“I’ll do it tomorrow.” Have you used this phrase only to later realize it probably wasn’t the best decision?
This one phrase has caused so much grief in my life because one tomorrow becomes another tomorrow, and before long, a month of tomorrows or more has passed. Whether it was eating healthy foods, getting the exercise I had promised myself, cleaning an entryway cabinet that drove me crazy each time I passed it, or simply finishing items on my to-do list – the “I’ll do it tomorrow” mantra has shown up in so many areas of my life.
“I’ll do it tomorrow” is procrastination in sheep’s clothing. Harmless. Innocent. But have you looked at the real danger of procrastinating? In what areas of your life are you putting things off for tomorrow? Procrastination is like a credit card. It’s a lot of fun to use, but it comes back to bite you later. Essentially you are borrowing time from the future. You tell yourself you’ll do something later, but later never seems to come, and eventually. The bill becomes due.
I felt angry and upset when all the tomorrows passed because I had let myself down again. The mental capacity procrastination took up day after day and month after month was unbearable, and I was still dealing with the same darn issues but didn’t have any results. Frustrating.
Procrastination is a joy thief, and it’s a thief of time. It can keep us from achieving our goals, feeling good about ourselves, and living our best lives. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In this episode, I’ll show you how to overcome procrastination and start getting things done.
I’m going to discuss the psychology behind why we procrastinate. I’ll share with you how you can identify your procrastination triggers, and we’ll look at practical strategies for breaking the procrastination habit. So good.
While procrastination is a joy and time thief, it’s also a choice. I know you’ll find this helpful the next time you consider saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” because at the end of the day, it simply boils down to a decision – do it or stop lying to yourself and let it go.
So Let’s Dive in.
Procrastination lives everywhere. Everyone procrastinates at some point in their lives, some more than others. There’s this quote by Don Marquis I can really identify with. He says, “Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday and avoiding today” Wow.
Let that sink in. When we procrastinate, all we are doing is putting off something that can be done now until tomorrow or at a later point in time. Seems harmless, right? Well, let’s look a little deeper.
Have any of you seen the classic comedy Groundhog Day? It’s about a man who is forced to relive the same day over and over again. In the movie, Phil starts off selfish and lazy. He doesn’t want to do anything with his life. The days just pass, and everything is status quo. But then he starts to relive the same day over and over again. Procrastination is like that. When we procrastinate and keep putting off tasks until later, we live the same “to-dos” repeatedly. And, it can get old quick but we keep doing it. Why? I know when I procrastinate, it begins to feel like I’m stuck in a rut and not making progress in my life. Not to mention the additional stress and anxiety it causes. When you procrastinate, is that how it feels to you too?
Five Types of Procrastination
So I got to thinking about my procrastination habits, and it’s clear that things fall into five distinct categories. As I share them with you, I want you to think about where procrastination shows up for you because, as we talk about in the Clarity Club, my women’s well-being membership – Awareness is how we start creating change in our life.
So the top 5 areas first, and then I’ll share with you the best course of action in overcoming that particular type of procrastination.
The first area relates to big projects and tasks. That’s not surprising. How often have you had a job that seems so overwhelming that just starting it is enough to say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Right?
The second area that procrastination shows up is unpleasant tasks. Tasks that are boring, difficult, stressful, or just plain not fun. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Getting a sink full of dishes into the dishwasher. Sometimes at the end of the night, I look at that sink and think – the kitchen would look so much better, but I don’t want to deal with it. Literally 5 minutes, and the room would look picture and company ready, and it’s not going away by waiting, but that thought of doing it – Ugh.
The third area that procrastination shows up with is tasks that aren’t that urgent. If something doesn’t have a deadline, it’s really easy to put it off until later. How often do you create an item for your to-do list, something that you think would be good to do, but there’s no time frame? It’s a nicety, so it sits there but until it gets crossed off it’s taking up valuable mental capacity knowing there is something that needs checking off.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ll flag an article or tag a magazine I want to return to. There’s no rush. The magazine sits there, not hurting anyone, just a visual reminder that I said I would go back to it. One day I got so tired of my “visual reminders” (air quotes for those that can’t see me) that I tossed the magazines and didn’t think about the tags anymore until talking about this episode. What a relief.
Another way we procrastinate, number four, is on tasks that aren’t specific or well-defined. Here’s the thing, if you don’t know exactly what needs to be done, it’s harder to get started.
And finally, another area that leads to procrastination is tasks we need more skills or knowledge to do. The bottom line is if you don’t feel confident in your ability to complete the task, your self-protection mechanism will kick in, and more than likely, you will procrastinate doing the task.
Costs of Procrastinating
Here’s the thing. No matter the flavor of procrastination, there are costs associated with it. Whether they are personal or professional, the costs aren’t fun.
Stress and anxiety are among the top three issues I deal with as a Clarity Coach. Procrastination can lead to stress because not only is there the pressure of getting the task done, but there’s also the fear of the consequences of not doing it. So it gets you in both directions!
Let’s look at losing weight because I know that’s a thing on many women’s lists, mine included, that gets procrastinated on or perpetually hangs out there.
So hypothetically, you’ve been procrastinating on eating healthy and exercising. Not only are you dealing with the pressure of your current weight, and all the thoughts that come with it, what you want to accomplish how your life will be – our minds are wonderful story tellers. But you may be stressed about the consequences of not doing it as well. The thoughts about your blood pressure, cholesterol, and clothes not fitting for that special occasion you’ve planned.
The stress is real. And then stress’s good friend anxiety comes along. The thoughts about fear of failure creep up; what if I try and can’t stick to the diet or exercise plan, or worse yet, what if I do and don’t see results?
Then it’s a snowball effect. What’s a party of stress and anxiety without self-esteem and depression coming along? When something isn’t going as planned, feelings of inadequacy from being unable to accomplish what was set out to do and negative self-talk start to come in—the guilt around not taking care of yourself. And this isn’t the case for everyone but just notice the next time you procrastinate on something where your mind takes you in the aftermath.
I’ll never forget one client coming to me about weight loss, and when we did the mindset work around it, they were procrastinating because they were afraid of change. Change. Everything changes whether you lose weight or not. And what was interesting was it was split down the middle between giving up their favorite foods and how it would mean a permanent and dramatic lifestyle change, but also that people wouldn’t look at them the same way. So, this client was anticipating her change and the change others would experience. How thoughtful!
And the cherry on top of the costs of procrastination: missed opportunities. One of my favorite quotes, it’s actually a paperweight on my desk “Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.” If we are procrastinating, we aren’t preparing; when we don’t prepare, it’s easy to miss an opportunity. I can’t tell you personally how many times I’ve looked back and said if only I had started 30 days ago, I’d be able to fill in the blank.
Why We Procrastinate
If any of this is resonating with you, I want to ask you this: why the hell do we procrastinate?
If you consider psychology, there are several reasons procrastination is so prevalent. It could be perfectionism. How often do you procrastinate because you want to make sure things are just perfect before it’s submitted? Sometimes, perfectionism causes you to keep going back to the same thing over and over.
I had a friend who used to tweak the same section of her website repeatedly. The changes were small and inconsequential, at least to an outside eye. The changes though made her feel better but at the same time it kept her from doing the bigger, more important things, which was also tied to fear of failure. Because what if you end up in a position where you fail? Big. Looking at it this way, it becomes easy to understand why procrastination is so prevalent. Nobody wants to fail. At the complete opposite end of the spectrum, it could be as simple as needing to be more motivated and energized.
Either way, Let’s talk about how we can overcome procrastination.
How to Overcome Procrastination
There are several things you can do to overcome procrastination. So I want to share seven of the things that have worked incredibly for me, and these are things I go back to time and time again.
Number one. The first thing I always start with is the “why”. What I was talking about earlier. If you don’t know why you are procrastinating whether it is fear of failure, perfectionism, motivation, lack of time, boredom, or distractions- it will be hard to change. Remember, awareness is the first step in most issues we face.
Number two. Once you know your why, what’s helpful to get out of the overwhelm that comes along with some tasks is to break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
When building my website, I started with the task of “building a website”. Anyone that has built a website knows it’s much more than a one-line item description. It stayed on the list FOREVER. Then I broke it down- research, brainstorming page ideas, writing outlines, bullet points, images, you get the idea. Turtle steps. Small and manageable. It feels so much better to check off five things than to wait days and days to check off a single task. So look through any of your to do lists and see what items needs to be broken down into smaller tasks.
Number three. Third, you want to set a deadline. The reality is without a goal or a time frame, it becomes easier for your brain to put things off until the last minute. Now, deadlines have to be achievable, of course, and you don’t want to stress yourself out setting an unrealistic one, but you are more likely to get things done if you have a deadline.
Number four. Take breaks. Yes, take breaks. This isn’t being lazy, and it’s not part of procrastination. It’s just part of self-care. You see it is essential to take breaks when you’re working on a task. And the reason why is it will help you stay focused and avoid burnout. When you take a break, get up and move around, or do something else to help you relax and clear your head you end up being much more efficient. Trust me on this one.
Number five. Delegate or ask for support. The reality is, who said you have to do it all? Right. Work smart, not hard. If there is a way to hand off some things, by all means, do it and cross that puppy off your list. And if it’s something that you really need to do yourself, get support to make the process more enjoyable. Not only will having support help you stay motivated and avoid procrastination, but it also changes your outlook positively when you know people are willing to help.
Number six. And I call on this one a lot. Eliminate distractions. When focusing on a task, it’s important to eliminate distractions. This means turning off your phone, closing your email, and finding a quiet place to work. If you can’t eliminate all distractions, try to minimize them as much as possible. For example, if you can’t turn off your phone, put it in another room so you’re not tempted to check it. Now, one thing on this with regard to distractions. If I need to pump myself up and get motivated– there’s going to be some music involved. So, use your best judgement in how to get yourself going on a task you aren’t really excited about.
Number seven. This is my favorite. Reward yourself. How often have you been a machine working through each item on your list without stopping to smell the roses? I’m raising my hand here. But you know what? When I started rewarding myself with breaks or little niceties, I was more efficient and productive. I enjoyed doing things more. And I didn’t burn out as quickly. Creating a positive feeling is a good way to ensure you are more likely to do stuff you aren’t super excited about in the future. So get creative in how you can reward yourself besides a simple check next to the task.
Wrapping it Up.
There you have it. The top seven things I do to help overcome procrastination. I hope you are able to pull a few in to help as you look at areas that procrastination shows up in your life.
Looking at why we procrastinate and its costs hopefully has given you some comfort, knowing everyone procrastinates. Here’s the deal there are less stressful ways of dealing with the items you might have been procrastinating on.
When we procrastinate, we are breaking promises to ourselves. And that’s not cool. If you think about it we break way more promises to ourselves than we do to others. And the people pleasers out there, how often do you break promises to others? Right, but breaking promises to yourself. So no more. Become the woman that says, “I honor myself, and I honor my commitments.” Stop letting yourself down because when you do, your life will change in the most extraordinary ways. The energy, excitement, and pride you feel will be worth it!
So, go ahead, and make a list of all the things you need to do. Take a look at all the items in your place and prioritize. Choose – what do you want to do, and what isn’t a priority? If something is coming up about an item on the list, look at your why, decide if it’s valid, and then work the list with the seven steps to overcoming procrastination. Remember to take breaks to avoid burnout and remember to reward yourself afterward.
You’ve got this. No more groundhog day for you!
