Paralyzed by Procrastination?
What do you think it takes to prevent or avoid procrastinating?
The answer I’m about to give you is probably not what you expected.
I had discovered a couple of years ago that the solution to procrastination was NOT more discipline.
Here’s the story that led to my discovering the simple solution to this recurring problem:
I had been asked to design a workshop for an organization, to which I had happily agreed. This organization asked me to send them the workshop outline before they finalized plans, to which I also happily agreed.
Then I ran into trouble. Try as I might, I just could not get myself to sit down and write this outline.
As the deadline approached, I despaired! I called my friend for help and advice — and as I was complaining to her about my lack of motivation and discipline, she asked me what exactly I needed to do.
When I tried to answer her question, I realized what was going on: I wasn’t unmotivated, undisciplined or lazy; I just wasn’t clear about what I needed to do.
Without the specifics, each time I attempted to write this workshop outline, I got stuck.
So the solution was not “trying harder” — it was calling the organization and asking for some more information about what exactly they wanted.
Once I had this information, my problem with procrastination magically disappeared.
I realized then that the solution to preventing procrastination is simply being curious.
A Powerful Tutorial
First, do this:
When you find yourself procrastinating, use these questions as a starting point to explore and understand what’s really going on:
- What am I trying to accomplish? And why?
- Do I know how to do this (i.e. do I have all the information, the know-how, etc.)?
- Is this something I can do by myself? If not, who can help me and in what ways?
To take it a level deeper, try this:
Be curious in more than one way: listen to your body.
The sick feeling in the stomach, the fidgetiness, the restlessness — these are all examples of our bodies trying to say something.
| Many of us rarely pause to pay attention to these feelings. Instead, we distract ourselves by doing something else (usually “busy work”), or try to actively ignore these feelings, or squash them, or power through them.
But as you probably know already, none of these tactics usually work. In fact, far from going away, the feelings get stronger and make us feel worse. So pay attention to how you feel physically, when you find yourself procrastinating. Read “Stretching Lessons” by Sue Bender for inspiration and ideas. |
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