Guest Blog: Overcome Procrastination

Hey there, galaxy navigators!

My name is Renée. I run a lifestyle and wellness blog called In Control & Caffeinated, but today, I am excited to be steering you through the galaxy with my very own urban guide — Let’s kick procrastination to the curb, once and for all!

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None of us asked to be born and yet here we are, endowed with responsibilities to boot – Bizarre, right? “Be a productive member of society”, they say, and it’s more of an expectation than a suggestion. Pfft.
If I know one thing for sure, it’s that The Amanda Show was an early 2000’s Nickelodeon gem. I identified with a character called, “The Procrastinator”, a spoofy superhero whose catchphrase was, “EEE-VENTUALLY”. Revisit this sketch. It’s a classic. I’ll wait…

I knew that I tended to procrastinate, but I have since learned that procrastination is not a sign of a Netflix obsession, laziness or disinterest. Procrastination is rather a manifestation of perfectionism, and a means to avoid challenging feelings like frustration and rejection.

Ironically, I have rewritten the first part of this post over 10 times and am still not happy with it. If you are anything like me, fear of failure or not meeting your own expectations gets in the way of productivity all too often. While you are certainly being told by others to “be a productive member of society”, more often than not, your voice is the loudest of them all.

Being a perfectionist means you are a high-aiming visionary. Overcoming procrastination then, is a matter of dialling your perfectionism back and leveraging those good qualities to develop strategies toward a “healthy pursuit of excellence”.

Stop, Start, Continue: 

Stop:

Equating self worth with your performance:

The term “off day” is here to remind us that a little failure every now and then is no reflection of our character, but is actually quite normal. Work hard, strive for attainable excellence and be proud!

Waiting for the perfect moment:

Something is always holding you back from just diving in; the time never feels entirely right, and it never will. Choose to dive in and to enjoy the process, because you are totally capable.

Start:

Understanding the root of your procrastination:

I’m officially calling you out on avoiding your feelings. Feeling all the feels builds resilience; let it happen. Remember that you are your toughest critic; take it easy on yourself by setting yourself up for success (check out my previous post to learn how to do this).

Prioritizing your tasks and optimizing your time:

Devise smaller manageable tasks to ensure a more attainable vision. Learn to enjoy the process (consider employing the pomodoro technique) without wasting time fearing for the outcome.

Continue:

Striving high (but not too high)!

Dial it back like three notches. No need to settle for satisfactory, but in the wise words of Hannah Montana, “nobody’s perfect”.

Generating copious, imaginative ideas. You are a visionary!

It’s what you do best so keep those ideas flowing. Just be sure to back them up with manageable tasks so that you don’t drown in your own creative brilliance.

Be patient. As with any new undertaking, these techniques will take practice, but bringing them to mind is the first step.

Now, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and take control!