Guest Blog by Raquel Muller, The Mompreneur Success Specialist

Procrastination is often cited as one of the top obstacles that prevents us from achieving our goals— whether it be health goals, personal growth goals, financial goals, or professional goals.

If you have ever beat yourself up for not doing something that you know is good for you, and which you had every good intention to follow through on, know that you are not alone. We all struggle with procrastination at one point or another.

That said, about 25% of all adults struggle with procrastination on a chronic basis. Furthermore, many people describe themselves as “procrastinators,” seeing this trait as a part of their personality.   

The impact of procrastination can be very destructive toward our self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-worth. It causes us guilt and shame, in addition to getting in the way of achieving our goals and creating our dreams.  

That is why I want to address this topic. In this article, I will share:

1. The REAL cause of procrastination (hint: it’s not poor time management or lack of motivation)

2. The 3 key ingredients that you need to beat chronic procrastination and  become the person you are meant to be

3. Three (3) things you can start doing NOW to stop procrastination in its tracks. 

The REAL cause of procrastination

Often we think that procrastination is either a character flaw, a problem of time-management, or a lack of motivation. None of these are true. Research actually supports the idea that chronic procrastination is an issue of emotional regulation.  That is, when someone procrastinates constantly and does so despite their intentions to follow through on their intended plans, this is usually a sign of underlying emotional issues at play. For example, procrastination is often linked to things like depression, ADHD, and anxiety.

In his book the Big Leap, Dr. Gay Hendricks introduces the concept of “upper limit problem.”  The upper limit problem is essentially the idea that we have a set point for how much ease, success, love, wellbeing, wealth, etc. we can experience, and that as we approach or surpass this set point, we begin to subconsciously sabotage ourselves. The “upper limit problem” can present in various forms, including procrastination, worry, illness, accidents, fights with our loved ones, etc. The underlying reasons that the “upper limit problem” shows up are tied to fear and a sense of lack of worthiness. This, again, points to emotional issues being at the bottom of procrastination.

Three keys to overcoming chronic procrastination

If indeed chronic procrastination manifests as a result of underlying emotional issues, it stands to reason that you must address these emotions in order to permanently resolve chronic procrastination, so that you can be, do, and have what you desire and deserve. That word “deserve” in itself is key here because so many people feel deep down that they don’t deserve, and thus don’t expect to experience, success or happiness for any length of time. They keep waiting for “the other shoe to drop” or attribute positive events to “a fluke.”

Thus, one key ingredient you need to overcome procrastination is more “self-love.” Yes, I know it may sound cheesy, but bear with me. First of all, I’m not talking about self-care, which is a related but different concept. I’m talking about seeing yourself as worthy, capable, confident, deserving of good things in your life. I’m talking about giving yourself kindness rather than beating yourself up mentally trying to whip yourself into shape so you can get things done. When you are kind to yourself, you’re more willing to put in effort, and to access ideas and resources you need to achieve your goals. You’re also more likely to ask for help.

The second key you need to overcome chronic procrastination is listening to your desire and having a VISION of what you want. So many people have no clue what they really want, and don't even allow themselves to think about it because they don’t believe it’s possible for them.  When you have a dream and a vision, and you are on fire for it, you are more likely to take the actions that you need to take to get there. Furthermore, your actions are not the product of “shoulds,” and they aren’t chores. Rather, hey are CHOICES you make.

The third key to eliminating procrastination is ACTION. It isn’t enough to think about what you want and visualize it. You must start to take action toward it. Realize that your emotions will get triggered anytime you have the impulse to do anything that will move you toward a better you. Mel Robbins tells us it takes 5 seconds for our brain to kill that impulse with our fears, rationalizations and excuses. She offers a wonderful antidote which she calls the “5-second rule. “ (See more below)

How to stop procrastination in its tracks 

1. Cultivate greater self-love - we can do this in a variety of ways. Therapy, coaching, affirmations, mirror exercises, journaling are all wonderful ways to help cultivate greater self-love. See my previous blog on self-love which includes a few suggestions.

2. Create a compelling vision- Start by asking the question “what if I could…” Use this as a journal prompt to help you generate a clearer vision of what you want in life. If you get stuck start with asking yourself what you don’t want, or note what things you have seen other people do, have, or achieve that you would like for yourself.

3. Practice the 5-second rule. Mel Robbins describes the 5-second rule this way: “the moment you have an instinct to act on a goal you must 5-4-3-2-1- and then physically MOVE before your brain kills it. Counting backwards will activate you to take action. If you do this multiple times throughout the day, these micro moments of decisive action will add up. You will begin more and more to trust yourself to follow through on your commitments.

I hope that as you finish reading this you are feeling optimistic and empowered, because chronic procrastination does not need to be a part of your life. You can change your life today!

If you need further help with this, you can always connect with me. I would be happy to talk with you about how I can support you in creating new habits, new mindset, and better results in your life and business.

Raquel Muller
The Mompreneur Success Specialist
dr@doctorraquelmuller.com
(503) 847-9215