Are you a CF business owner WHO tends to do everything but what you’re supposed to be working on?

Hey action taker! I’m Jennifer, the Ultimate Time Freedom and intentional living Coach for Child-Free business owners.

In this video I’ll talk about 7 reasons why you’re procrastinating and how to stop, how it affects people, and how being more aware of why you’re procrastinating can help prevent it. 

First, let’s have a little heart to heart.

Come here.  lean on in…

I want you to know that just because you procrastinate doesn’t mean you’re lazy. 

Let that sink in…

Just because you procrastinate doesn’t mean you’re lazy

Now that that is out of the way…let’s go!

II. Understanding Procrastination

• Definition of procrastination
  • I define procrastination as: Tend to do important things slowly or put things off until the last minute or late finishing.
• My story
  • I’m a recovering procrastinator and had to learn through trial and error on how to create deadlines and get more done while owning/operating two coffee drive-thrus.
  • I had only ever used a paper planner, but my first business was a reality check that I truly didn’t understand deadlines and how much I procrastinated.
• Common reasons for procrastination
• Feeling Bored
  • It makes sense that if you perceive an activity as boring or unpleasant, you’re far more likely to put it off until later.
  • Not actually doing things you enjoy or your brain isn’t challenged and needs to learn

• Lack of Belief in Your Abilities
• You lack confidence in your abilities. Believing that you can carry out tasks is essential to functioning. If your confidence level is low, you’re less likely to begin a task or finish it.

• Obligations that don’t align
  • Are you a people pleaser and tend to say yes to everyone else but yourself? 
  • Look at your calendar and count how many tasks are what for you and your business vs for others because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings? 

• Don’t know where to start
  • Especially when you are learning a new skill or have never done something before, you don’t know where to begin.
  • This can keep you stuck because you don’t know what direction to go in
  • Which leads to fear and anxiety…

• Fear and Anxiety
  • You may procrastinate out of fear. For example, you might delay essential medical tests because you’re afraid of a diagnosis. The more anxiety we experience about a task, the more likely we’ll put it off until later.
  • Not only does your stress level increase when you do this, but there’s a risk to physical health with an undetected, untreated illness.
  • Social anxiety can also play a role.
  • The fear of being judged or embarrassed can cause you to put off scheduling meetings or completing projects. Especially since as a business owner you have to put yourself out there (like I do here on YouTube) to help more people and get more clients.

• Perfectionism
  • Perfectionism can play a role in procrastination. People may delay tasks they believe they won’t perform well or that they’ll fail altogether. They may try to put off a task until they suddenly feel more inspired or have a better idea, even though inspiration is more likely to strike once a person starts a task.

• Distraction
  • Distractions in our environment can prevent us from focusing on the task at hand., such as paying bills, doing chores, or any other task you don’t enjoy
  • As you can probably guess, our phones and tech in general are a great outlet for a majority of distractions
  • Even busy tasks are a distraction because they occupy your time and energy, but don’t contribute to moving your goals forward 
  • We often love to work on these tasks because they are relatively easy, offer instant-gratification, and make us feel productive.

• The effects of procrastination on individuals and their work
  • Keeps you stuck
  • Increases anxiety and stress levels. …
  • Feel regret and guilt. …
  • Fear of failure
  • Have Incomplete tasks and get fall behind
  • Lose trust …
  • Blow off opportunities. …

Now that you know what to be aware of, here are some tips about how to handle procrastination next time.

III. Take Procrastination head on

• Strategies for overcoming procrastination
  • Setting achievable and realistic goals/mini milestones
  • Set deadlines in days and weeks, not months and years so you get stuff done with a sense of urgency
  • Prioritizing and planning tasks
  • Connect with people who have done it before
    • Even if someone within your connections doesn’t know how to do the thing, their is a high chance they know someone who does or knows how to find someone who can help you get started
  • Find someone who can help you stay accountable. Like a Productivity Coach (wink) 
  • Utilize rewards and consequences
    • Find what inspires you (whether it’s a positive or a negative), and then use that to keep yourself focused. ex) I like to play video games after I get the main things done I intended to do each day, or watch a movie
    • Setting deadlines for yourself is a great way to continue making progress on your personal and professional goals. But, unfortunately, we tend to take self-imposed deadlines less seriously than ones set by our bosses or clients.

It’s time you start respecting the things you want to accomplish. So, implement these five key tips and you’re sure to take your own deadlines more seriously.

VI. Conclusion

• You CAN get more done to become a recovering procrastinator. 
  • Next time you catch yourself procrastinating, ask yourself these questions:
    • Am I bored?
    • Am I not as confident?
    • Is this an obligation for someone else I really don’t want to do?
    • Have I done this before, or done something similar?
    • What am I scared or stressed about?
    • Is this good enough, or am I trying to be perfect?
    • What am I being distracted by?
    • Experiment with rewards and reaching out to your network to see who can help you take that first step, and find what works best for you

VII. Outro

Always remember, you’re NOT lazy. It’s something else.

When you want to be lazy, be intentional about it.

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.