Gentlemen Let's Talk About

Is procrastination really the enemy of progress, or is it a misunderstood ally of the creative mind?

In today's monologue, I touch upon the hazy but surprisingly sound logic that makes procrastination not only justifiable, but at times essential for creative professionals. 

From the subtle art of productive delay to the psychology of incubation, I unpack why your best ideas might not come during the grind, but in the quiet hours you thought you were "wasting."

Thoughtful procrastination can actually lead to sharper decisions, deeper insight, and work that resonates. 
This isn’t about laziness; it’s about refinement, timing, and the mental clarity that only space can provide.

So allow me to redefine procrastination - not as a vice, but as a virtue of the modern gentleman.

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Arvind Vijay Mohan:

Let's talk about procrastination. Now here's something that I haven't ever said on a public platform. A procrastination was an Olympic level sport. I'd easily hold the global best time for holding off. I tend to delay things with the elegance of a French waiter who's gladly going about his day merrily ignoring your table.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

I've taken breaks from tasks that I never actually even got around to starting. I could easily headline a Netflix docuseries called I'll start tomorrow. Hey, Netflix. If you're listening, call me. I think we can produce a cracker of a show that's going to go straight to the top of the charts.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

Now to the overwhelming majority here, the more structured or analytical thinkers who bound this planet and rule the world, this approach might sound like Greek. But as I see it, procrastination is how a creative mind's genius schedules itself. Big points to me was discreetly inserting the word genius in reference to myself without anyone noticing. Thank you very much. Now conventional wisdom suggests that procrastination is fear.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of even starting. And then there's that idea that it's just plain old laziness or that one simply likes discipline. But here's my realization. Procrastination isn't about dread or avoidance or emotional sabotage. For me, it is creative combustion.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

Some human beings need structure. I need a spot of chaos, but with a deadline. You see, I'm not putting it off. I'm just marinating until that perfect moment when I know my brain is going to go full on Tony Stark in a cave with that box of metal scraps and bits and emerge on the other side with this glorious flying suit. That last minute panic is simply my version of caffeine.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

That pressure is the precise playlist my neurons need to produce a full on raging symphony. The structured set warms up. Right? I just simply ignite. Creator minds need time to subconsciously churn and stew and mentally do the foxtrot with those 57 mediocre ideas before, ta da, the one finally appears on the horizon.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

And in my case, it usually does at 03:47 in the AM. Now I don't operate in straight lines, and I thrive in what others might regard as mental messiness. But I must let you all know I'm not staring blankly into space. I'm just silently ideating the next big ticket. For most, that fast approaching due in seven hour deadline results in cortisol doing parkour along the skyscrapers of their poor nervous system.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

But that ability to transform pure panic into peak performance, that's not a flaw. It's a superpower, a superpower I'm glad I was born with. For me, procrastination isn't avoidance. It's preparation in disguise. And in my case, the disguise is a civil row cut exceptional three piece suit.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

Now structured analytical thinkers often can't relate to this. Their minds are like spreadsheets. Spreadsheets with feelings. They can plan, optimize, and execute. They start projects early.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

They make these glorious outlines. They even color code their Gantt charts. Wait a minute. Am I pronouncing that right? Well, anyway, they then light a candle and sip herbal tea while casually finishing their task days in advance.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

To them, my process must look like complete manic madness. But to me, their process seems like assembling IKEA furniture without skipping a single step in the assembly guide. Now for the record, I simply can't read instruction manuals, and I've never put an IKEA kit together using one of those white foldouts. But that's the beauty of the human brain. Right?

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

Not everyone needs the same tempo. Some build steady, others just violently explode at the sound of the buzzer. Both can create brilliance just on very different timelines and stress levels. So that is why I procrastinate. Because my creativity is a flaming drama queen who refuses to perform without stakes and high stakes are that.

Arvind Vijay Mohan:

My brain is a celebrity chef who won't touch that cast iron skillet unless there's a camera, a timer, and sir Gordon Ramsay is somewhere in the background yelling his head off. When someone asked me, why didn't you start earlier, Arvind? All I can say is because my genius likes to arrive fashionably late and it sure knows how to make quite the smashing entrance.