How I Kicked My Procrastination To The Curb

What do you think of when you hear the following:

“I don’t know what’s keeping me from just doing it.”

“I just can’t get into it.”

“I am not ready yet.”

“Tomorrow I will start.”

If any of these thoughts have crossed your mind and you notice you’re having trouble cranking the wheels on something that you know would bring you happiness, peace of mind, more money or better health, read on.

First, let me get personal.

A while back, I decided to take a week off in order to recharge my battery.

But when the week was up, to my surprise, it was clear my battery only shot up to about 15%.

I knew this, because I simply couldn’t get started on anything I had on the docket. Uh-oh.

So I decided to give myself a little more time.

And after a little over 2 ½ weeks of rest and family time, I felt the life returning to my bones.

So once again, I sat down to dive into a few of the exciting projects I have coming up, projects that I know will be worthwhile to me personally, spiritually and professionally.

And guess what happened?

Nothing.

I stared at the blank page.

And despite puttering out a few words and sentences, there was no flow. No mojo.

No spunk.

So I tried caffeine.
I tried going for a walk.
I tried getting some extra sleep.

And I just. Couldn’t. Crank the wheels.

Can you feel me? You are rested and well fed, but no matter how much you WANT to do something, you have a million excuses and reasons of why you don’t dive in.

I am talking about anything from a workout routine you have wanted to start because you are tired of being tired, a creative project in which you know you could make something better than anything that is out there, to simply looking at your finances so you can comfortably turn down that extra client in order to have more time with your honey.

There are a variety of reasons why we don’t get started.

And I will continue to dive into the psychology of it in coming posts, but today we are going to figure out WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT for you.

And we are going to do it with a quick game that works like a charm.

Worry not, because I don’t mean we are going to dive into this long drawn out philosophical meandering on “What is your WHY”?

While sometimes helpful, these BIG questions lead many people to spouting vague platitudes with lackluster feelings.

I am talking, in the moment, full of emotion, TODAY, here and now, what is it ABOUT for you?!

(Note: I say it is a game because there should be some lightness to it. Not that you won’t have some profound thoughts, but let’s not start by taking ourselves too seriously. Cause that often makes things hard.)

You simply need 5-7 minutes, a pen and paper or if you don’t like writing, ya need a friend to share it with.

(I LOVE writing things down. It’s how I connect. But if that is not for you and you are the speaking kind, cool. Call your pal and say, “Hey, I need you to just listen for 5 min.”)

1. Start by writing/saying what you really are trying to START but can’t seem to find your groove. (Do it in one phrase, just so you know what it is)

e.g. “I want to start the Shrink Session exercise program.” (subliminal advertising:)

2. Then, you are going to start every sentence you write/say with the phrase:

For me, it’s about…

You are sharing what you THINK doing this thing is all about for you. What does it mean to you to do it? Why is it important? Who will you become? Who are you dying to be? What are you wanting to let go of? What do you need to prove?

This is stream of conscious. NO OVERTHINKING HERE! Fill in the blanks as fast as you can.

It’s about…
It’s about…
It’s about…

It doesn’t have to make sense. The phrases don’t have to connect. They can be outlandish. They can even have contradictory reasons if that is what comes up.

It’s about getting off my butt and doing something for myself.
It’s about not being so selfish and giving more.
It’s about giving myself a big kick in the pants.
It’s about dreaming bigger.
It’s about not caring what people think of me.
It’s about getting out of my own way.
It’s about not beating myself up anymore.

Don’t be afraid to put a little playful emotion behind it. Get all Tony Robbins on yourself. Elicit Martin Luther King Jr. Channel your best Barack Obama, Yes We Can speech.

Remember, your job is to just spew them out. Quickly, rapid fire. Go, go, go!

Who cares if they sound ridiculous!

Here are just a few I wrote down the other day:

It’s about showing up.
It’s about stepping up.
It’s about unleashing my creativity.
It’s about silencing the voice that says I CAN’T.
It’s about sharing ideas.
It’s about not over thinking.
It’s about getting out of my own way.
It’s about proving I can.
It’s about dreaming bigger.
It’s about not letting the small voices stop the BIG one.

Here is what was happened as a result of playing this game:

First, I pumped myself up. So I was ready to work.

Then, as I sat down, several of my ABOUTS kept popping in my head. And every time I wanted to stop working, I would mentally go back to that little pep talk I wrote down earlier. Soon enough, I was on a roll.

And once you are on a roll, it’s a lot easier to keep up the momentum.

This is a GREAT warm-up exercise before you attempt doing that thing you have been wanting to do. And every act of greatness (or even not so greatness) benefits from a good warm-up.

If this sounds like something you are ready to try, I invite you to come on over to the Blog. You can do the exercise in the comments for your own accountability. I will be reading and cheering you on.

Yes we can!
Yes we can!
Yes we can get started!

Love
Erin