How to Overcome Procrastination and Start Producing Better Results
How To Overcome Procrastination And Start Producing Better Results
What do you do when you find yourself procrastinating? Have you ever consulted google to find the answer to this question? You probably have found many articles that address the question of how to overcome procrastination and start producing better results. The number of different solutions that are offered in those articles may feel overwhelming at times and leave you with the question: which solution would work for me?
I’d like to tell you there is one best way to get back into motion when you are feeling stuck — but I cannot. What you can do to overcome procrastination is unique to each of us and the situations we face. In this article, you will read about the common reasons for procrastination, and you will learn what 3 questions can help you to discover how you can overcome procrastination and start producing better results.
Different Reasons For Procrastinating
With our coaching clients, we find common reasons for procrastinating, resisting, and feeling stuck are:
Anxiety. We are afraid of making mistakes, failing, revealing a weakness, or having to face a task that we don’t know how to do. We avoid confronting our fears.
Lack Of Clarity. We might not be clear on what’s expected, the overall purpose, or what the first step could or should be. We are paralyzed by not being clear on what, why, or how.
Motivation. We might lack the motivation to act, either because we don’t understand the overall purpose, there’s no accountability in place, or because we are drained or burnt out. We can’t muster up the energy to do anything.
Inertia. Most of us are familiar with Newton’s first law of motion where he examines how a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion — unless acted on by an external force. When it comes to producing results, consider that we might simply be experiencing inertia. We will stay at rest until we exert a force to get into motion, then momentum begins to build.
Inertia: The Most Commonly Faced Obstacle
Over the years, I have come to recognize it is inertia that is my most commonly faced obstacle. As a result, I have invested time in contemplating: How do you exert a force to break out of inertia and get into motion? Is it sheer willpower?
When we are feeling stuck in inertia, we each need to lean into our individual motivations, values, and strengths to spark motion. So how do you break the inertia cycle?
Motivation: What is Driving You to Act?
Ask yourself: What motivates you to take one step? Is it a reward? An accountability partner? A communicated deadline? A productivity tool? A deeper meaning or purpose? Once you know what is driving you to act, allow and encourage yourself to take one small step. Just one!
Values: Which of Your Leadership Values Would Instigate Movement?
Ask yourself: Which of your leadership values would instigate movement in this moment, e.g. being reliable, adding value, including others or perhaps it’s sparking creativity and innovation? Tapping into your values can lead to an inspired action.
Strengths: What Strengths Can You Rely on to Break Through the Inertia?
Set aside any pressure of perfection or fear of failure, then ask yourself: What strengths do you bring to any challenge? Are you someone who can brainstorm ideas, create a project plan, research how others have done it before? You have a set of innate strengths and you can rely on these to break through the inertia?
Sometimes when we are unsure of our strengths, we begin to doubt ourselves or we compare our approach to how others may solve problems.
If you are experiencing this uncertainty, take a moment and answer for yourself:
What is easy for me to do?
How have I solved problems or challenges before?
What do others rely on me to do for them or their teams?
What would make this fun?
What do I know to do first?
For me, when I am stuck and want to get into motion, I ask myself these strengths-based questions. One of them will unlock the energy I need to take an action. Then, once I’m in action, the creativity and momentum builds, making me an object in motion instead of at rest!
The result? Not only am I now in action, I am actually in a good-feeling zone producing highly effective results, which is energizing and fulfilling. But like I mentioned in the introduction of the article, there is no one way to overcome procrastination. I hope the questions from this article help you to help you discover how to overcome procrastination and start Producing Better Results.
About the Author
Lead True Global Leader Franciska Dekker is a systems thinker, both a pragmatic person and a visionary idealist. She is an expert in conscious leadership development: leading on a day-to-day from Presence. During 1985-2002 she has held a variety of positions with FAO in Africa and in the Caribbean, and with Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands. There after, starting in 2000, she changed her career to coaching and leadership development.
