Procrastinating on the Procrastination Blog Post

I’ve been putting off writing the blog post on procrastinating as I wasn’t sure where to start.  Plus I was a little concerned I didn’t have enough to say or had enough expertise to really be talking about all of this. And then to top it all off,  I was called back on a project that I had wrapped up a couple of weeks ago to take care of an implementation issue. So, I lost some of my initial mojo on this topic.

Then I realized, all the reasons I had for procrastinating on this blog post were some of the most common reasons to procrastinate:

1. Some unresolved fear to be addressed (I’m also very afraid of ticks and have been procrastinating about the yard clean up too).
2. Not knowing where to start.
3. Getting distracted and then having to carve out time again to pursue the original effort.

Let’s dive into remedies for each of them because as my Dad always said “When you procrastinate you rob yourself of the benefit you want to create.”

• Fear.  For those of us who are perfectionists or of the “worrying” sort – there is a lot to be afraid of.  Procrastinating is a symptom.  It means we need to dive into the heart of our fear and set up risk management.  Here are some of the most common fears that create procrastination and some ideas on how to get over it to move on
  1. Fear of the Unknown – well this is the reason for Google and Chat Gpt.  For example, for this blog post, I asked Chat GPT the top ten reasons for procrastination (then ignored it and wrote this anyhow).  But I also have been studying about Ticks and how to mitigate my exposure to Ticks.  I found out they can live on rodents so I spread this anti rodent natural remedy all over the yard that was safe for humans and pets.  Now I’m waiting (not procrastinating) for it to work and then hoping for a cold snap to kill any ticks left behind – it got down to 35 F last night so it might be safe for me to clean the yard now.
  2. Fear of the Known – For example, it’s been a total hassle to deal with the airlines these days on any customer service issues.  It is what it is.  I can’t expect to be treated as I was five years ago. I know now, they call you back in an hour or two.  I prepared for this by making the call when I knew I’d still be around in an hour or two to take their  call back and mentally prepared myself for having to jump through several more hoops to get a refund they owed me for a flight they canceled.  This category also applies to phobias – like my phobia of ticks, snakes, and rodents.  If you’re procrastinating to avoid phobias – it’s time to get creative for handling phobias rather than using them to unconsciously self-sabotage with procrastination.
  3. Fear of a Bad Outcome -I suffer from this one as well with assembling furniture – just seeing an Ikea store can turn a sunny day gloomy. This is where some prior planning can come in handy.  For me, it’s using Task Rabbit when I accidentally acquire a “some assembly” required item. Another example is the PMP exam. Many people fear failing this, so they put off taking it. They know a very intelligent person who studied for years and still failed it.  We created a Risk Analysis video that talks about how to mitigate the risks associated with becoming PMP certified.  Do a similar risk analysis to mitigate the risks that could create a bad outcome.
  4. Fear of Success – There is comfort in the status quo. When achieving huge life changing goals, the enjoyable parts of existence may change as well.  So it’s common to feel hesitation and procrastinate because of a fear of success.  Being conscious of creating the type of life you’d prefer is part of going after big goals. Focusing on what to keep and what to leave behind can help address the fears of success.
• Not knowing where to start – This is funny as I don’t know where to start on the knowing where to start section.  So what did I do? I just started, even if it’s wrong, it’s a start.  At the core of not knowing where to start is thinking there is one right way to start and if it’s not done correctly, it may prevent ever being able to start. Starting the wrong way is better than not starting at all.  I’m the queen of learning a thousand ways of what doesn’t work.  What I do learn doing this are different approaches that often generate novel ideas that create very interesting  (and often entertaining) outcomes.  Here are some ideas on how to get started when there is no idea on where to start:
  • Backward from Perfect – when setting big goals, visualize five years out in the future having achieved the goal.  Make up a story of what happened going backward from that point to get an idea of the steps to take to get there.
  • Create a to-do list – keep it really simple.   The act of checking off small tasks gives a feel-good hit of dopamine and sets a habit of accomplishing little things that leads to accomplishing bigger things.  Start off the to-do list with self-care – like taking a shower, making the bed, putting gas in the car, filling up the bike tires, etc.
  • Time Box – Set aside one hour and turn off any distractions. Do whatever comes to mind during that hour in the direction of the goal.  Do that again the next day, and the day after that and the day after that.
• Derailing Distractions –  Distractions are often about instant gratification – yours or someone else’s.  The tips for this depend on who’s instant gratification is being satisfied.
  • Delay gratification – giving in to giving in wires the brain for giving in.  It creates long-term difficulties in being able to focus.  This applies to looking at social media, and instantly responding to texts, chats, or emails.  A little practice here goes a long way. Set up a time limit to look at social media, check email, texts or chat rather than responding as things come in.
  • Set office hours or “hot seat” hours – this is the time people who need your attention know you’ll be available to quickly respond to their needs.
  • Do a Daily Stand-Up Meeting –  spend 15 minutes before starting the day reflecting on what went well yesterday, what is planned for today, and any obstacles that may impact today’s tasks.  If working with others, invite them to participate in this meeting.

We each have our own procrastination demons to conquer.  It’s worth it to stop procrastinating and vanquish these demons.

Find out your Procrastination Profile.  Take this. short survey.

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, CVL, CAC, PMI-ACP, RYT

Chief Cheetah, www.cheetahlearning.com