I am such a procrastinator. Or am I not?

I am such a procrastinator.

Who isn't, right? I recently had this assignment to prepare, and the whole week, I found myself doing everything but this. The tipping point was yesterday, after going to the kitchen numerous times to pick up coffee, a piece of cake, a sandwich, and all sorts of things I didn't even want to eat! Soon after, I found myself measuring my office and surfing the internet for options for a new desk (do I even need one?). Argh!

I realized it was time to look at what was happening. I'm a coach, for God's sake. I should understand what's going on. So I decided to self-coach and asked myself what it was really about.?

"I am such a procrastinator." I thought. Does it happen to you too? Congratulations. You just put a label on it. But, be careful because if you repeat it many times enough to believe it, it might become part of your integral image of yourself - your identity. This is when things become tricky, as once your subconscious believes in it, you are a procrastinator (in the eyes of your mind). And voila! It's a perfect excuse?not to do?things. I don't do them because "I am a procrastinator," right? End of story. The image is coherent.?

I keep on asking, what is this really about? When we purposefully don't do something, there is a reason why we don't. Our nervous system (limbic system, to be precise) has stored a memory of something unpleasant: a feeling, a consequence, a belief that will reappear the moment the action in question is completed. It is a self-protecting mechanism of our body to save us from pain… It's pretty smart when you think about it.

So the next question I asked myself was why I was not doing this assignment.?

I ran a search function in my brain, which immediately showed this result: "The last time you did it, you were recovering for a week. Don't do it again. Error. Bad command or file name."?

Aha! This is a clue.?

Next question. Why was it so painful last time? Can I make it different this time? What do I know now that I didn't know before? What did I do the last time which caused the pain? Can I avoid it this time??

That's when it hit me. I realised that I was much brighter this time, and I knew exactly what to do/not do in order not to create the same painful situation again. I immediately felt better and more optimistic about the task once my mind had removed the obstacle.?

In 1 hour, I completed the assignment, which I was postponing for a week! Finally, I could take action because I discovered the "why not" that was blocking me.?

Now, here is a question for you. Does this process ring a bell? Are you really a procrastinator, or are you avoiding completing a task because your nervous system has a reason for not doing it??

If so, ask yourself this:

• Where else in my life does the same pattern show? What am I avoiding?
• Why am I avoiding it? What is the unpleasant memory of the last time I did it??
• What were the circumstances back then, and are they the same today?
• What can I change to make it different this time and build a positive association in my mind?

While the above is a helpful process when you want/have to move on with a task, sometimes you might discover the benefits of procrastinating for a while. So be kind to yourself and determine whether it's the right moment to take action or stay in the blissful state of procrastination for a little longer!