Procrastination gets a bad rep and I can see why. I had a difficult work email to write earlier and I spent a half hour procrastinating — reading Huff Post entertainment articles, cleaning up the kitchen, staring at my computer screen and wishing it would write itself. I wasted a bunch of time, during which the email was weighing on my mind, and I wasn’t the better for it.

But I don’t think all procrastination is bad. Or rather, I think it’s impossible to avoid completely. Sometimes you have a task to get done that you completely loathe to start or are intimidated to begin. There are mornings when I come to work, for example, and feel so overwhelmed with what’s on my plate that I need some kind of a a warm-up to roll up my sleeves and get into the working mode. So my new motto is that if I’m going to procrastinate, I’m going to try and be productive about it. Here are my three favorite ways:

• Read an article online, but just one, and hopefully not one related to the task I’m procrastinating to do. I often top to the New York Times health, technology, or style and fashion sections to find something interesting. But here’s the deal: Don’t click on any of the links in or around the article. The rule is just one article, then back to the task at hand.

• Take a walk outside for 10 minutes. This might be my favorite procrastination method/de-stresser ever. There is something about being outside in fresh air, away from your desk/kitchen/study/office. Sometimes I’ll bring my phone and listen to some tunes, sometimes I’ll grab a coffee, but most of the time I just walk briskly around a few blocks. Does wonders to help me clear my mind and focus.

• Visit my to-do list. Sometimes I’ll rewrite it. Other times I’ll cross some things off or add a few. But spending a few minutes with my to-do list helps me feel productive and organized, which is a great mindset to get stuff done.

Notice, checking out Twitter or Facebook is nowhere on the productive procrastination list. I know, I know, it;s hard to resist and trust me, I’m the first to admit that I get sucked into the mindless checking of social media too often. But if you’re going to procrastinate productively, stay away.

So, share, what are some great ways in which you procrastinate?

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