Cover Image: Illustration license from VectorStock.com
Examples of turning seemingly wasteful activities into lucrative ones
We’re six months after the pandemic was announced. At first, my small businesses were doing fine, but realistically, how many startups can sustain a prolonged pandemic with no end in sight?
Mine couldn’t.
Like many people before me, I had to face the facts and make a decision: stay in business, or be done with it and move on. Many have chosen to move on.
Me?
Well, I can’t do things normally, so I chose an in-between. I decided to pause my business activities for 6 months, focusing instead on the activity I’ve been escaping to for just about anything.
Whenever I meant to work on Soul Reaper or SkillUp, I found myself procrastinating by doing one thing — write.
Whenever an idea came to mind, I’d stop everything I was doing to write an article about it. Then, at the end of the day, I’d be disappointed because I didn’t do half of what I’d set out to do. I’d rinse and repeat the next day.
Weeks went by and my work just wasn’t getting done. It’s not a good sign when you’re trying to make your business survive!
So, it dawned on me — could I turn my procrastination into something lucrative? The answer was “yes”. There are a dozen good ways to make money writing.
And so, starting on October 1st, I’ll officially become a full-time writer. I’ve been writing for close to three years and never agreed to call myself a writer. I know how far I still need to go to become a real professional. But hey, if that’s what I’m going to be doing all day, I gotta face the facts and finally call myself a writer!
What about you? What is your favourite procrastination activity? Could you make that your job?
My brother has been playing video games for over 30 years. When it comes to video games, he’s the best source of knowledge you could ever ask for. Yet, he’s a truck driver. Even on the job, he’s playing (passive) games. He’s a real pro at it.
Here are few jobs he could do with his procrastination: game designer, game tester, game reviewer, design consultant, streamer, pro gamer (eSports).
My wife’s cousin’s boyfriend procrastinated with beer. “Screw doing things, I just want to drink beer!” Well, that can be lucrative too! He started an Instagram account where he showcases beers he’s sampling from all over the world (in the comfort of his home). Now he’s starting to get invited by breweries all over the province.
Going further, he could start a Youtube channel and get sponsorship deals, start his own microbrewery, become a beer critic, and more.
And you think Netflix or watching movies and TV shows is a waste of time?
I know movie buffs, and they know their stuff! I have a friend who used to go to the movies 3x per week. Sometimes there weren’t enough new movies that he’d go see a movie he had just seen the week before. If he wasn’t such a talented artist, I’d see him become a movie critic, screenplay writer, consultant, and heck, maybe even a producer!
If you look for it, there are opportunities everywhere. Even where you’re procrastinating. Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. Procrastination doesn’t have to be unproductive; it’s just something you’re doing that wasn’t planned.
In a way, your procrastination is your passion. When you see it that way, you can turn it into something magical.
John P. Weiss was a chief of police for ten years before he gave in to his procrastination — art and writing. He’s damn good at both. I have no doubt he was a great chief of police, but I bet he kept daydreaming about painting and writing when he was on the job.
What are you daydreaming of on the job?
The world is full of people who turned their procrastination into a lucrative passion. While it’s not immediately obvious, it becomes in hindsight.
All the signs showed that I should be writing, but I didn’t make the leap. I mean, software engineering is a much better bet, right? Sure, but says who that safety is what we should aim for?
I prefer to be all-in on something I’m motivated to do instead of staying on the safe side with something I’m not as passionate about anymore.
And if you can afford that “luxury” as well, what’s holding you back?
Think about that for a bit. I know you can make the right decision for your situation.
You can do this!
— Danny