EP.05 - Five Tips to Prevent Procrastination

Do you have a problem with procrastination?

Many people struggle with procrastination, and it can be a tough habit to break, causing a lot of discomfort and suffering for so many people. 

It's not that we don't want to do the things we need to do, it's just that we can't seem to get ourselves started. So in this episode, I want to share with you five tips to incorporate in your life to flip the switch on procrastination.

If you're struggling with procrastination like me, give these five tips a try and see if it helps you, too!

TRANSCRIPT

Well, hello, hello, hello! We are back on the Fearlessly Curious podcast, and today I asked this very important question. Do you have a problem with procrastination? I do. And let's talk about it because I know that procrastination causes a lot of discomfort, a lot of suffering for so many people and there are different levels of discomfort and pain that procrastination causes.

First of all, not getting that stuff done that you need to get done and so you get yourself in trouble and the domino effect of not delivering things to a timeline, it doesn't just affect you, it affects everybody who's involved in that project and that conversation, everybody is affected. And then of course, are there other repercussions of that, which is your guilt, may be the shame that you feel.

And then the self-deprecating journey of downward spiraling thoughts that you have about yourself. How terrible you are, how unreliable you are, how ineffective, inefficient. How irresponsible and the list goes on and on and on, and then the self-hate comes, and then, yeah, it's just not even worth mentioning, right?

So procrastination leaves no one unscathed. So today we're going to flip the switch on procrastination. Here we go. Five tips here.

And I think the most important one is to get really clear on why you're doing this task, why you're doing this project. The minute that you tell yourself I have to do it because, well, there you go. I have to do it. That's already causing tension within your system.

We ultimately want to create, we want to do things, we want to act from a place of joy, from a place of service. So if your why behind that task or project is because I have to, then I invite you to explore a different perspective.

If the narrative behind doing something is because you should, there's another terrible, terrible word, then again, you're creating tension, that is not an inspiring tension. It's not motivational. So drop the word should, find a different perspective. Find the joy, find the service. Make it not about you. Make it about the people that are going to benefit, not because you think you should do it, and not because you feel you have to. Step into a place of power. Choose to do it. Procrastination will not have a space to show up when you find a purpose in that task, find a purpose behind that project. So that's the first tip - ask yourself the why, find the why, connect with the why.

The second tip is to create a routine, a set number of steps and in a very particular order. That way you eliminate any possibilities of not doing it. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to do it. I haven't got time, right? You've got a ritual, you've got a routine. It's very, very clearly set out. There are no spaces for any excuses whatsoever.

Tip number three, oh my gosh. Remove your distractions. I know it might seem really obvious, but sometimes the most obvious, the simplest things are the ones that we miss. So phone, don't just put it in airplane mode, okay? Get it out of the vicinity of your point of view. Put it in the next room. You want to tell everybody in your house that you cannot be disturbed for X amount of time.

You want to make sure you're rested. That is super, super important because a mind and a body that isn't rested is very easily distracted. You could be distracted by daydreaming, so you want to make sure that you're rested. You want to make sure that you're hydrated as well. Keeping hydrated keeps the brain sharp, and when your brain is sharp, it's much easier for you to get focused.

How else to remove distractions, food, anything at all that you feel stands out in your environment, remove it. We want to keep the environment that you're working in, that you're focused in very, very streamlined, very clean, kind of boring. That way you can't be distracted.

Okay, the fourth tip. You've got to take breaks. Okay? It's really, really important to take breaks. Why? Because most of the time when we're hyper focused on something and working really hard, especially when it's something that maybe doesn't come naturally to us, it's very easy for your system to go into autopilot to go into sort of this automated mode so when you take scheduled breaks, then you give yourself an opportunity, first of all, to move your body, shake up the system, and also focus back on your breath.

When we are hyper focused, we tend to breathe very shallow and we breathe very shallow. Our body, our system is not getting any oxygen and that's when we can start to get tired, eyes get heavy, and be distracted. So taking short breaks helps us keep motivated, helps us to boost the energy in your body to get the task done.

And the last thing, the most important thing I feel that can really help with procrastination is to celebrate. You want to celebrate your wins. You want to feel good every step of the way that you are taking this task on, that you are progressing with this project, right? Don't wait for the project to end before you celebrate it.

Every task, every step is a milestone for you to acknowledge an honor. And so the fact that you've accomplished each step is a big win, and by celebrating that win, you acknowledge your ability and when you acknowledge your ability, you inspire and you motivate yourself to go onto the next step. Always, always celebrate your wins. It is super, super important.

Now you and I both know that this podcast is called Fearlessly Curious, right? And my value here, and the whole purpose of this is for us to be able to show up in life authentically. So we're getting curious about the little nuances, the little practices, the little habits, the struggles we have in life that are blocking us from showing up with fearless authenticity. So how does procrastination play in?

Well, when we procrastinate. We find ways to block ourselves with showing up. For example, I know that I need to do this podcast, but there are certain items of doing this podcast that I don't enjoy doing, and so when I focus on what I don't like, I'm uninspired, and so I procrastinate the recording process.

If however, by procrastinating, I run back on my timeline and I've kind of sabotaged my purpose cos I'm not focusing on my why. I'm focusing on the stuff that I don't like. In order for me to show up authentically, in order for me to show up for you in this Fearlessly Curious podcast, I incorporate those five tips.

I remember my why. This isn't about me and what I don't like. This is about the impact that doing this podcast, that showing up and recording it and responding to your questions is having on your life.

I want to be the person I didn't have when I was struggling. That is my why. So I focus on that. I set up my routine. I have set days and set times, and I sit down and I record my episodes. There are certain steps that I take. People know not to call me, not to disturb me. I put my phone in the other room.

My phone is nowhere near me. I have a glass of water handy and all the fun, funky ornaments that I would normally have on my desk, I get rid of.

I take short breaks. I get up, I move, I stretch. Maybe I put my hand, one hand on my heart, one hand on my belly, take a couple of breaths, three deep breaths, and then I get straight back into it again. I don't break for too long because I'll get distracted. So short, sharp breaks, and of course, finally every step of the way, I celebrate.

When I take my break, I tell myself, yeah, you've recorded X number of minutes. Well done. We're nearly there and I definitely celebrate big time every time I finish recording an episode. Because I naturally feel good, it actually releases endorphins in my body. Cause I feel so good that I completed the very thing that in my mind, I created a whole difficulty over and I would've been so close to procrastinating.

So yes, that is how, if we don't know about the tools and incorporate the tools that help us navigate procrastination, then it's going to get in the way of us showing up with fearless authenticity to be the person you are meant to.

So if you have a problem with procrastination, these are five tips for you to incorporate in your life to flip the switch on procrastination. Don't forget to let me know if you found this helpful, but far more importantly, make sure you share this so people who are really struggling with procrastination can flip the switch live with more passion and show up with fearless authenticity. See you on the next episode

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About Me:

I help women lead with fearless authenticity by smashing the self-imposed heteronormative stereotypes that keep you playing small through emotional healing inner child and inherited intergenerational trauma. Create a purposeful life of your unique design by disrupting societal norms and expectations of who you should be. Explore mindfulness, fearless curiosity and loving kindness through the lens of Human Design to thrive as the person you are born to be.

Learn more about my coaching method and join my emotional healing, mindfulness, and music community at melissaindot.com.