Do you procrastinate?

• Cleaning out that closet.
• Writing that thank you note.
• Having the tough conversation. 
• Starting the workout program.
• Making a budget.
• Looking for a new job.
• Making the photo album.
• Cleaning off your desk. 
• Mapping out your promotion. 
• Getting more visible in your business.
• All of the above?

1. Fear of Failure: The anxiety about not performing well or the possibility of failure can make people avoid tasks altogether. We freeze instead of taking even a small step. And then we create all these scenarios in our brain -- The What If's... All the catastrophizing.  You have yourself living in a ditch with no friends and foraging for food. Instead of just asking your boss for the raise. None of it is useful. Promise. 
    
2. Perfectionism: The desire to do something perfectly can delay you starting or completing tasks (see #1). We may wait for the "perfect" time or conditions. And, if you procrastinate long enough and turn in C work you can blame the last minute approach. Whereas if you start right away and chip away routinely and turn in C work - you will be crushed, thinking you are not smart enough, capable enough, qualified enough. See how procrastinating protects you from what may be your truth? 
    
3. Overwhelm: When a task seems too large or complex, it can feel overwhelming. When we are overwhelmed it is common to avoid e'rything.  Head in sand. Seek some pleasure and fun elsewhere and pretend the overwhelm is not there (see number 5)  Exaggerate the effort in your mind. Let all the negative feels fill your body - fear, worry, anxiety, pressure and pretend like you have no control over your current state.  A lie. Really. You always have control over what you do and don't do, think and don't think, say and don't say. So, identify what thoughts are creating overwhelm and challenge the heck out of them. 
    
4. Lack of Motivation: If a task doesn't feel meaningful or engaging, it can be hard to find the motivation to begin or complete it. Somewhere along the way we thought we needed to be inspired to do something. We thought had to want to do it to do it. What if you just do what you say your are going to do no matter your level of desire? I don't always want to brush my teeth, but I do it twice a day any way. I may not want to take my trash to the dump, but I don't wait to feel motivated to do so, I just hop in the car and follow through. 
    
5. Distraction and Seeking Pleasure: The temptation of more immediately gratifying activities, such as scrolling Insta or binging Netlfix, can lead to procrastination by diverting attention away from the task at hand. This is a biggie. In the coaching world we call this buffering. Doing something that gives you a dopamine hit - drink, eat, social media, shop, gamble, gossip, instead of doing the thing that needs to get done. Losing the weight, writing the report, going through the piles, making a budget, making the phone call, setting boundaries...  Our brains like the easy wins - the immediate pleasure. Think of a toddler in the candy aisle of a grocery store or a teenager who has a paper due, but also an Xbox in their hand. 
   
   Are you thinking, "Ouch? I relate to this?" 
   Perfect. 
   That means you are a true blue human. 
   We are designed to seek pleasure, stay safe, and be efficient with our tasks. 
   Stretching, growing, working through discomfort is not part of our primitive brain's vocabulary. 
   
   But, this is not a problem. 
   You just need to learn how to interrupt that part of your brain's thinking and course correct to let your more sophisticated brain run the show. 

First, step -- notice when any of the above five show up. 
Don't judge. Just recognize. 
Oh, I see you fear of failure.
I feel that urge to distract.
I see me waiting to feel inspired. 

Second step - get very clear on what you are thinking
that is creating that fear, but not that motivation or inspiration. 
Get curious.
Call a little bullshit. 
Play with some new thoughts that may propel your forward.

Third step - Think of all the downsides that come with avoiding, hiding, procrastinating. Be honest. There are many. 

Fourth step - Identify the feeling you are avoiding - discomfort, boredom, unskilled - by procrastinating. And see how thinking a new thought will create a different feeling. Thought - this won't be fun, but I will feel great after doing it. Resulting feeling - Motivated. Committed. Accepting. 

Not procrastinating is NOT about the perfect calendar system.
Stop watch. 
Reward system.
It is about a new way of thinking. 

Simple, not easy. 
I know. 
But, very very doable. 
Promise. 

Here's to checking things off your To Do list! 
Kristin

P.S.  If you have practiced procrastinating for a long time, do not expect to undo that habit in a snap.  Play around with the above and let me know how it goes. And, if you want help undoing this habit, I'm your gal. I am not an expert, but I sure have shifted this habit in my life in many many areas.  (Just don't look on top of my washer and dryer --- I have laundry to fold that I have been avoiding... #alwaystellthetruth). But I am not making that be a problem, or mean anything about me.