📚Let's Tackle That Procrastination Temptation
We all struggle with procrastination. True confession: I do my best writing when I'm working on a deadline.
That’s why I’ve come up with five ways you can fight procrastination right now, today:
1. Accept the possibility of failure.
We don’t want
to disappoint people—especially ourselves.
People often self-sabotage to prevent the possibility of failure. This way, they feel in control and can say, “I failed because I didn’t try.”
Most
people’s worst fear is failing after trying their best and working their hardest. When this happens, our thinking shifts to “There’s something wrong with me,” or “I’m not good enough,” which can send us spiraling.
This malady plagues so, so many writers. Their fear of failure stymies their ability to finish their manuscript and they stumble into a sinkhole of
doubt and overthinking.
Remember that done is better than perfect, and good is good enough. Contrary to procrastination's seductive lie, trying and failing is better than not trying at all.
READ. THAT. AGAIN!!
2. Feel those negative emotions, then move on.
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, author of Whole Brain Living, found in her research that most feelings only last 90 seconds. If you’re feeling them longer
than that, you’re running mental thought loops or experiencing stimuli that set the feeling off again.
One of my wife's favorite sayings is, "Everyone gets to choose."
To a large extent, all of
us choose how we feel our feelings. When we should feel and deal with them is often right at the time we feel them.
Negative emotions such as fear, guilt, and doubt make procrastination look like a good alternative. Then, we don’t have to face our feelings right away and can hope they’ll just go away on their own.
Can you spot the lie again?
Avoiding those uncomfortable emotions doesn’t mean they go away—it means we lose control over how and when they affect our lives.
To stop procrastinating, set a timer for 90 seconds to feel your negative emotions. Once the time is up, let them go and get to work.
Remind yourself that you are doing something you love and that love is hard work. It often doesn’t feel good or easy in the moment, but in the long run, it’s
the better choice.
3. Keep your priorities straight.
Which is better—completing your goals or doing what feels good right now?
In the Hebrew
Bible, the prophet Jeremiah wrote, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure."
Following what feels good—even following your heart—can lead you away from what is best.
Most of us
will admit that temporary discomfort is worth long-term gain, though we don’t make minute-by-minute decisions that way.
If we truly acknowledged what we’re giving up every time we procrastinate—an opportunity to succeed at a goal in the limited time we have—we might choose differently.
Your task is more important than the momentary discomfort you feel when working on it. Trust me—and more importantly, trust yourself. You made the decision to commit to this goal; honor that by following through.
4. Break the task down into baby steps and schedule it out.
It’s easy to procrastinate on big tasks because they’re complex. Break this cycle by completing one small step at a time on a schedule.
Think Bob Wiley's words from the movie "What About Bob?":
"Baby steps get on the bus, baby steps down the aisle, baby steps..."
Your job is to separate the big task (finish your manuscript) into its smallest parts (e.g., write one paragraph in the next 30 minutes). If you can’t complete the task within the time limit, make the task easier (e.g., write the paragraph’s topic sentence and three main points).
Find the smallest thing you can do today to contribute to your goal and increase that over time. People succeed at big things only after succeeding at small things—don’t underestimate the power of completing small tasks.
5. Underpromise and overdeliver—to yourself.
When writing, you are your own boss. It’s easy to set unattainable goals and fall short (one of my many issues!).
Most things take longer to do than we are willing to admit. Instead of getting frustrated when you don’t accomplish
something in the allotted timeframe, notice how long it took when you were focused and really trying. With this information, you can better estimate how much time you need to complete similar tasks in the future.
Setting realistic timeframes and expectations means you have a better chance of achieving your goals, and having a track record of completing tasks
shows yourself that you can git 'er done.
People shoot too high and miss far too often, which creates a cycle of disappointment, discouragement, and anxiety—all of which makes it harder to try again the next time. Be honest about what you can complete today, and remember that change happens in small increments.
Don’t know where to start? You’re not alone. There are so many decisions involved in taking a book from idea to published product—we can take some of the load off your back.
If you want a team of guides to help you bring your story or message to the
masses, DON'T PROCRASTINATE.
Click below and let's talk.
