If there is one thing that can derail your life transformation plans it’s procrastination.
It shows up whenever you are unsure of yourself, when something is difficult or sometimes just hard work.
In this episode, we look into what procrastination is, how it can show up so you can recognise when you’re succumbing to it, and I share with you the top four techniques that I swear by to make sure procrastination does not stop you achieving your new life goals!
If you constantly allow yourself to get thrown off track going after less important things when you know you should be working on making your ideal career and life happen, this episode is for you!
So stop delaying and hit play!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Procrastination description https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastination
Accountability coaches Ali Schiller and Marissa Boisvert:https://www.businessinsider.com/main-types-of-procrastinators-how-to-avoid-accountability-coaches?r=US&IR=T
Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy https://amzn.to/3bXjDnG
The One Thing https://amzn.to/3oa8zcQ
How to Get Control of Your Time & Your Life by Alan Lakein
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Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline, usually because it’s unpleasant, difficult or boring. You do this knowing that it will not be good for you to delay the inevitable and that you will eventually have to get it done, so you are hurting yourself in the long run.
According to Wikipedia, the word has originated from the Latin word procrastinatus, which itself evolved from the prefix pro-, meaning "forward," and crastinus, meaning "of tomorrow. That reminds me of another word, ‘Manuana’ which is the Spanish word for tomorrow and is commonly used to talk about putting things off until tomorrow. As there is always tomorrow to get things done, right!.
The first thing you need to know is that procrastination can show up in different ways. Accountability coaches Ali Schiller and Marissa Boisvert have divided them into 4 types:
1. The performer who says, "I work well under pressure" This type forces themselves to focus by shrinking the time they have to tackle a task. Exactly as I used to think when leaving projects to the last minute!
2. The self-deprecator who says, "I am so lazy right now" This procrastinator really beats themselves up over how lazy they are and how frustrated they are that they have not done what they should have done. Often they are the opposite of lazy and are blaming their inaction on laziness rather than admit they are tired or even unwell
3. The overbooker who says, "I'm so busy" When busy-ness comes up as an excuse for not doing something, it's usually an indication of avoidance. Rather than facing a challenge head on or admitting you don't want to do something, it's easier to place the blame on having other important things to do. It’s important for you to understand and identify what you are actually avoiding.
4. The novelty seeker has a case of Shiny Object Syndrome. They're constantly coming up with new projects or ideas to take on. However, they end up inadvertently losing a lot of time and burning out because they don't take consistent action in one direction long enough to see results.
These categorisations are a useful way to break down how procrastination can show up , but I don’t think that you are just one type, I think it depends on the circumstances how you react. My procrastination has shown up as all of those types at one time or another.
What about you? Do you recognise the way you procrastinate? Have you found yourself avoiding getting things done by saying you’re too busy, or getting distracted with things that seem more interesting or do you think your super power lies in that last minute inspiration? Or maybe you are always really hard on yourself saying you are lazy if you are not getting your tasks done?
So I hear you ask, what can you do when you’re tempted to avoid doing what you know needs to be done? Procrastination is a habit and habits can be changed, but some people have it more ingrained than others and it can be hard to shift completely.
I have come to the conclusion over the years that my instinct will always be to procrastinate when I have something difficult to tackle but although i have not found a cure, I have learnt a variety of techniques that help me kick my procrastination demon to the kerb when he raises his ugly head!
The first is the Pomodoro Technique, which was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, but has become very popular in recent years. The name comes from the Italian word for 'tomato', after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a university student. This technique is great if you are dreading doing something that is difficult or will take you out of your comfort zone but needs to be done. The idea is you break your workday into 25-minute chunks separated by five-minute breaks. These intervals are referred to as pomodoros. After about four pomodoros, you take a longer break of about 15 to 20 minutes.
The theory behind this is that by working in timed bursts, there is a sense of urgency and you are less likely to get distracted by other tasks or social media during the 25min focus time. In addition, it’s far easier to face something difficult if you know it is not for long. Once you are into it you usually find some flow. But it’s important to take the breaks when the timer goes so you get into the habit of working in this way. You can use your timer on your phone, or there are a load of apps that allow you to set timers for time management and productivity. My favourite is Forest which can be used on IOS and Android or there is also Focus Keeper on IOS or Pomodoro Timer Lite for android
I know it can sound a bit controlled and overkill and to be honest I don’t work this way all the time, as I do like to have more freedom for creativity sometimes. But when you need to focus and get something done that you really feel like procrastinating on, then it is a really great method.
Next up is the Swiss Cheese technique. Think about the type of hard cheese that has lots of holes in it. This is great when you struggle getting started on a project because it seems too big or too difficult. It comes from Alan Lakein’s book: “How to Get Control of Your Time & Your Life” He advises that if you are putting off starting a project or task, poke holes in it like Swiss cheese. In other words, come at it from different angles and bitesize easy ways. The holes represent small parts of this task that take small chunks of time. Once you have made a few holes, the overall task will seem less scary or difficult. Whatever you will find the easiest to start from then do it. So write out all the tasks you need to do then choose a few that will take you a short time to complete. They can be from any part of the project as long as they are easy to do. For example, if you were baking a cake you may make the icing or decide how you are decorating it or get all the ingredients weighed out first. Or if you are writing a book you may start on a chapter half way through if you know exactly what will happen then, but are not sure how the book will start. Once started, invariably the ideas start to flow and you shake off the demon. I love this technique and it really works!
This next one is more challenging but powerful. It’s time to ‘Eat That Frog’! Mark Twain once said “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first. Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
Author Brian Tracy used this quote as a basis for the Eat that Frog method in his book of the same name . The frog is that one thing you have to do that you don’t want to do for whatever reason, but that you need to do. If you are delaying something that you are dreading, like making a phone call to a difficult client, or writing a really critical part of presentation or book, get it done first thing in the day, before you get a chance to overthink it and blow up in your mind too much. Eating the frog means to just do it, otherwise the frog will eat you meaning that you’ll end up procrastinating it the whole day which can leave you feeling frustrated, stuck and angry at yourself. I know you’ve felt that way at some time or another, all you can think about is what you haven't done and your dread grows bigger and bigger distracting you from your other tasks in the day. Eating the frog early can leave you feeling exhilarated and you get even more done on the back of the adrenaline rush you get from swallowing that frog. So give it a try!
Last up is The one Thing method. This is based on the book, the one thing by Gary Peller. As it sounds like, it means choosing the one thing you will get done that day. This is to beat the symptoms of ‘bright shiny object syndrome’ when you are distracted from what you should be doing, because you spot equally interesting and important other tasks or projects. You end up starting lots of things and never finishing them. The one thing method gets you to think about the one thing you must do that day that will move the dial most for you in your life, career or business, and you can’t do anything else until its done. Of other ideas occur to you, you can write them down to pursue later but not derail you.
The book encourages you to ask yourself the question, What's the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" , then spend at least four hours of the day on that one thing. This is really powerful, as if you are honest with yourself when you answer the question, you will know what you should be working on and can use one or more of the other techniques I have mentioned to get started and keep going.
All of these techniques are to help you focus on what’s important, get started, keep going and get to the finish line well before the deadline. They’ve been invaluable to me and I pull them out all the time to help me battle my delay demon.
The bottom line is..
When you’re making big changes in your life, the procrastination demon will show up more often as big changes can feel overwhelming. It’s natural to shy away from things that seem hard or scary. The important thing is to realise when you feel that demon raising his head, recognise how he is showing up and take the appropriate action to stop him from derailing your plans to achieve your goals and dreams.
That’s it for this week. Join me in the next episode and remember, everyone deserves to live their passion, so get started this is your time!
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