I know from personal experience how difficult it is to stop procrastinating.
I thought about starting this podcast for over two years before I finally just did it. I already knew the format of my show, my target audience, even a list of guests I wanted to interview. But I was paralyzed with indecision, imposter syndrome, and overthinking.
Oh I had all sorts of convincing reasons for putting it off.
“I’m too busy with my young kids!”
“I don’t know where to start with the technology.”
And “This just isn’t the right time with my husband’s job.”
While all of those reasons may have had some truth to them, I knew deep down that they were really a cover-up for what was really keeping me stuck: PROCRASTINATION.
Today on the podcast, I am thrilled to interview Monica Packer, host of the show About Progress about How to Stop Procrastinating. She is a mom of four, a certified Optimize Coach, and a dear personal friend of mine. In today’s episode, she is going to talk to us all about procrastination–why we do it and what we can do to stop doing it.
– 3 Takeaways to Stop Procrastinating –
1) Focus on the starting, not the endings. Don’t let yourself get bogged down by picturing the finished task and how much work it is going to take to get there…just ask yourself, “What is the very next step that I need to take?” and keep it very simple. This will help you to stop procrastinating.
2) Set realistic and doable limits around overwhelming tasks-either a time limit or a number limit for how long you expect yourself to work. This might look like, “I will work for 15 minutes on this, and then I will stop” or “I will read 3 pages of this document, and then I will take a breather.” Giving yourself a “floor” for your task or goal keeps you stable and moving forward.
3) Make it enjoyable! If you want to stop procrastinating, pair a “blah” task with a little reward, not only to to make it fun to complete the task in the moment, but also to trick your brain into deciding that it wasn’t that hard, so you’ll face less mental resistance in the future.
>>>Are these tips about how to stop procrastinating helpful? What would you add to her takeaways? Tell us in the comments below.
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- Website: aboutprogress.com
- Podcast: About Progress
- Instagram: @aboutprogress
- How to Be an Imperfectionist by Stephen Guise
- “The Perils of Perfectionism” with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife
- “How Small Steps Take You Big Places” with Gabrielle Blair
- “Floors and Ceilings” by Brooke Snow
-Related Episodes for How to Stop Procrastinating-
- 130: The ABCs of Creating Good Habits…for yourself and your kids! // BJ Fogg
- 001: Getting Unmotivated Kids to Help // Candi Kidd
- 161: Cleaning & Organization Strategies for the Naturally-Messy Mom // Candi Kidd
- 014: Getting Out of Overwhelm // April Perry
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