Procrastination Frustration

Is procrastination frustration something that you relate with?

It's stressful.
It consumes mental & emotional energy.
It can lead to feeling a lot of unnecessary guilt.

The things that have been on your list for so long & make you feel frustrated with yourself when they come to mind.

The things that you think about when you are resting and feeling guilty for resting because you STILL don't have them done.

The negative self-talk that comes up around not being able to keep up with the things you want to...beating yourself up about it only making you feel worse.

If you feel any of these things, you are not alone. I hear this all the time.

How would it feel to get these things done?
To release the feelings of stress & guilt?

Really, think about that for a sec. How would it feeeeel?

I want to help you feel some hope and take some action so that you can knock out the list, and feel the good feels with some mindset shifts and some actionable tips.

Sometimes a simple shift in mindset & perception is like gold.

I have a few questions for you.....

How much of your mental space & energy does it take to have the procratination list without acting on it?

How often do you feel stress or anxiety over not getting these things done?

How draining can that feel for you?

How much energy would it take to actually just DO the thing?

So often the things that we procrastinate doing can actually take less energy to just DO them than it does to continually THINK about doing them.

How does that statement land with you?
I've found that there's a lot of truth in this.

While the things on your procrastination list do take actual physical energy & time, understand how much mental energy it can take and how much stress it can cause you to not make movement on them. This can affect how you feel about yourself and how focused you are in your daily life with everything else.

How do you want to spend your energy?

Shifting your mindset here can go a long way.

When I begin working with new clients, one of the items on their intake form is "Name 5 things that you have been procrastinating" because I know how important this is to focus on.

In fact, I had a client start working with me recently who said something to the effect of "I feel like my goals in working with you are really just the things that I've been procrastinating."

What if you decided to stop tormenting yourself & just make a plan to get them done?

How much better would you feel?

Here are some tips to help you out:

1) Make yourself a physical list.

On paper, on your phone, in your planner - wherever you know that you will not ignore it after you make it. Make this list somewhere that you can't avoid seeing it regularly.

2) If anything on this list feels too big, break it down into small, easily achievable steps.

First Example) You've been wanting to clean your overly cluttered garage for a year now...
Week 1) Inspect the project, strategize, & gather any supplies needed - cleaning supplies, organizing totes, boxes, shelving, hooks. Is there something you will need help with? Resource, ask for help, & plan.
Week 2) Organize shelving on the east wall.
Week 3) Organize tools & storage on the west wall.
Week 4) Hang hooks for garden tools and put bins to organize recycling on the north wall.
Week 5) Reward yourself somehow!

Are these steps too big? Break them down to be even smaller.
Small steps WILL get you there.
Not starting the project will keep you frustrated.

Second Example) You've been wanting to develop an at-home morning yoga routine for years now...
Week 1) Prepare - Do you need to buy a yoga mat & blocks? What will you use? An online class? Youtube classes? Those DVDs that have been on your shelf for a decade? Research & get specific so you know exactly what you want to do.
Week 2) Go to bed and get up 15 minutes earlier than your norm to make the space for it in your morning. Do some light stretching each morning with that extra 15 minutes.
Week 3) Put your yoga mat out on the floor before you go to bed as a prompt. Go to bed & get up 30 minutes earlier, and do the 30-minute yoga routine with the plan you created in the first week.
Week 4) celebrate your first week! Reward yourself & keep going!


3) Get your calendar out & schedule it.

One small project a week. Maybe it's cleaning a junk drawer, or making a doctor's appointment, or the first step of gathering what you need to clean the garage. Whatever it is, put it on your calendar.

One action step per week can go a long way. If it's a large project, like cleaning out the garage, in a month of doing one step per week, you could have it done. How much better would that feel than agonizing over it not being done for the next 6 months or more?

4) Set up accountability for yourself.

Tell someone what you are going to do and when. Ask for their support by checking in with you to see if you've completed it. We tend to follow through more often if we have told someone what we are going to do. This is a great way to use our people-pleasing tendencies to our advantage.

5) Reward yourself.

Setting up a reward system for yourself can be really supportive, and you deserve to celebrate! Maybe you book a massage for yourself after that garage is finally cleaned? Or you plan a day to lay in bed & read a book on a Saturday feeling totally guilt-free because that task is no longer looming over you? Dangle a carrot for yourself to reach for.

If you have a procrastination list, I want you to feel some relief.
I want you to feel some pride in completing items on the list.
I want you to feel free of it looming over you.
You very much deserve that.

Wishing you ease & success,

Shelly