How to overcome procrastination - tips for entrepreneurs
Let's talk about procrastination, we've all been through that at some point... and it's ok. The goal of this article is to help you step into your next level of self-leadership on your personal development journey.
If you want to learn deeper about this and really step into leadership and become an incredible leader for your community, check my program or book a free call now and let's have a chat about it.
Map of this article:
- What causes procrastination (and what procrastination is not)
- Tips to overcome procrastination
- Benefits and outcomes of overcoming procrastination
What can cause procrastination
There are a few things that can cause procrastination... But before I talk about them, let me first tell you what procrastination is not:
Procrastination is not laziness
Procrastination is common for high achievers actually but it is not a sign that you're lazy!!!
It often - ok, always - hides subconscious blocks so if you procrastinate, please don't think you're lazy, don't think bad about yourself, just see yourself as someone who needs to shift a pattern. And it's ok. We all do.
It doesn't mean anything about you as a human, it simply means you're human :)
8 causes of procrastination
a lack clarity on your next steps: you have goals and desires but you don't have a practical strategy to get there. Or maybe you do and you're not sure where to start exactly
you haven't found (yet) what sets your soul on fire, you procrastinate on things that you don't necessarily enjoy doing or you haven't fully unlocked your potential yet (it's not necessarily something big, it might just be a small shift, like giving yourself permission to do something different or to be yourself, for example).
overwhelm: there are so many possibilities, you have so many ideas... which one to choose? where to even start? and what if you choose the "wrong" one?
fear of missing out, making a mistake or failing, which causes more self-doubt
fear of success, fear of not being able to maintain the level of success once you'll have achieved it...
perfectionism: you want things to be perfect but you're not sure if they are
lack of support and encouragement to step into your power
self-sabotage (you're not aware of it, it's subconscious and it can be linked to a fear of success or a false belief according to which you're not feeling "worthy" or "good enough").
All of these things come from past wounds but you can change things and overcome any of these causes!.
At some point of your life, a situation happened and made that you stopped trusting yourself, maybe you were made fun of, shamed, belittled for an action you took or simply for being yourself... You of course know that this is not an excuse, because you're a powerful being, however, it's an explanation and it's important to acknowledge it so you don't think there's something "wrong" with you and you don't beat yourself up.
Maybe as a child you were yelled at for doing "something wrong" and your caretakers had disproportionate reactions, ex: you were punished for something insignificant that you for sure didn't deserve. Your defense mechanism and subconscious mind associated "taking action" or "being yourself" as "unsafe".
As a result, procrastination has come into your life like an uninvited and unwelcome guest...
Let me reassure you, it's very common, you're not alone and there's nothing wrong with you (so please hug yourself!).
Tips to overcome procrastination
Here are 9 tips I want to share to help you overcome procrastination:
self-awareness: be present with yourself, notice how you feel emotionally and mentally and be aware of your patterns, reactions and inner speech
prioritising and setting daily achievable goals: write your to-do list and prioritise what is urgent, important and what is not-so urgent (what I call secondary tasks).
If you'd like help on how to do that, I created a free planner that will help you prioritise and organise your tasks for the week and to break them down in daily tasks. You also have journal prompts to help you gain clarity.
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