The Last Straw

To all my procrastinators out there, this one is for you (and me!). If I haven’t already shared this with you before, technology and I are not the best of friends. The first people I hired when I started my business was my IT team, and it’s still the best money I spend each month. So imagine what happens when I have a really important task that’s technology driven and it can’t be subbed out? Exactly, procrastination like I have never experienced before. I’d go one step further and say it’s borderline paralysis.

I really thought accountability would help, and it did, but just a little bit. Yesterday, was the last straw. I had the entire afternoon to work on this project and I did everything but what I was supposed to do. I worked on my garden, I hung out on the porch with my husband, and I even tried to nap—unsuccessfully, I might add, which should have told me something. I did anything to avoid this unenviable task. How does one push past procrastination?

Procrastination is not a time management issue, it’s an anxiety/negative emotion issue. It’s how me “manage” distress. Here are a few tips I will be using today to overcome my stalling:

1. Forget about Perfectionism, just get started.

2. Break it down into bite-sized chunks.

3. Optimize your environment – create a “do not disturb” space.

4. Identify your WHY – which is tied to long term results.

5. Reward good behavior – this is huge for me.

6. Be kind to yourself – this should always be true, but it’s especially important when the reason your procrastinating is due to something that stresses you out. Creating more stress certainly isn’t going to help the situation.

I hope this helps you, it certainly has me prepared for the day! And if you see me outside watering my plants, be kind, and let’s hope it’s because I am rewarding myself.

With Gratitude,

Beth Fitzgerald

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