Procrastination is a symptom of where you’re stuck in a self-defeating story
Procrastination is a symptom.
It shows up in our behaviors as a lack of action and in our mindset as a sign of where beliefs are stuck thus preventing forward movement on what you actually want.
Procrastination is wrapped up together with anxiety, worry, and stress. It’s an exhausting repetitive cycle of self-defeat.
Procrastination comes up around the time of transitions. Since it’s back-to-school time, this is a common conversation right now with clients and even my own internal dialogue.
Here’s a sampling of what all comes rushing into my own head usually at the same time:
An onslaught of tasks and things to do to get the kids ready for school.
A growing list of home tasks that come with the end of summer.
Feeling disappointed in my summer bucket list of things that I didn’t experience or do but wanted.
Frustration over writing projects that require time, space, and creative flow to move forward but I haven’t prioritized.
What does the onslaught of your voices sound like?
Procrastination is a pattern that’s very self-sabotaging. AND it’s a self-fulfilling one that serves to reinforce that unhelpful mindset and behavior.
When this overwhelm happens, it’s impossible for me to make any progress on any of them. I shut down. And sometimes even catastrophize by adding more of the “oh my gawd, and then there’s these things, and this issue.”
But none that actually exists or needs attention in the present moment.
It's adding to my worries in a way to ‘prove’ to myself that forward movement is impossible. It’s as if it would let me off the hook for those commitments.
But the reality is guilt comes in when commitments stay undone or unclosed, meaning you decide to delete, delegate, or delay the task.
Procrastination is both a behavior and a mindset that is an invitation to choice because you can shift out of it. This is the root of our focus for next week’s Grow Boldy workshop called, Back to School: Moving from Panic to Grounded as You Transition into Fall.
The cost of the workshop is $30, which includes a workbook and the workshop replay if you aren't able to make it live or want to rewatch it to deepen your learning.
During the workshop, we will:
Take a look at all the things in your life you’re tolerating. Tolerating is an annoyance, yes. But continuing to tolerate things/people/situations in your life breaks self-trust and can lead to self-abandonment. Let’s explore what you’re tolerating and what else might be possible.
Use a powerful tool I’ve developed for rebalancing your schedule and life that allows you to step into your bigger impact.
Learn grounded practices you can use in your everyday life. These practices around gratitude, embodiment, and connecting with nature are designed to be easy to learn and are doable.
Learn more and register here.