Part 1 of this series about procrastination dealt with some strategies on how to overcome the “Habit of Procrastination”. I’d like to dig a bit deeper this time and address the possible causes of procrastination and how to blast through the things holding you back.

The Revelation of Procrastination: If you are putting something off, maybe there is something underneath that you aren’t aware of. Sometimes procrastination is really a signal that you may be on a mindset land mine! I’ll give you an example – imagine you have a big project to do that would generate a nice chunk of $. Suddenly, in spite of all the pushing and encouragement from those around you, inertia sets in. No matter what you do, this puppy isn’t getting pushed out! If you use the process below, you can discover what’s underneath.

1. Acknowledge you are stuck.
2. Find the ‘part’ of you that is stuck or blocked.
3. Ask what it’s afraid of?
4. Ask what it’s trying to protect you from?
5. Listen for the answer…even if it seems a bit crazy to you.

What you may discover is that there is a part of you who feels undeserving of that success and the $ that was coming in. The procrastination is just the part’s way of keeping you safe. (This is a big coaching trick I use when my clients are stuck! If you discover you can’t move past this, you may want to have a Mindset Breakthrough Session, and we’ll knock it out!)

Do I have you on the edge of your seat to find out in my next post about how procrastination can actually serve you, if you let it? Stay tuned for part 3, “The Perfection of Procrastination”.

Blessings,
Therese

Ah, the dreaded “P” word…something that all entrepreneurs struggle with from time to time.

I thought I’d tackle the issue, but in a different way than most. We will look at it from three different perspectives. Ready? Here we go…

The Habit of Procrastination: Do you “plan your work and work your plan” or do you wait till the inspiration hits before you crank out your work product? Ever hear of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? It’s a wonderful tool to understand your personality type. I wonder if some procrastination is just related to personality differences. If you know the “MBTI,” you will know that personality and certain characteristics are innate/inborn. Those who are “J’s” in this system are the ones who schedule their time, block out projects, love structure, and again….plan their work. The other style, or those of us who are “P’s” in MBTI lingo- seem to have a bit of a harder time. We are the multi-taskers, read five books at a time, and don’t necessarily like to close off our options long enough to buckle down and do one project at a time. I suspect that we may be a bit more challenged with problems procrastinating. (My example is this newsletter – I ‘should’ write it every two weeks on a schedule, but it’s more my style to wait till the inspiration hits for the articles to come. I am going to be moving to a more structured way of doing it – with a bit of friendly nagging from my team – but it’s not my natural way of working.)

Why do I reference the Myers-Briggs? Because some of the challenges you have with procrastination may be in trying to be what you are not, or by hearing that “this is the way to manage your time” but finding that it makes you feel like there’s a noose around the neck of your creativity. The goal is to create a system that works for you. Here’s an example….some people can work on a task and so they block off hours and work straight till it gets done. Others would have to work in 15 minute chunks and allow for getting up periodically or letting in a few distractions to keep them energized. The goal is to find what works for YOU! Play with timers, accountability, telling people ahead of time, rewards, and even little punishments if you blow it. It all depends on what motivates you, so try different things until you find the environment that pulls you forward and minimizes your tendency to put things off.

Keep an eye out for my next post where I shed some light on “The Revelation of Procrastination”. Just don’t put it off for too long… : )
Blessings,
Therese