I’ve got two words that I’ve coined that I use to describe this stuff.
“Para-productive” tasks are like what you describe. Usually procrastination related, but in a useful way. Examples might include tidying up my desk rather than starting the essay I need to do. For me, that kind of thing helps me to gear up towards the proper task. Random reading of fun stuff also helps me to focus better when I get onto the task. I find that I work best when I do a sort of task “circuit training”, where I have an array of tasks that I cycle between — and some of these tasks need to be fun for it to work.
“Psuedo-productive” is similar, except bad vibes. It is often associated with unhealthy avoidance towards tasks that I’m dreading, or an excessive level of procrastination. This word is mostly just to distinguish between the good and bad kinds of procrastination.
I’ve got two words that I’ve coined that I use to describe this stuff.
“Para-productive” tasks are like what you describe. Usually procrastination related, but in a useful way. Examples might include tidying up my desk rather than starting the essay I need to do. For me, that kind of thing helps me to gear up towards the proper task. Random reading of fun stuff also helps me to focus better when I get onto the task. I find that I work best when I do a sort of task “circuit training”, where I have an array of tasks that I cycle between — and some of these tasks need to be fun for it to work.
“Psuedo-productive” is similar, except bad vibes. It is often associated with unhealthy avoidance towards tasks that I’m dreading, or an excessive level of procrastination. This word is mostly just to distinguish between the good and bad kinds of procrastination.