Can Procrastination Teach You a Valuable Lesson?

Hi there, if you’ve been following along then you will know that I’ve been failing miserably at the 30 Day Blogging Challenge with Sarah Arrow. I am now at day 25 so not many to go! For the next few days, I’m going to be doing some mini video tips so watch out for those.

Procrastination gets bad press. You know, you’re meant to avoid it at all costs, but it’s not always the bad thing that it is sold as.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve written lots of things around procrastination and most of them are about getting rid of it, well I’m not so sure it’s something you can get rid off, rather than something you work through, but I digress.

There are lots of fabulous tools out there for you if you’re a procrastinator. If you like your apps then I’d highly recommend the Pomodoro technique where you set a timer for 25 minutes and work in blocks of time. You can now link it to another fun app called Pomello too.

It might be that you don’t have a plan so where you don’t know where to start, you just don’t! There might be underlying fear of all sorts of things. We have all sorts of reasons we procrastinate.

Sometimes, you might be procrastinating for a very good reason though so before you cast it aside as something to get through/past etc let’s take a look at it from a different perspective.

What if there is a really good reason for you procrastinating?

Before I get into sharing my procrastination story with you, I want you to think about whether that thing you’re putting off is being put off for a reason other than fear? Is it that your business idea isn’t formed well enough yet to be put out into the world? Is it that you have a gut feeling, but not sure what, that you shouldn’t be working with a particular business partner? Is there more research to do before you can tackle that particular task or project? Sometimes we just don’t have all of the information we need so that can be a good place to start.

So now, onto my little share..

I learned a valuable and uncomfortable lesson from a bit of procrastinating I was doing last month. I had been pulling together a module on forgiveness for my Cappuccino Coaching Club and I wanted to bring in what I’d call a bit of woo-woo stuff as I’d personally had some great results from it, but I got stuck. (The woo-woo was the Ho’oponopono method if you’re wondering – a forgiveness method – Google it if you haven’t heard of it) I’d learned of the method a few years ago and then it was brought to my mind again while I’ve been doing Denise Duffield-Thomas’ Lucky Bitch Money Bootcamp.

Do you need to bring out some of your inner woo-woo?

I sat with it for days thinking about what other little exercises I could include instead, but nothing quite worked, as this was the one that I’d really enjoyed. What if people thought I was nuts? What if my family didn’t like the things the ‘real me’ shares (they won’t by the way!) What if people stopped liking working with me because I was bringing in some different stuff? Now some of these concerns may well have been valid, some not necessarily.

Now interestingly, what this faffing around taught me was that I wasn’t being my true authentic self, something I tell everyone is important. Woah, I wasn’t being authentic by not sharing a part of me that I believe in? I didn’t like to have that mirror shown to me at all. It sucked! I do all I can to show up as the real me, and I encourage others to do the same. Yes, sometimes it’s scary being so vulnerable, but it’s important and way more tiring trying to be something that you’re not. I know, I’ve been there and I’m obviously being shown I’ve got more work to do on it.

Have you ever been on a date where you just share the best bits about yourself, wondering if they will like you when they really get to know you? Yeah – that! Tiring, isn’t it?! I don’t want to live two different lives like I used to when I worked in HR, I want to just be 100% me, but here’s the thing – I wasn’t being 100% me at all. I was worried about sharing a different side to me, something that I believed might have an impact on how people perceive me. Yes, it might but just because others don’t believe in what you believe shouldn’t mean you stop sharing yourself, your true self.

Who do you think would be disappointed if they learned more about who you are?

I like all sorts of woo-woo stuff, Law of Attraction being one of them. With my Christian upbringing though it scares me to share that, as I know it would be a HUGE disappointment to my family and they would be praying for my soul (they actually will be if they listen to this recording or read my transcript on my blog later!)

Should others’ views stop you from sharing your own, or even simply believing your own? I think everyone is doing the best they can and that just because some type of belief is right for them doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.

• Where do you think you might be procrastinating because of what other people might think about you?
• How is this belief stopping you from being authentic?
• How different would life be if you showed up as 100% authentic in all that you do?
• What needs to happen for you to start showing up more authentically?
• What would be your first brave step? 

 While we’re on the subject of being authentic, did you know that I swear too? I might as well get it all off my chest while we’re talking about being real! Yeah, that feels good!

So here’s your call to action this week: Sit down and write a list of all the things you’re procrastinating about and answer the questions above. In what areas of your life might you not be showing up authentically? Let me know in the comments below, or if that’s a step too brave just share it with me personally via email ([email protected]) or a private message on Facebook.

Just to recap today’s post then:

• You may be procrastinating through fear, but also there may be a genuine reason as to why you’re putting something off. Figure out what that is. If there isn’t anything then just get on and do it – no more messin’!

• Maybe your procrastination contains a lesson, what might that lesson be for you?

• Think about where you might be showing up inauthentically. We all want to know the real you, not the ‘you’ that you think we need to meet!