PROCRASTINATION – How to Do the Work When You Don’t Feel Like It

Whether you’re avoiding replying to emails, putting up a blog post, a date with some dumbbells, Following up with a potential customer, or a closet desperately need some organization….. delay has the power to transform a simple task into Mount Everest. Overcoming procrastination will take consistency and repetition in change of habits.

Accomplishing our goals simply doesn’t require consistent motivation. We can achieve big things, even when we don’t feel like doing the day-to-day tasks.

How do we battle this vicious cycle?

It’s important to identify why we’re dodging that specific activity.

Promotion-focused people see their goals as creating a path of improvement, moving forward, achieving something, or advancement and they concentrate on the rewards that they will accrue when they achieve them.

Prevention-focused people see their goals as responsibilities, and they concentrate on staying safe, not getting hurt, or doing something wrong. They also worry about what might go wrong if they don’t work hard enough or aren’t careful enough. Fear of Failure.

These two types can also affect HOW we procrastinate.

The act you choose is far less important than the ritual itself, because daily repetition “primes” your brain to tackle the task. Over time, a pleasant ritual can even create positive anticipation around the work, rather than a spiral of procrastination.

Harness the power of momentum.

Once we take even the tiniest step forward, momentum will soon keep you rolling. 

It may seem silly to make a deal with yourself to just do 1 simple step that might take only 5 minutes to accomplish, but this is a hack that will domino into doing more than just that 1 silly thing.

That’s because sustained momentum toward a goal creates a compound effect — the principle that consistent, incremental effort can produce dramatic changes over time. Our emotional connection to this can actually work for you. When you think about everything we have to do, and the process its might take, it feels overwhelming, almost paralyzing, and that’s why we just don’t. But the simple deal you make with yourself, and break this mountain down into stones.

And so what if you only did that 5 minute task you agreed to do, and nothing more….are you a failure? Nope, because your workload was only suppose to be that one simple task, and you accomplished that. 

Sparking the flames of progress.

Motivation isn’t the fire that will fuel your success. It’s not willpower or restraint, either.

Motivation is a result, especially for longterm excitement, drive, and commitment. 

Motivation is the fire that starts burning after you manually, painfully, coax it into existence, and it feeds on the satisfaction of seeing yourself make progress.

The drive to pursue a difficult, yet desirable goal often shows up after we get down to work. 

The first step might be small, but it’s a massive leap toward whatever you desire. So, do whatever you can to start.

Determine what compels you to create firm schedules and to dodge procrastination, and establish rituals that feel good.

When we get out of our own way, progress is almost inevitable. A tiny spark quickly grows into a fire.

Identifying your triggers that derail you or prevent you from starting is an area that can quickly help you get over the procrastination hump.

As well as creating a trigger to help keep yourself on task, in focus, and following through can fuel that fire. Think of it as simply as making an “if then that” deal with yourself. 

Take a Step Back

Sometimes we’re too close to it. 

We are invested personally and emotionally…. It’s “ours”. But that can also create tunnel vision.

1 sided viewpoint. Have you ever heard the saying “Making a mountain out of a molehill?” Well, that’s exactly what we can easily do to ourselves.

Something as simple as sending a voice memo of frustration, question, or just even a plain ol vent to a friend and actually open up those blocked thoughts.

Just the act of talking it out may reveal how hard you might be making something, or reveal a simple area that you may have overlooked. 

But additionally, your friend may return with a simple snap out of it message and help you break down your goals to just a simple process.

Know Your Productive Time

There are certain times during your day where you might feel more confident or willing to tackle particular issues. 

This is a highly effective technique for you to “schedule your challenging tasks during the time of the day when you have the most brainpower and energy.” 

You can start paying attention to which moments of your day seem to be the best ones for you and then, assign these “unattractive” activities to those moments.

Don’t Over Do Your To-Do List

Put two to three items at the top that you need to get done that day and then the others can be ‘as time permits. 

You may always have a huge run on master list of things to do, but cherry picking off that list for a daily action list of your top 3 items of the day will keep you moving forward.

Create Artificial Incentives

By adding a challenge or incentive to your tasks, goals, or even your regular daily activities can create an artificial game for yourself to increase your productivity. I used this technique to actually follow through and finish putting my IG post up recently. With my double whammy of ADD and Procrastination – I had to continually reel myself back in and not give in to the bait constantly being thrown my way. I had a voice memo from my friend that I really wanted to listen to, but created an incentive for myself – like a reward- for completing the arduous task of posting on my IG wall. Seems funny to say that it’s time consuming and requires a lot of brain power to put up a post, but you surely may know what I mean. From editing the photo with the right filters, researching the hashtags, researching the copy and topic, writing it so that the spaces appear including the emojis, tagging…oh so much.

It literally took me a couple hours for this 1 post. Constantly teased by other text messages coming in, or emails, or it being dinner time…I did go to dinner, but following that, jumped back on my multi – editing apps wagon to try and create the right size dimension for my image out of a vertical image. I digress.

BUT- I did it. I didn’t cave in. I actually almost thought about cheating, because who would know?  I could SAY I waited to listen to the audio until that post was done, and no one would know. I would though. So I didn’t.

Don’t break your chain.

Remember back when you were young the bouncing ball competitions? How long could you do something without breaking consistency, the chain. 

We may still do it with our calendars. Creating a big X on a day we followed through with that workout program.

You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt.  That chain eventually becomes such a motivator for you as Your only job is to not break the chain.

Many people use this strategy to track everything from jogging to cooking to saving money and working on their online businesses. Because Newton’s law has got something here……Objects in motion tend to stay in motion

Once a task has begun, it is easier to continue moving it forward.

I’m very motivated by holding a record and not letting something slip. In my coaching business, I continue to hold a don’t miss a month record.  There’s a monthly incentive program that has 2 levels of achievement. I have chosen to always achieve the tougher higher level each month, no matter what. I don’t say it’s my monthly goal or my monthly quota, but truthfully….. no matter what…. I will guarantee I always achieve that monthly mark. 

So much so, I like to see the number climb in my reports each month that passes, adding another notch to my super long record.  In which, I’m 1 of only 3 people in this company of over 400K reps to hold such a long record.

That also gives me motivation.

Ritual

Want to accelerate your momentum? Create a ritual to pair with the routine. Do five minutes of mindful breathing.  Drink a pre-workout energy drink. Listen to a podcast while driving to work. Or if you’re like me… mine involves coffee. I find once I have made my elaborate collagen protein, cacao butter, brain octane coffee in the blender…. I head into my office, close the door, and it’s time to sip and tackle my top 3.  

The act you choose is far less important than the ritual itself, because daily repetition “primes” your brain to tackle the task. Over time, a pleasant ritual can even create positive anticipation around the work, rather than a spiral of procrastination.

So what are you waiting for? You’re not going to generate motivation to get started, willpower is like a muscle and can easily get exhausted….. so build in these SIMPLE strategies to beat that constant nagging procrastination voice and commit to just 5 minutes.  Deal? As Walt Disney would say, Just Keep Moving Forward.

All in all, decide in advance exactly where and when you’ll dig in and then forget about emotions. 

Don’t think about it or weigh the pros and cons. If you planned to start at 3 pm, simply start. Commit to the schedule you created.