Procrastination
A while back I did a poll about energy drains caused by self-sabotaging behaviors. The behavior getting the most votes was "procrastination."
So what causes us to procrastinate? There are any number of reasons, but the primary causes seem to be:
Perfectionism (a self-sabotaging behavior itself)
Waiting for someone else to make a move (oh, that!!!!!)
Fear (of being uncomfortable, so you put off getting started)
Lack of accountability
Overwhelm
Distraction
Not having enough information*
*My personal number 1 reason for procrastinating is not having enough information--to do the job; to write the report; to make the decision, to take action, etc. You get the idea. (Actually, I had a coach point this out to me several years ago.) Once I realized the reason around my procrastination (and how the other factors listed were affecting me), I could finally start moving forward.
For example...I put off organizing my home office for at least 4 years. I was working from home with three different job titles and my working area was chaos. Every New Year's resolution included organizing my office. Finally another coach said, "Are you really going to do that within the next 30 days?" I had to admit that I had no idea how to get started. I didn't have enough information. But I was smart enough to call a professional organizer to help me out and provide me the information, guidance, and accountability I needed to do the job. And to this day, years later, my home office continues to be a great and organized space. (Thanks, Debra!!)
As a corollary to having enough information to get started, sometimes you just have to start. You'll gain the information along the way. Sometimes you just have to make the jump if you want to get to your goal. When I ran for public office recently, I really had very little idea of how or what to do. Fear was the reason I procrastinated. Fear of being uncomfortable. But I realized it was alright to simply get started, get the momentum going and build along the way. And so I did. (Although I didn't win my race, I learned a LOT, it was a great experience and I continue to have people ask if I'll consider running in the next race.....no comment...)
So what's your biggest reason for procrastinating? And what's it costing you to delay? What's holding you back? Do you know what you need to move forward?
When things hold you back, it's sort of like trying to drive a car with the emergency brake on. You waste energy. Creating awareness around what's holding you back and causing you energy drain is the first step in resolving the problem.
If you want to re-charge and re-energize, you've got to release the brakes. You'll get further faster once you release them. Putting an end to procrastination and other self-sabotaging behaviors will help you get from where you are to where you want to be.
This is also part of a larger learning process for those of us in mid-life/mid-career who are ready to re-focus, re-charge and re-energize. There's a new skillset and mindset that needs to be put in place if you want to up-level your life. I'm affectionately calling it for now, "The Mid-Life Memo: 5 Keys to Go Fearlessly Forward." Stay tuned! And let me know if you ever want to chat and get some clarity and free private coaching on your personal situation. I'm here to help!
Thoughts?