Do you constantly find yourself procrastinating and not moving forward?
Picture this: You’re invited to make an important presentation for your work/business, you feel super excited and motivated because this was the opportunity you were looking for.
You start thinking about all the things you need to prepare in order to create an amazing presentation that wows everyone in the audience.
You know you need to start working on that pretty much straight away, even though it’s still a few weeks away.
But…
The little voice inside your head starts telling you things such as…
… Forget about it, it’s still a few weeks away, so “we” have plenty of time to get that done.
… Let’s focus on what we’re going to eat for lunch, or even better, the plans for the weekend, etc, etc, etc…(aka instant gratification).
The time starts ticking down, and your deadline is approaching rapidly.
And just like that, your presentation it’s around the corner.
So, you enter in a panic mode. You start feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious.
You know that even though there isn’t enough time, you have to come up with something.
And closer to the date, you JUST managed to finish it.
Phew!
What a relief!
Right?
We all have been in this situation and to be honest it isn’t the most pleasant one. So, in order to change these habitual patterns it’s important you understand what causes you to procrastinate.
Here are 4 reasons why you might be procrastinating and what to do about it:
1. The task is way too big, and you don’t even know where to start.
The best way to get you started is by breaking down your big projects into small steps that you feel more comfortable working on. Take some time to understand all the little tasks that are required to complete the big project you’re working on or the goal you’re trying to achieve, instead of overwhelming yourself trying to finish it all off in one go.
There is a great tool I like to use called *Mindmeister. It’s a great tool to brainstorm your ideas and thoughts in a very visual way. It allows you to organise and reorganise your thoughts and idea.
Note: If you haven’t used Mindmeister before, you can access a FREE training inside my exclusive Facebook Community “Unlock Your True Potential – Exclusively for Women“. In this training you’ll also learn how you can use this tool to set your goals effectively.
Once you know what needs to be done, you can schedule blocks of time to work on the small tasks you’ve identified. You’ll see how much easier it’s to work on them and you’ll feel more confident in your ability to complete them.
2. Fear
Fear of failure, fear of making mistakes (aka being perfectionist), fear of not having what it takes to succeed (aka imposter syndrome), fear of what people are going to say or think about you, etc.
Sound familiar?
When you’re doing something completely out of your comfort zone, fear and self-doubt are going to try to stop you from moving forward because it feels more comfortable to stay where you are. In these cases, procrastination only serves as a protection mechanism, so you end up not taking action.
The problem with this is that if you don’t try things out, you will never have the chance to improve them, to learn from your mistakes and to make them better. So, whatever it’s you are holding onto because you are scared of making mistakes or that it’s not perfect yet, etc, still go for it and see what happens.
Take action despite the fear.
I remember when I was about to release the very first video for my Facebook Page. I was completely terrified about what people might say or think. But, I decided that instead of holding myself back, I was going to practice and practice until I felt more comfortable recording videos. After a few attempts, I published the first one, even though it wasn’t perfect.
Once you take the first step, the next ones will be much easier. Plus your confidence grows as you do it more and more.
3. You get easily distracted
Do you feel like you have your mind in so many places at the same time?
In the world we live in now, it’s so easy to get distracted and lose sight of what’s actually important.
Having a personal system in place to help you manage those distractions effectively will help you maximise your productivity and beat procrastination.
When you start a new task, it takes some time for you to get it off the ground and get fully focused and concentrated on what you’re doing. When you reach that point, you start getting some traction.
This is the time when you start making progress and building some momentum.
But what happens if you suddenly get distracted by your phone or your email and you decide to quickly address that phone call or message and then go back to what you were doing?
You lose that momentum.
And after you lose momentum it’s harder for you to go back to where you were at. It’ll require more energy, effort and time to get that same task off the ground again.
So, here are a couple of things you can do to help you manage those distractions effectively:
1. Commit yourself to schedule blocks of time for those highly demanding tasks and stick to them, so you can maximise your focus.
2. Build daily routines that can help you create the discipline and consistency to maximise your results and avoid the distractions stopping you from moving forward.
4. Lack of Energy
Even when you have the time and focus to do your work, but your energy levels are low you will find yourself procrastinating.
It’s important to understand that when I talk about energy, I’m not only talking about your physical energy, I’m also talking about your mental, emotional and spiritual energy.
If you take this holistic approach to keep your energy levels up on a daily basis, you’ll see permanent and positive changes in the way you approach your day.
*Disclaimer: One of the links above is an affiliate link, meaning, at not additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.