Overcome Procrastination | Marian Buck Murray

If you ever feel frustrated with your own procrastination, I know the feeling. Procrastination can be very seductive, and it might feel impossible to resist. Whether it shows up as busy work, succumbing to addictive distractions, or doing nothing at all, it can be a mighty fearsome beast.

As if the results of procrastination weren’t punishing enough, we top it off by beating ourselves up. We say things like: I’m so lazy. I never get anything done. I’ll never get ahead… so why bother? It won’t work anyway. I’m such a screw-up. All of this feels pretty crappy, to say the least.

So what to do when the to-do list feels too hard to accomplish? Or when you don’t have a clue of what to do. Maybe you know what you ‘should’ do, but it’s the last thing you want to do. Perhaps you feel like there’s far too much to do, so why even try.

There are many reasons we use to justify procrastination. Some might be completely justified. Yet, ongoing procrastination will hold us hostage until we do something about it.

What I’ve found, is that procrastination is seldom solely about the willpower to accomplish more. Sure, some of our habits might look like a lazy lack of willpower. Yet, typically, somewhere underneath it all, there’s fear. Fear that might be hiding, or perhaps camouflaged, but strong enough to keep us stuck in procrastination.

The most common of these fears include: Making a mistake. Being rejected. Shining too brightly. Being incompetent. Not being enough. Being too much. And so on.

What I suggest, when you feel stuck in procrastination, is to proceed with compassionate for yourself. Beating yourself up will only serve to make you feel worse. This, of course, can lead to even more procrastination. Or, a flurry of over-activity, followed with a backlash of procrastination. (I’ve done it all…)

What if procrastination is actually a call to look more deeply within.

What if it’s a call to ask ourselves, what’s triggering me? What am I afraid of? What do I believe about myself? What do I believe about the tasks at hand? Asking questions is what helps us clarify our blocks and limiting perceptions.

So, once we find our blocks and limiting beliefs — what’s next?

I highly recommend using EFT Tapping as a tool overcome the emotions and beliefs which underlie procrastination. Meditation, matrix reimprinting, somatic work, journaling, and/or reaching out to a healing professional are very helpful as well. Combine your preferred tools and resources to begin resolving the inner conflict which keeps you stuck. I truly believe that until we resolve the issues plaguing us from within, we can only go so far in life.

What I suggest, is to proceed one step at a time. Sometimes the to-do list might look unwieldy. Impossible, perhaps. Yet, starting with one small action will help build momentum. Start with one doable task from your list. Add to that an underlying fear, and use tapping, meditation, or your preferred method, to help it release.

It’s important to take action towards both the tasks that need doing and the limiting beliefs and feelings. Doing one will help build momentum with the other. For example, accomplishing a task will help you feel better about yourself, and diminish fear. Releasing fear and limiting beliefs will enable you get more done.

Start where you are. Start with something. Start with one action, one fear. Build momentum, and go from there.

Here’s to your success!

Peace,

Marian

For a Tapping Video to Help You Get It Done, Click Here.

Need help getting unstuck? I’m here to help. Reach out.

Now Or Later Signpost Shows Delay Deadlines And Urgency

Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder. ~ Mason Cooley

Procrastination just doesn’t feel good. Period. Right now, just think about something you’re avoiding doing. How does it feel when you think about what you’re not doing. If you’re like most of us, thinking about what you’re not doing, but should be doing, can trigger feelings of guilt, anxiety, and lots of self-judgement. Problem is, when you get mired all those negative feelings, it’s difficult to get anything done!

What’s important is getting clear about the reason why you’re procrastinating in the first place. Is it because you’re afraid of the outcome? Or that it’s too hard? Too complicated? Are you afraid of making a mistake? Are you afraid that you won’t succeed? Or that you will succeed?

Most times, fear and uncertainty are underlying ingredients of procrastination. We avoid what we don’t know, what feels uncomfortable or scary.

So get clear. Get clear about what you’re avoiding doing. Get clear about the feelings that get triggered because you are procrastinating. And, get clear about the feelings you are trying to avoid by procrastinating.

Here are some suggestions to help you move forward:

Focus on the benefits of doing the thing you’re avoiding. What would happen if you did it? How good would you feel? What else could you do as a result of taking this first step? Set your imagination free and imagine all of the good-feeling benefits you’ll experience once you take action.

Start Small. – One reason we procrastinate is that we tend to look at the subject of our procrastination as if it’s a great big scary monster. It looks too hard, too complicated, too overwhelming, too impossible to tackle. So, to counter this tendency, look instead at the one small step you can take in the direction you’ve been avoiding. One small step, and then another and another, keeps you moving forward. That’s all it takes.

Enrich Your Environment — Sometimes we procrastinate because we dread the experience of the task we’re avoiding. For example, you might dread paying the bills, doing your taxes, writing a report, doing household chores, etc. To make these tasks more enjoyable, enrich your environment with music or an interesting podcast, a special drink or treat, and even some aromatherapy. Or, take your work to a café, or a cooperative work-space. And be sure to get as comfortable as possible. Enrich your environment, and you’ll enrich your experience and your chances for success. You might even enjoy yourself!

Let Go of Resistance — When we resist a specific action or activity, we’re vulnerable to making it feel far more difficult than it really is. By moving forward in non-resistance, we accept ourchallenges without making them harder. Not everything feels pleasurable. Some things feel uncomfortable and even painful. When we let go of resisting the unpleasantness of an action, we’re more equipped to handle it.

Increase Your Knowledge — We often avoid what we don’t know how to do. So, if there’s something you’d like to do, but are avoiding, increase your knowledge about it. Find out what you need to know to move towards desired goal. Oftentimes, just the activity of researching your goal will peak your interest, and inspire you to take action. ( Be sure, however, to avoid overly researching your goal, since this can lead to even more procrastination.)

Release Fear – Fear is probably one of the biggest underlying factors of procrastination. If fear is an issue for you, first get clear about the fear you feel when it comes to your procrastination. Once you’re clear about your fear, you can use EFT Tapping, Heart Breath, or deep breathing to help it release. Contact me for more information on using EFT Tapping and the Heart Breath.

Click Here for a complimentary tapping audio to help you overcome procrastination.

In Courage,

Marian