Look, we gotta talk, friend. Yes, YOU––the person reading this post right now, instead of doing whatever it is you should be doing right now.
The problem with procrastination is: you do it, hate yourself, and then totter off to read the next article you can find about improving productivity, instead of, you know… actually being productive. It’s a beautiful, self-defeating cycle that would be funny if it weren’t actively sabotaging your life.
The good news is that after working with countless clients who have perfected the art of avoiding doing the work, we’ve learned that beating yourself up about it is about as helpful as a chocolate teapot. The secret? Procrastination is a habit and related to emotional regulation, not a character flaw. And habits can be changed!
Schedule the Hard, Deep-Focus Work
We know, groooaan. But the brutal truth is you absolutely must schedule your deep work. Why? Because if you don’t block time out for doing the tough stuff, your brain is a slippery bugger that will convince you that spending your day organizing your desk and answering emails is “productive.” Spoiler alert. It’s not.
Deep work is key to success. Your superpower, if you will. Carving out time dedicated to focused, uninterrupted work, prioritizing your most important projects, is where the magic happens. And the by-product of all that deep work is that you actually get better at it. Concentration is like a muscle. Work it!
The trick to mastering deep work as a habit is making it as rote as brushing your teeth daily. Put it in your calendar for the same time each day, and treat it as a non-negotiable appointment, because it is. Your future self deserves your deep work now.
Embrace the Suck (Because It Makes You Better)
Uncomfortable reality check: not everything about your work will be fun. You need to learn to tolerate the stuff that isn’t fun. You don’t have to love it, but you need to learn to tolerate and accept it.
Since our brains are wired to avoid discomfort at all costs, tackling the projects that really matter is like climbing a mountain. We’d much rather organize the sock drawer for the 10th time instead. One of the quirks of procrastination is that it’s less about poor time management and more about deregulation of your nervous system and emotions. Your brain perceives that challenging task like a threat. Except instead of a bear chasing you, it’s that report you were supposed to submit a week ago.
So, start small and build up your tolerance. A solid 90 minutes of work that challenges you each day, the kind that makes your brain sweat. (In other words, NOT busy work.) Hit the brain gym and build those focus muscles.
Embrace Systems (Because You Can’t Trust Your Brain)
Another uncomfy reality check: any time your brain is faced with a new task, the default setting is “panic and avoid.” Which means systems are your friend when starting new projects. By using a consistent approach, you nix the mental gymnastics on where to begin. And it doesn’t need to be fancy, either. It just needs to exist.
Break the project into small chunks, start with ten minutes of research, or just do a brain dump of everything you know before you start. The point is you have a consistent strategy, so your brain doesn’t prompt you to check your email “just one more time.” The removal of decision fatigue is like a karate chop to the neck of procrastination. Plus, you feel accomplished. Win-win.
Be Kind to Yourself (Seriously)
This part might make you roll your eyes, but stick with us. Self-compassion is key. Yes, seems a little woo or weird, but think about it this way… have you ever been motivated to do better by beating yourself up? Us either. Being mean to yourself doesn’t motivate you, at least not in the long term. It creates a vicious cycle of yet more stress, leading to more procrastination. Way to kick a dog when it’s down, yeah?
So the next time you’re in a spiral of procrastination, try talking to yourself like you’d talk to a good friend. You wouldn’t tell your friend to stop being a lazy piece of donkey dung. You’d probably say something else, like, “I realize this is tough, and you’re struggling. Sometimes the hardest part is starting.”
Then, ask yourself what you actually need. A five-minute brain break? Breaking down the project into even smaller tasks? Validating that some days are just hard, and that’s okay? Self-compassion actually tends to motivate you toward more improvement, not less. So… be nice to yourself, capisce?
Procrastination is a poor habit, but it can be broken like any other. It doesn’t mean you have to be some kind of robot and optimize your day to the nth degree. It just means realizing procrastination is serving a purpose, a good albeit misguided one, and learning how to work with it, not against it. Get comfy with being uncomfortable. And please. Stop hating yourself for being human. That’s where the beauty is. Now go be productive! We’re rooting for you!
