Ngaret Kreatif: Ketika Menunda Justru Bikin Otak Meledak Ide

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Selamat Datang di Hajriah Fajar: Hidup Sehat & Cerdas di Era Digital

Ngaret Kreatif: Ketika Menunda Justru Bikin Otak Meledak Ide

Pernah nggak sih lo buka laptop buat nulis atau kerja, tapi malah berakhir ngelamun sambil nge-scroll video kucing nyanyi di TikTok? Gue sih sering. Dan yang lebih absurd, justru setelah sesi ngelamun nggak produktif itu, tiba-tiba muncul ide segar yang sebelumnya ngumpet entah di mana. Kayak otak butuh bengong dulu sebelum bisa nyetrum ide baru. Aneh, tapi nyata.

Orang bilang itu namanya “procrastination”. Tapi belakangan gue sadar, ada juga yang nyebutnya “creative delay” atau “structured procrastination” — sejenis ngaret yang disengaja, dan entah kenapa kadang justru ngebantu. Bukan males asal-asalan, tapi males yang terstruktur. Kayak nyetir muter dulu karena jalan utama macet, tapi tetep nyampe.

Ngaret yang Bikin Pinter? Iya, serius. Banyak penulis, seniman, bahkan programmer yang bilang mereka dapet ide terbaik pas lagi nggak ngapa-ngapain. Otak kayak diberi ruang buat ngemil ide sebelum dicerna. Dan ya, kadang kita butuh diam, bukan buru-buru mikir.

Dari sini gue mulai mikir: mungkin kita terlalu ngejar-ngejar fokus kayak ngejar wifi di kampus — makin dikejar makin ngilang. Padahal, otak itu bukan mesin. Dia butuh nganggur juga, kayak kita butuh scroll reels tanpa rasa bersalah.

Refleksi Sebelum Produktif Gue pernah coba “deep focus mode” 4 jam non-stop. Hasilnya? Gue malah buka 17 tab, reorganize folder “random” jadi “random 1”, “random final”, “final fix final”, dan akhirnya nonton video teori konspirasi. Produktif? Nggak juga. Tapi lucunya, ide buat artikel ini muncul justru di sela itu. Jadi ya… siapa yang salah?

Kita hidup di era yang muja produktivitas, tapi kadang lupa manusia juga butuh jenuh. Dan jenuh bukan musuh. Dia kayak adik kecil yang cerewet — ngeselin tapi kadang bener juga. Mungkin yang kita butuhin bukan teknik ninja buat kerja nonstop, tapi izin buat berhenti sebentar dan ngelantur dikit.

Tips Ngaret yang Tetap Waras

1. Slow Pomodoro: 50 menit kerja, 20 menit ngopi sambil ngeliatin kipas angin. Versi santai dari teknik klasik, cocok buat yang males disiplin ketat.

2. Mind-Wandering Journaling: Bukan journaling yang rapi. Tulis aja apapun yang lewat di kepala. Bisa jadi racikan ide absurd yang berfaedah.

3. Structured Delay: Bikin waktu “boleh ngaret” di to-do list. Contoh: jam 3–3.30 sore = waktu bengong resmi.

4. Creative Distraction Box: Kumpulin hal-hal absurd yang lo suka: video lucu, suara hujan, podcast ngawur. Akses pas otak buntu. Jadi lo ngelantur, tapi tetap di track.

5. Ngaku Aja Dulu: Kadang lo bukan lelah. Lo jenuh. Dan jenuh itu bukan dosa. Cuma alarm buat istirahat.

Penutup yang Nggak Terlalu Bijak Mungkin kita selama ini salah paham sama “menunda”. Kita pikir itu bentuk kegagalan, padahal bisa jadi itu cara otak ngatur ulang energi. Selama lo sadar, dan niat balik lagi, delay itu bukan musuh. Dia cuma jeda. Dan jeda kadang lebih jujur daripada terus gas tapi kosong.

Lo sendiri gimana? Pernah ngerasa ide justru muncul pas lagi males? Share dong di kolom komentar. Atau yaudah, cukup baca aja sambil ngeteh. Gue juga nulis ini sambil ngaret kok 😌

Welcome to Hajriah Fajar: Living Smart & Healthy in the Digital Age

Ever opened your laptop to work, only to end up watching a cat singing on TikTok? Yep, same here. Strangely, after those “unproductive” scroll sessions, I sometimes get my best ideas. It’s like the brain needs to drift before it delivers something brilliant. Weird but true.

People call it procrastination. But recently I found out some folks refer to it as “creative delay” or “structured procrastination” — intentional slowness that oddly works. It’s not lazy-lazy, but lazy with a plan. Like taking a detour because the main road’s jammed. You still get there.

When Delaying Makes You Smarter Really. Many writers, artists, even coders say their best ideas hit them when they’re doing nothing. The brain munches on thoughts silently before serving them up. Sometimes, we don’t need to push harder — we just need to wait.

Maybe we chase focus too much, like chasing campus WiFi — the harder we chase, the more it disappears. The brain isn’t a machine. It needs idle time too. Just like we need guilt-free scrolling breaks.

Reflection Before “Productivity” Tried four hours of deep focus once. Ended up opening 17 tabs, reorganizing my “random” folder into “random 1”, “final random”, “fix final FINAL”, and watched conspiracy theories. Productive? Nope. But funnily enough, this article idea came up during that chaos. So who’s to judge?

We live in an era that glorifies productivity but forgets humans need to feel bored sometimes. And boredom isn’t the enemy — it’s like an annoying younger sibling that’s weirdly right. Maybe we don’t need ninja methods to keep grinding, but permission to wander a bit.

Tips for Sanely Procrastinating

1. Slow Pomodoro: 50 minutes work, 20 minutes coffee and staring at the ceiling. Chill version of the classic.

2. Mind-Wandering Journaling: Not the clean, aesthetic kind. Just write whatever flies through your head. Gold may come from chaos.

3. Structured Delay: Actually schedule “okay to delay” time in your to-do list. Like: 3–3.30pm = Official Zoning Out Session.

4. Creative Distraction Box: Collect your favorite weird stuff: funny videos, rain sounds, absurd podcasts. Use them when your brain’s stuck. You’re off-track, but not lost.

5. Admit It First: Sometimes you’re not tired. You’re just bored. And boredom isn’t sin. It’s a whisper to take a break.

Not-So-Wise Conclusion Maybe we’ve misunderstood “procrastination”. We see it as failure, but it could be how the brain resets. As long as you’re aware and ready to return, delay isn’t the enemy. It’s a pause. And pauses are more honest than forcing through with nothing inside.

What about you? Ever had your best idea pop up during a lazy moment? Tell me in the comments. Or just sip your tea and smile. I wrote this while procrastinating, too 😌