The real reason you procrastinate (and what to do about it)
Ashleigh Tennent
Founder of More Happi. Coach and speaker. Follow for insights on building a high performing coaching culture as you scale.
Imagine a world where procrastination doesn't exist.
Your productivity is higher than Mount Everest ???
What task would you complete first?
It's time to get curious
What if instead of beating yourself up for procrastinating, you viewed it as a smoke signal?
A great big whopping red flag telling you to?revisit?the task at hand and search for clues, rather than stay stuck in the same shame spiral (we've all been there) unable to move forward.
Let's begin!
?? First, think of a task you're procrastinating on right now.
When you think about the task, what comes up?
?? I'm confused.
?? I'm anxious.
?? I find the task boring.
1. “I'm confused…”
Confusion can manifest when we receive vague briefs. I’m talking:
?? No deadline(s).
?? No goals/desired outcomes.
?? No gauge on priority/importance, etc.
Asking for a clearly defined brief ALWAYS works out as a win-win for everyone in the end. Drill down:
As much as we would all love to be able to read minds, alas, we cannot.
2. “I'm anxious…”
This is where coaching comes in mighty handy. Our brains can sometimes zoom from A-Z, racing to the finish line and skipping all of the little steps in between.?Cue?anxiety?and?overwhelm.
This means that the anxiety of putting the ‘thing’ out there subconsciously shuts down the doing of the ‘thing’.
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In this case, it helps to?fast-forward?to the?finished result?and?flip the script.
?? What could be the best-case scenario?
?? What wisdom could I take from the result (good & bad)?
?? Who might lose out if the task is never completed?
I also suggest?breaking down the task?into smaller bitesize chunks, each with its own mini deadline. Yes, it’ll take an extra 5/10 minutes, but turning your mountain of a task into manageable pebbles works a treat!
3. “I'm bored…”
Not necessarily a red flag 100% of the time (some tasks really are just boring) but it’s a good idea to remind yourself?why?you’re doing it AND if it's still important.
?? How will you benefit from completing the yawn-worthy task? What might it enable you to do?
?? Is it still something you want/care about?
?? Is it something that can be parked for later?
?? Hack your motivation:
If it’s something you need to do - i.e. pay bills, send?that?email, etc - then good news! I have a nifty motivation hack for this too.
Initially created for people with ADHD,?'Eat the cake'?entails beginning with a task you?enjoy?(hello dopamine) and riding the high to help you start the task you’ve been putting off.
?? Just remember to?set a timer?and choose a task that won’t take all day! (Think of a?slice?of cake, not the whole thing.)
Coach lab questions for your fortnight:
A little bit about me (your guide)
For those of you I haven't met yet, I'm Ashleigh, founder of More Happi :) Nice to meet you! ??
I’ve worked across 9 industry start-up sectors, ranging from fashion trend forecasting, to wool, tampons, sustainable lightbulbs and more.
I trained to be a coach in 2020, after over 20 years in Product, Marketing and Leadership roles.
I noticed something that irked me.
Coaching is transformational for people’s life and career.
But the coaching industry was broken. ??
Due to high costs, only the usual suspects at the top of organisations were able to benefit from the superpowers that professional coaching brings — fuelling a vicious circle of privilege that sustains the status quo and leaves everyone else behind.
It wasn’t fair. So I’m fixing it. And so far, thousands have benefitted.
Interested in learning more about how coaching is transforming the lives of individuals and businesses? Discover more here .
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