Someday is not a Day of the Week - Janet Dailey.

So many of us consciously delay working on something important that we know should take priority, and yet we focus on urgent emails, work through easy stuff, or maybe we don’t work at all and binge on YouTube instead.

Logically, it makes no sense and yet becomes a pattern in our lives.  We start labelling ourselves as a procrastinator, and it becomes part of our identity.  “I’m a procrastinator, so I always leave everything to the last minute”.  Try avoiding delay with your work when you have that operating system running in the back of your mind…

So why do we procrastinate?  Humans are basic (I say with love 💕).  We are usually either seeking pleasure or trying to avoid pain so understanding the attraction to procrastination is easy.  Working on growing your client base and feeling stuck?  Let’s take a break, grab an early lunch, or message a friend.

Some of us will argue that we work better under stress and defend our decision to leave something to the last minute, believing that’s how we create our best work but that's an illusion

We get our “best work” done in those moments because we have created urgency through our delay, and we don’t have time to waste on perfection.  Our belief that it's our best work and that we work better under stress is just that – a belief.  This model works for many people because they can manage their need for perfectionism through procrastination, but the problem is that they are creating a false sense of stress. 

The obvious downside of procrastinating is that we don’t get our work done.  It also has some hidden costs packed in as well, namely the stress we create for ourselves because we haven’t finished the work, the undermining of our belief in ourselves that we will do stuff when we plan and the evidence we keep creating for ourselves that we are a “procrastinator”.

Some help, please!  Part of the solution is training your brain to find joy in taking action. Actions lead to results and growth.  Taking action means we will try things and learn along the way.  Action leads to a forward trajectory in your business and life.  How will you feel when you have completed this task?  Satisfied?  Proud?  Accomplished?  How are you going to celebrate?

Try it out.  Pick a task you have been delaying and start exploring what action you can take to get it done.  Start with something smaller, so it’s easier for you to accomplish and get a quick win.  Imagine how good you will feel when it’s done and use that as fuel to motivate your actions.

Let me know how this works for you, and if you are interested in finding out more solutions for overcoming your pattern of procrastinating, book some time for a chat with me HERE.