Ep. 9: How to Stop Procrastinating (3 Simple Steps)

Today, I want to talk about procrastination.

Such a juicy topic!

And I know, you know what I’m talking about….

Snoozing your alarm clock

No going to that yoga class that you said you were going to go to

Ignoring that email that you know you need get back to

Putting off doing the ONE thing you know you need to be doing in your business…

We all experience procrastination, especially as entrepreneurs…

But WHY do we do it so much and most importantly, how do we stop it?

First, please know that procrastination is TOTALLY NORMAL…and can actually be a GOOD sign. :)

If you procrastinate, if you put things off, if you have things on your to-do list that you aren’t crossing off. There’s nothing wrong with you.

In fact, it might even mean there’s something, right.

So, what do I mean by that?

There are two categories of people who procrastinate the most. The first is grad students… people who have a ton of pressure, a real bar for achievement, with a lot to do in a short amount of time.

The other category of people who procrastinate the most is entrepreneurs. So if you are starting your own business or you’ve been in business for a while and you find yourself procrastinating. You are not alone.

The important thing about procrastination is knowing that sometimes it’s actually a sign that you’re a little bit of a genius. Pretty awesome, right?

So grad students and entrepreneurs… both really smart and really ambitious.

So why do we hold ourselves back? And why do we stay stuck?

The reason is because we have such a high capacity for visioning where we want to go. We know what we want to do. We can almost see it and taste it and feel it. We know we have a heart to serve. We know what we’re capable of. But, where we’re at, is often quite far from the vision that we have for ourselves.

And when there’s a major disconnect between where we are, and where we want to go, it creates a sense of overwhelm.

And so, we use procrastination as a tool to relieve stress and help calm that sense of overwhelm that inevitably comes when you are a visionary leader, a creative or someone who has big expectations and dreams for what you want to create with your life.

So, YAY if you’re a procrastinator… it probably means you’re quite smart, you’re quite ambitious and you really do have a big vision for what you want to create in your life.

We simply use procrastination as a tool to reduce stress, to give ourselves a moment of “being off the hook” and momentarily ignoring all that we need to do.

So the first thing to do is to really get clear that you’re NOT alone. There’s nothing wrong with you. This is totally par for the course. And often means they are actually on the right track and not that you’re doing something wrong. It doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be an amazing coach, consultant or professional or that you don’t have what it takes.

So listen in for 3 really simple tips that you can start putting into practice right now to start to grind away at that overwhelm and that stress… so that you procrastinate less and find more ease and flow in your day.

STEP 1: Break things Down into Small Steps

When we break things down into small, simple steps we are able to get out of overwhelm and into ACTION more quickly.

Take action now: pick ONE thing on your to-do list that you have been putting off… what is the smallest step you can take right now/today to make it happen?

STEP 2: Set a Time Limit

According to Parkinson’s Law, our task expands to fill the time we allot for completion. In other words, if we have all week to submit a proposal by Friday at 5pm we will often send it at 4:59pm when we are down to the wire (I know you know what I’m talking about ;)), conversely if you give yourself 1 hour to complete it and challenge yourself to get it done in that time, you often will find that you are actually able to!

As I like to say “if it ain’t fun, it won’t get done” – so rather than making this a high-pressure tactic (which will just cause more stress and overwhelm, and therefor more procrastination) make it a game with yourself.

Take action now: set a timer to get the first step of your task done, and do it!

STEP 3: Shift Your Energy Around It

It’s often the energy we place on the task rather than the actual DOING of the task that feels most daunting or exhausting. As High-Achievers we often are really hard on ourselves… we tell ourselves stories that we aren’t professional for getting back to the email right away, or good enough, or doing it “right” and so put off doing the thing even more!

Take Action Now: try shifting your energy instantly by using my favorite mantra: “this gets to be easy!” and notice what new perspectives emerge to get the thing done and how much easier and lighter it is to move forward!

Now you have 3 simple steps that work INSTANTLY to move away from procrastination and into ACTION.

Go take action now!

I believe in you!

I’ll talk to you next week!