out and say it. Putting things off might be exactly what your project needs. If you’ve been reading my blog, then you know I walk the creative walk. Sure, I’ve tripped, broken an ankle, and maybe once I set fire to my shoes while I was welding—but I walked it off. I’m a creative, damn it! I earned the right to…

what was I saying?

As creatives, we’ve all felt the guilt that creeps in when we’ve taken to the couch in our boxers, watching cartoons rather than working. You know where that guilt comes from? It comes from a tiny voice inside your head telling you you’re wasting time. That’s not a voice you created. No, that’s the voice of The Man, putting you down. The Man doesn’t know how your brain works.

YOU don’t even know how it works. So, screw him and his accent.

Your voice doesn’t have an accent?

Sure, you’ve got deadlines. Maybe you have sketches that need finishing, or a costume that someone is waiting on. Let them wait. If they think they can do better, they wouldn’t have hired you to do it. Right? DAMN RIGHT!

And yeah, instead of working, you're watching a YouTube video about a guy who’s going to build a cabin out of rocks, mud, and sticks. That’s not procrastination. That’s reference material, man! You never know what crazy thing that dude is going to do that’ll spark a thought, that sparks another, that supersedes the previous thought and makes your workday go from a deferral to solid freaking gold.

Did you follow that?

So, congratulations! You're procrastinating and I’m here to tell you that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it might be your superpower.

Let’s break down why procrastination isn’t the villain it’s made out to be, but a misunderstood stage of the creative process. Here’s why it may actually serve you and your work.

While you’re doom-scrolling or organizing your sock drawer, your brain is still chewing on the project in the background. That quiet, percolating creativity? It’s real. Ideas are stewing like big meat. That’s what my daughter calls brisket.

The ticking clock may feel like a noose around your neck for some creatives, but it doesn’t have to be. Some people actually like it. The noose, I mean. I don’t judge. Some of us get our sharpest ideas just before we pass out.

Your brain needs rest, not punishment. Avoiding a project might actually be your inner self asking for a breather. Did you catch that? That one made that noose metaphor tighter.

HA! Again!

But, you know what I mean. Procrastination becomes a subconscious boundary, preventing burnout and making space for play, which is an essential ingredient in all creative work.

Look, we’ve all been there. Forcing creativity is like herding cats. Sure, you’ll get a couple to do what you want, but for the most part, you’re gonna get tore up in the process. So is your project. Immediate action often means executing half-baked thoughts. But procrastination lets the dust settle. The weak ideas drift away while the strong ones stick around, quietly tapping your shoulder. It’s kinda like one of those cats you herded who can’t take no for an answer and refuses to be ignored.

Fresh references are just around the corner. Better options will sneak into your brain-pan and give you those happy creative wiggles.

You don’t call them that?

Sometimes waiting a week (or a month) means you tackle a project with something that didn’t exist yesterday. That’s why I always tack on a couple extra weeks to any gig, just in case. That way, like Scotty on the Enterprise, if I finish early, I’m a miracle worker. If you want that miracle to be a guarantee, you gonna pay for it. And that charge is an additional 25–35%. Scotty ain’t no fool.

That “delay”? It’s a blessing in disguise.

Whether it’s finishing those untested animatronics the night before they’re needed on set, or rewriting the ending of my book during a caffeine-induced panic at 3 a.m. Those moments become lore. Procrastination doesn’t ruin your story. It is the story. Just… not a story best shared with the client.

Avoiding the task opens space for life to sneak in. Maybe you needed to fall down a Wikipedia rabbit hole. Alice did too. It’s a wonder we all don’t go a little mad under the immense pressure creativity puts on us. Let a little life sneak in.

The fact of the matter is: you’re not lazy. Procrastination does not equal laziness. It’s a survival tactic. When your energy is finite, delay can be a tool to manage your exhausted resources. You’re not avoiding the work—you’re waiting for the right moment to strike.

There’s a special kind of victory that comes from sliding into home plate covered in glitter, foam, and pure adrenaline. Oh, and sometimes latex. Just cuz! That last-minute triumph? It feels epic. You earned it, not in spite of the chaos, but because of it.

Procrastination isn’t the enemy of creativity—it’s part of its ecosystem. Don’t let some productivity app shame you. You are not a freaking accountant. You are not a cashier… well, maybe you are—in that case, my bad. Creativity is not something you can switch on because the time clock says so. That’s the man with the accent talking at you again. Some people build steadily. Some people build in bursts. What matters is that you build.

So, the next time you’re procrastinating, remember: it’s your god-given right to chill in your underpants, looking at cat videos, and thinking, Damn! That cat’s owner is hotter than she should be.

There are those cats again. Why am I thinking of cats? SHIT, THE ANIMATRONIC LION IS DUE!

You’re not wasting time. You’re cultivating genius.

PEACE!

Tell me how you procrastinate. Drop it in the comments.