Thorin Klosowski:

Most of us—no matter how many time-saving techniques we employ—don’t have enough time to waste. When we do, we try to fill the void with more tasks. The problem with all your productivity? Turning down the volume on life is extremely beneficial. We fight against boredom, distraction, and procrastination all the time, but that doesn’t mean you should get rid of them completely. …

Being bored, procrastinating, and embracing distraction all help your brain function. In turn, you understand decisions better. You learn easier. You even foster creativity and productivity better. …

The New York Times explains it like so:

Some experts say that people tune things out for good reasons, and that over time boredom becomes a tool for sorting information—an increasingly sensitive spam filter. In various fields including neuroscience and education, research suggests that falling into a numbed trance allows the brain to recast the outside world in ways that can be productive and creative at least as often as they are disruptive. …

We get distracted easily—so easy that an entire ecosystem of apps and browser extensions exist to help you minimize distractions. However, being distracted is a boon to creative thinking because it allows you to think outside the box. Scientific American explains:

Insight problems involve thinking outside the box. This is where susceptibility to “distraction” can be of benefit. At off-peak times we are less focused, and may consider a broader range of information. This wider scope gives us access to more alternatives and diverse interpretations, thus fostering innovation and insight. Indeed, [the study] found that participants were more successful in solving insight problems when tested at their non-optimal times. …

Distractions aren’t just necessary for creative types and problem solvers, they’re important for you to focus.NY Magazine explains:

Focus is a paradox—it has distraction built into it. The two are symbiotic; they’re the systole and diastole of consciousness. Attention comes from the Latin “to stretch out” or “reach toward,” distraction from “to pull apart.” We need both. In their extreme forms, focus and attention may even circle back around and bleed into one another. …

In his book Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, author Frank Partnoy suggests that procrastination is integral to good decision making. He also suggests a simple two-step method is necessary for making good decisions and being happy. He calls this, “don’t just do something, stand there.” At a presentation at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), Partnoy lays out his process:

1. Think about what the greatest amount of time you could delay before taking an action or making a decision.
2. Wait until the last possible moment in that time frame.