Procrastination and Fear

Procrastination.

Do you put things off until the last minute?

Do you have a big list of things you need to do, but just can’t seem to make any progress on it?

How can you remain focused and get more done?

The first step is to sort out why you are getting distracted. Is this procrastination, or is it too many tasks and not knowing where to start?

A little of both?

I find that it works to make a list of things I need to do that day, in order of importance. I knock out the most difficult thing first, while I’m still fresh and while my kids are still at school. Then, if the day starts to get away from me, or I get tired, I’ve checked off the most important stuff.

Another problem is that you could be, quite simply, overbooking yourself.

You may have good intentions, but you’re just not capable of getting that much stuff done in one day, making you perpetually behind.

A BIG reason behind real procrastination is fear.

FEAR.

You put off that prospect call because you’re afraid you’ll mess it up.

You put off sending that proposal because you’re afraid the client will think your prices are too high.

You put off ___ because ___. Go ahead and fill in your own blanks. I know we all go through this. In fact, you can journal about it every day. Keep a log and look for patterns.

What kinds of things do you procrastinate on the most?

It’s perfectly normal and more common than you might think. The real trick is learning how to stop the fear from freezing you in place.

The answer lies in how you push past the fear.

Don’t think you’re never going to feel the fear. You will.

As soon as you get comfortable with one thing, something else will come along to scare you again.

What you need to do is learn how to work THROUGH the fear, so it doesn’t hold you back.

One simple way to begin doing this is to acknowledge it. Just say, “Hey, I see you fear. I hear you. But I’m not gonna let you get me down today.”

You take a lot of power of it when you admit it.

Try saying, “Even though I am afraid to ___, I’m going to do it anyway and I know that whatever happens, I will be okay.”

See if you can reframe your fear. You’d be amazed at how much more you get done!