The opposite of procrastination (putting off something you need to do for as long as possible) is precrastination: doing tasks as soon as possible, even when it’s not the right time to do them.

Over-achievers tend to be the biggest precrastinators, and they might not even know they’re doing it or why.

The 2 Reasons People Precrastinate

Two theories about why people precrastinate are:

1. They want the low-hanging fruit. They see a task that can be done quickly, and they know that doing that task will result in a little dopamine reward of accomplishment.
2. By completing tasks right away, you no longer have to hold space in your brain to remember them.

Either way, precrastination is not efficient or productive. When we work on or complete tasks earlier than they need to be done, we risk rushing through them, which can result in errors or sub-par output. We also might be effectively procrastinating another task that’s more important or which should be done “now” in favor of the low-hanging fruit.

How to Stop Precrastinating

Instead of jumping on the next available task, redirect your energy by writing down the task in a to-do list app or task-management app instead. That way, you can see the task in the context of all the other tasks you need to do, and you can schedule time for it more appropriately.

Image by Dylan Ferreira on Unsplash.