by Dan Goodwin
Procrastination is one of the biggest culprits in killing your creativity that there is.
Have you ever stopped to count up how much time you’ve spent avoiding creating, when you could have been creating? Like for most of us, the thought of even attempting to add up the hours, weeks, months and years is probably too depressing and overwhelming to even begin to contemplate.
Imagine for a moment how your life would be if you even just halved the amount of time you procrastinate.
How much extra creative time would that free up? How much more could you could create? How much better would feel about yourself and your creativity?
I think you’ll agree, it’s something well worth striving for.
So, how can you beat procrastination? Or at least reduce it significantly?
Most of us approach it something like this, see of you’ve had a similar conversation with yourself:
“So, I really want to beat procrastination and create more. Therefore I need to work out WHY I procrastinate, then I’ll be able to overcome it and I’ll stop procrastinating!”
This sounds a promising start. And yes of course, knowing why you procrastination can be very useful.
But this approach won’t necessarily stop you procrastinating. In fact, it’s likely to lead to MORE procrastination.
Here’s why:
When you ask your mind to look for solutions and answers, it willing obliges.
So if for example you say to yourself: “I want to think back to some of my favourite birthdays, and why I enjoyed them”, then your mind will immediately begin gathering the evidence and present those memories to you.
It’s what your mind does. It finds the evidence and the answers you’re looking for. So if you ask “What could be the reasons why I procrastinate?”, then guess what will happen? Yep, your mind will get to work and come up with dozens of reasons why you might be procrastinating. And yes most will have a element of truth to them.
But how do you think you’ll feel then? Enlightened and so happy you do a dozen cartwheels in your front room? Unlikely. More probably you’ll feel overwhelmed, despondent and think “No WONDER I procrastinate, look at all these reasons!! It’s a miracle I even create ANYTHING!!”
So here’s a different approach that DOES help you beat procrastination.
Instead of the “Why?”, focus on the “When?” and the “How?”.
What this means is notice WHEN you procrastinate most. What are the details of what’s going on around you at these times?
Then notice HOW you procrastinate. What are your favourite habits? What do you always fall back on to avoid creating?
Here’s a Bonus Tip: Often it’s the little things done many times a day that actually use up more time than doing one thing to procrastinate just once or twice.
If you follow this approach, you’ll get the bare truth about your procrastinating habits. And you’ll be in for some surprises. But then you’re in the best position to move on.
Once you’ve got the reality, you can begin to take the next step in beating procrastination.
So take this first step today.
Procrastination is one of the biggest culprits in killing your creativity that there is.
Have you ever stopped to count up how much time you’ve spent avoiding creating, when you could have been creating? Like for most of us, the thought of even attempting to add up the hours, weeks, months and years is probably too depressing and overwhelming to even begin to contemplate.
Imagine for a moment how your life would be if you even just halved the amount of time you procrastinate.
How much extra creative time would that free up? How much more could you could create? How much better would feel about yourself and your creativity?
I think you’ll agree, it’s something well worth striving for.
So, how can you beat procrastination? Or at least reduce it significantly?
Most of us approach it something like this, see of you’ve had a similar conversation with yourself:
“So, I really want to beat procrastination and create more. Therefore I need to work out WHY I procrastinate, then I’ll be able to overcome it and I’ll stop procrastinating!”
This sounds a promising start. And yes of course, knowing why you procrastination can be very useful.
But this approach won’t necessarily stop you procrastinating. In fact, it’s likely to lead to MORE procrastination.
Here’s why:
When you ask your mind to look for solutions and answers, it willing obliges.
So if for example you say to yourself: “I want to think back to some of my favourite birthdays, and why I enjoyed them”, then your mind will immediately begin gathering the evidence and present those memories to you.
It’s what your mind does. It finds the evidence and the answers you’re looking for. So if you ask “What could be the reasons why I procrastinate?”, then guess what will happen? Yep, your mind will get to work and come up with dozens of reasons why you might be procrastinating. And yes most will have a element of truth to them.
But how do you think you’ll feel then? Enlightened and so happy you do a dozen cartwheels in your front room? Unlikely. More probably you’ll feel overwhelmed, despondent and think “No WONDER I procrastinate, look at all these reasons!! It’s a miracle I even create ANYTHING!!”
So here’s a different approach that DOES help you beat procrastination.
Instead of the “Why?”, focus on the “When?” and the “How?”.
What this means is notice WHEN you procrastinate most. What are the details of what’s going on around you at these times?
Then notice HOW you procrastinate. What are your favourite habits? What do you always fall back on to avoid creating?
Here’s a Bonus Tip: Often it’s the little things done many times a day that actually use up more time than doing one thing to procrastinate just once or twice.
If you follow this approach, you’ll get the bare truth about your procrastinating habits. And you’ll be in for some surprises. But then you’re in the best position to move on.
Once you’ve got the reality, you can begin to take the next step in beating procrastination.
So take this first step today.
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