What is procrastination?
Procrastination is a habit that most unsuccessful people develop. It involves you putting of things until the last minute or past an agreed upon deadline… real or imagined.
What causes procrastination? Why do you procrastinate?
Some experts say that there are 4 types of procrastinators:
1) Those that put things off until the last minute (those addicted to stress, lack energy to start things, perfectionists)
2) Those that are already stretched too thin (can’t say no then feel lazy because you are putting things off because your body intuitively knows you need a break from doing all the time)
3) About 90% of my clients, even I do this sometimes, think that they are too busy to “get things done”, ironically, if this is you, you may find that you aren’t getting anything done that really makes a different in progressing your life. Truly busy people are getting shit done? They are hitting their goals, they are making things happen. Are you? If you aren’t, then what are you doing? I bet it’s one of two things…. Either you aren’t doing value added things, you are avoiding the real work that needs to be done, or you literally don’t want to do the work but you don’t want to be honest and admit that you don’t want to do it.
4) You lack focus. You get hooked on the next best thing instead of having the intention, dedication, and focus to see things through to the end. You move on to the latest thing without ever developing consistency to see results-- this results in burnout. It can also make you feel like you are “busy” as well.
The majority of how we move thru life is a result of how we feel about things and when you develop the habit of procrastination, what you are essentially doing is letting the way you feel about something supercede you getting on task. I teach this to my private clients and in the membership.
How to overcome procrastination
Live by a schedule and honor it- every week I think about what I need to do and when it needs to be done and most of the time, I stick to it… even if I don’t feel like it. Especially if it’s a task I’m not excited about it. I just to it and I find that once I get started, I often have the energy to power through and get more done than I normally would and I find that since I am not turning in things at the 11th hour, when I walk away from the task, I am often able to gain creative insights to then have time to come back and make things better, which ends up benefiting me in the long run.
If you have a habit of overbooking yourself and procrastinate out of exhaustion. Take a break. Taking this break will allow you to come back and do some of your best work once you are reenergized. Building in rest time and hustle time is the key to success and procrastinating adds underlying stress that knowingly or unknowingly negatively impacts your overall wellness.
If you use the excuse of being too busy as a reason to procrastinate, it’s time to do an honest check in with yourself. Do a life audit in all important areas of your life. Does your sense of being busy align with the results that you are experiencing? If not, what do you need to do to tighten it up and recalibrate and focus on the real work that needs to occur to make things happen and don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper to uncover what you might possibly be avoiding. In The Personal Mastery Membership, we have modules to walk you through how to reset and recalibrate. Learn more here.
Keep a notebook. I have a goal notebook and I teach my private clients a technique that I use in my own life where I write down inspired events so that I come back to them later if they light me up or if I feel stuck in life but I try to have a quarterly plan of action that causes me to stay consistent and focused on a strategy that will actually get me the outcome that I desire.
Learn about personal mastery and practice it. If you want to be successful in life you have to learn how to step outside of your feels to do what’s right. In fact, you could end up causing yourself more stress because if you know there is something you really want or need to do and you don’t do it, the avoidance ends up eating you up inside because your awareness won’t let you escape your lack of integrity and inability to do what you know you need to do. Ironically, though… in this case, you probably end up feeling more badly which in turn increases the procrastination. Look for ways to help yourself become more intrinsically motivated to complete tasks… without the feels. No matter how you feel, what is the next best step, albeit small, that you can take to move in the right direction towards what you should be doing?
Get help. I work with highly driven professionals that want to live a life with more meaning and purpose, but may feel lost about what to do or how to get closer to the life they desire. This might be you too. Maybe you’ve tried on your own and you need support and accountability that a coach could provide you. I have helped clients improve their mindset, their health, their income, their sense of purpose and direction, and more. You can learn more about how I can help you as your coach by checking out this link.