How to get the most out of your favorite procrastination tool. Try this

Procrastination can be a bit like loitering, waiting around idly without apparent purpose.

Old school style: you leaf through a magazine or book, take a walk around the block, or simply sit and indulge a random thought as it crosses your mind.

New school: you scroll through instagram, pin to your favorite board, let shuffle play introduce you to something new on Spotify, or otherwise meander the interwebs for something that catches your attention, even ever so slightly. Idle wandering is important work. (I say that because of, not despite, my commitment to all things on point.)

And it can propel you forward professionally, if you let it.

What I really want to tell you today is this: find effortless ways to preserve solid traces of your attention.

Why?

For the same reason that on a hunt you’d prefer “track marks” over a faint, ephemeral scent.

Here technology (your accomplice in idle wandering) is your trusted ally.

Flick through the camera roll on your phone and you’ll see what I mean: a record of your attention staring back at you. Other traces of your idle curiosity are hiding in plain sight. Think your Spotify library or the app’s “just for you” listening suggestions, your Netflix viewing activity, or your sketchbook or Evernote.

Effortless is key here.

The act of documenting has to let you stay in the flow of things, without breaking the spirit of idle wandering. *[For easy screenshot instructions, see the bottom of this post.]

Here are two behind the scenes examples of mine, for you to use. 

Ex: #1: I’ve taken to occasionally screen-shotting the aggregate board of pins that Pinterest collages for you. Stringing these screenshots together, I’ve got an evocative mini time-lapse view of my attention (and its twin curiosity). And this gives me perspective.

I’ve noticed lately, I’ve been drawn to a specific color (like a recurring image in a dream). I’ve also been into bold (or emboldened) typography. And it’s this insight (offered by looking back at the traces of my attention), that allows me to become intentional, doubling-down on these inclinations or interests in my work or writing over the coming months.

 Example #2 from Stacy Communications: here are my last three Evernote entries from early this morning—in their honest, larval form, and each tagged “blogging” so I can return later to create a post to share with you.

Evernotes:
Note #1: Is this sound? i.e.: will this support me? That’s the murmur you’re hearing.
Note #2: I feel most alive listening. How to use this when you teach/step to the front of the room.
Note #3: Make everyday a chance to be on point, even when you feel off.

Seeing the three as a list sparks new ideas that had not yet (or quite) occurred to me, not least of which is their shared connection to the set of client interviews I conducted last week. And with that insight, I propel myself forward, in a small but significant way.

So, over to you. The upcoming long weekend is a perfect moment to let your mind and eye wander to whatever you find yourself drawn. Don’t rein it in, but do make an effort to preserve traces of your wandering, so you can reap the benefits later.

Happy wandering.

*To screenshot: on the iPhone, push together the round “home” button, and the on/off button on the side of the phone. The picture will be saved in your photos. On a mac, press “command,” “shift” and “3” simultaneously. You’ll here a click and the screenshot will appear on your desktop.