I get it. Sometimes you have something you really should do, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it. I could write an article about just sitting down and doing the thing, but we all know that’s not going to happen. So instead, here’s a list of at least semi-productive things to do while you’re putting off more important things.

Cook.

Notice I didn’t say bake here. Making brownies is great too, but the key here is to cook something you can eat for a meal. And here’s the secret to being extra productive: double your recipe. Triple it, even. Make a giant batch of a food that you really like, and then freeze some of it for later. This way, you get to enjoy preparing and eating a delicious meal, and when you don’t have time to cook tomorrow because you’re frantically writing the essay you’ve been procrastinating, you’ll have something to eat then too.

Do a load of laundry.

Here is the beautiful thing about laundry: it takes a ton of time to do, but you only need to be actually doing things for a few minutes at a time. Throw in the load of laundry you haven’t done in weeks, and then sit down and watch Netflix like you’ve been dying to. You can even keep watching Netflix while you fold and put away your laundry. It’s the ultimate way to procrastinate and still be productive.

Listen to a podcast.

Find a podcast about a subject you’re interested in, and listen to it instead of binging shows. You can still laze around, but you’ll actually be learning something instead of just watching mindless tv. Bonus points if it’s a podcast related to the work you’re avoiding.

Go for a walk.

You can listen to music or even a podcast (double productive) while you walk. Walking around when you should be doing something else feels like a treat, and it’s a decent form of exercise without feeling like you’re actually working out.

Call a loved one.

I’m sure that your mom would love to hear from you. You can also reach out to friends that you haven’t seen in a while, or someone you know is going through a hard time. Dedicating time to your relationships is a great way to spend time and it doesn’t feel like work at all.

Clean while you dance.

Throw on some music and dance while you tidy up. Cleaning is never a fun thing to do, but if you throw on your favorite song and dance your dirty clothes in the hamper, it’s a lot more fun. Bonus points if there’s some hairbrush singing going too. Just make sure you’re also actually picking up as you go.

Switch between tasks.

If you have multiple things like really need to be done, switch between them. Procrastinate your history paper by working on your math homework, and then switch back when you feel the urge to procrastinate again. You can trick your brain into working on an important task by telling yourself you’re procrastinating the other task.

There you go! Remember that productive procrastination is only useful if you eventually get back to the task that you have been putting off. Use these tasks to take a much-needed break, but be sure to always return to the task you need to get done.

Now go be productive, even when you’re a procrastinator at heart!

How do you procrastinate? Let me know in the comments!