How I deal with procrastination as a startup founder

As a startup founder, you’re involved in every aspect of the business, from developing your product to managing finances, looking for customers, and building a team. When things don’t go according to plan in one area (and they almost never do), you switch to another task and keep rolling. However, when the majority of things don’t work, you cannot just switch to another area to keep yourself busy. That’s when it starts to feel like everything is falling apart, and you have no idea what to do. Once you enter this locked mind state, procrastination takes over, leading to stress and missed opportunities. This is a danger zone for most people because you can enter a negative feedback loop if not handled properly.

Understanding how to tackle procrastination is crucial to maintaining productivity and driving your business forward. I have been through this multiple times, and here are some causes to look out for, along with remedies that work for me.

Lack of structure

Without a structured routine, it's challenging to prioritise tasks and manage time effectively. It might be counterintuitive because events in the world of startups and entrepreneurship are often unpredictable, but that is precisely why having an explicit routine is important. You have a deadline here, a WhatsApp message there. Maybe you’re reading something relevant for your business or watching a YouTube video that helps you with a task, but then you get distracted by irrelevant content. Before you know it, you haven’t accomplished anything but wasted a lot of time.

Every evening, I write down the goals I want to accomplish or the tasks I want to finish the next day, ordered by urgency and their impact on the business. Doing this in the evening means I don’t have to dwell on it in the morning, preserving my sharpness for the day. In the morning, I don’t decide what I should do, I just start. Of course, things might change during the day, and it's okay if you end up with a slightly different schedule.

The illusion of progress

There is a big difference between progress and the illusion of progress. When you have created a lot of work to keep yourself busy and make yourself feel like you are moving forward, that does not mean that this work is valuable and that you are actually progressing.?

Whenever you create tasks, always think whether and how they will be able to help you reach specific goals. That might be, acquire 10 customers before the end of the month or increase the profit margin by 20% by the end of the year. This will help you keep the vision clear and help you avoid doing things that don’t really add value to your business.

Fear of embarrassment?

This one is a real challenge for me. We are naturally wired to avoid any embarrassment or shame, and because of that we often are afraid to stand for our ideas or beliefs and care too much what other people might think. This leads us to overthink whether we should do something or not. We end up overanalysing the situation and prevent moving forward.

The reality is, if people don’t like what you do or stand for, most often, they won’t even think about you, so it doesn’t matter. I like to think for a second that I am 70 years old, looking back at my life. Will I care about the moments I was embarrassed? Probably not, but I will definitely regret not trying. Besides, in today’s crazy world, it’s quite hard to get embarrassed.

Decision fatigue

Constant decision-making can drain your energy, making it tempting to avoid tasks altogether. This is especially troublesome if the first few decisions of the day are hard or contain a lot of unknown variables.?

I have not found a good remedy for this one yet.

Team members are not aligned or underdelivering

What is worse than having too much work with an approaching deadline? Having no work with an approaching deadline. This can happen whenever your progress depends on other people like your co-founders, employees, suppliers or even clients, and they are late on their promise or do not see eye to eye on certain decisions. What you end up with is a locked state where you cannot progress toward your goals, leaving you with even more stress and anxiety.

Ensuring clear and regular communication can help reduce stress and align faster with your counterparts. I like to have a quick follow up every morning with my team members. This might not be possible with your suppliers or customers but agreeing on a fixed follow up meeting in the beginning of your partnership will help ensure smoother communication.

Things just don’t work

Some days, nothing works. Your code, the cloud storage, the hosting service, the internet … Some days it feels like the universe is saying no. In that case, just go for a walk.

Overall, procrastination can be a major hurdle for startup founders, but by identifying its causes and implementing effective remedies, you can maintain productivity and keep your business on track. Establishing a structured routine, distinguishing real progress from busy work, and fostering clear communication with your team are key strategies to overcome procrastination. While challenges like decision fatigue and fear of embarrassment may still arise, focusing on your long-term goals and the reason you started in the first place will help you move forward.

Disclaimer: I have not figured out “the formula” for productivity and still struggle with being unproductive or ‘falsely productive’. Share your thoughts and methods you use to stay productive and accomplish your goals faster in the comments.

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