4.1 Breaking Free from Procrastination: How to Take Action and Reclaim Your Time

Have you ever put off a task, not because you were lazy, butbecause it felt overwhelming? Maybe you told yourself you’d start tomorrow, or you needed the ‘perfect time’ to begin? If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Today, we’re going to talk about what’s really behindprocrastination, how to recognize when it’s controlling your life, and most importantly, how to break free from it so you can reclaim your time and energy. 


#overcomeprocrastination #productivityhacks #breakthroughbarriers #successhabits #letstalk #breakfree #entrepeneurmindset #highachievers 


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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Procrastination
• 7:00 What Really Drives Procrastination?
• 18:00 Identifying Signs of Procrastination
• 34:00 Breaking the Cycle: Practical Strategies
• 48:00 Success Stories: Overcoming Procrastination
• 1:00:00 Invitation to Take Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Bella Grace podcast. I am your host, teresa Mitchell, and today we are diving into a topic that so many high achievers struggle with procrastination. Have you ever put off a task, not because you were lazy, but because it felt overwhelming? Maybe you told yourself you'd start tomorrow or you needed the perfect time to begin. If that feels sounds familiar, you are not alone. I suffer from it too. Today, we're going to talk about what's really behind procrastination, how to recognize it when it's controlling your life and, most importantly, how to break free from it so that you can reclaim your time and energy. And if any of this resonates with you, stick around till the end, because I have a special invitation to take you to the next step towards lasting change. So let's dig in.

Speaker 1: 1:09

Why do we procrastinate? Procrastination is often misunderstood. People think it's about laziness or a lack of discipline, but the truth is it's usually driven by fear, perfectionism or overwhelm. Some of the common reasons why we procrastinate are a fear of failure. We avoid tasks because we are afraid we won't do them perfectly. I let the fear of failure hold me back from doing what I do today. For so long I was afraid that I wouldn't be approved for licensure. I was afraid that I wouldn't be approved for certification. I was afraid of so many things that I just didn't even try. I switched my major, I dropped out of classes. I quit jobs because I thought that I would fail at them. Because I quit jobs because I thought that I would fail at them because of my past, I thought that people would find out about my past and I would lose the opportunity or I would just flat out fail, and then they would know that my past defined me. And so the fear of failure is a huge driver for procrastination. So whenever you find yourself procrastinating, I want you to dig deep and see what the root cause of it is. Why are you truly avoiding this task? It might be overwhelmed, the task feels too big, so we delay starting.

Speaker 1: 2:43

I did this for a very long time. I have wanted to write a book for a long time. I remember being little in my mom's house, like typing stories and writing books for my families, and I had wanted to be an author since I was little bitty. But as an adult I let the overwhelm of the process keep me from actually stepping into that part of my calling. I avoided writing because I said I don't have all the pieces. It's just such a long process. I really need to have like a whole year where I don't have to work and I can just focus on my book. But they were all just excuses that I was giving myself to not start because I was overwhelmed by the process.

Speaker 1: 3:36

Another reason that we procrastinate is perfectionism. We set unrealistic standards and never feel ready to begin. So I do this to myself. I think that everything that I put out has to be perfect. I can't stutter. I have to know exactly what I'm going to talk about before I start recording, and a lot of times it has kept me from sharing some really powerful content with you guys, and I hate that. And so I'm so glad that I have done the work for myself to avoid procrastination due to perfectionism. But it is something that people struggle with all the time.

Speaker 1: 4:20

Another reason for procrastination is the fear of success. Yes, some people procrastinate because, deep down, they fear what success might demand of them. This one's a big one. So if you're trying to, if you want to go for that job promotion, but you are delaying putting the application in because you're afraid of what success might look like. It might look like longer hours. It might look like more dedication. That's going to require some time and energy, but don't let the fear of success hold you back from reaching for what you truly want. Instead, break down what it is that you want into bite-sized pieces. Okay, what is success going to mean? What is that going to look like? What changes am I going to have to make? And it might still seem daunting, but at least you have a better understanding of what success really might look like.

Speaker 1: 5:24

Excuse me, another reason we procrastinate is low energy or burnout. You're simply exhausted and your brain craves a break. This is one that that happens to me often. I'm getting better at it, and in 2024, I actually my word for the year was rest. It's my word for the year this year too, because I didn't quite make it in 2024.

Speaker 1: 6:01

2024 hit me like a ton of bricks. I was pulled in a million different places. My daughter and her friend are getting ready for college. They are graduating this year, and so I was literally either at a college tour or dealing with the fallout of a tree falling on our house last year, and so I had very low energy and I was getting burned out, posting and doing and working my nonprofit job and creating my business, building my business as a coach. And so I was really burned out and I had to take a break and say, hey, this is what you teach on, this is what you live for, what is happening and how do you fix it? And so I realized that I was procrastinating some really important things because I was so low on energy. So this year I have done some things to ensure that I have better energy levels, that I am more focused on time management and time blocking, so that I am present in every aspect of my life and I don't feel exhausted and totally low energy, so that I can do all the things that I'm wanting to do without feeling burned out, without feeling burned out.

Speaker 1: 7:23

So I want to ask you, to ask yourself what am I really avoiding when I procrastinate and what's the worst that could happen? It's a question that we don't often think about. So what are you really avoiding when you procrastinate? Is it exhaustion? Is it discomfort? Is it a fear of success? Is it that you don't want to feel overwhelmed so you just avoid it? Is it a fear of failure? What's the worst thing that would happen if you did it? Is it a fear of failure? What's the worst thing that would happen if you did it? So what does procrastination look like? So some signs that you might be stuck in procrastination mode.

Speaker 1: 8:15

Number one you say I'll do it tomorrow, over and over again, and tomorrow never comes. Yeah, I said I'll do it tomorrow for years about my book. I said I'll do it tomorrow for years about pursuing my licensure for counseling. I said I'll do it tomorrow for years with pursuing my certification for coaching. And before I knew it, the regulations for both industries had changed and I ended up having to do new certification programs for both. And I'm actually in the middle of finishing up my counseling stuff so that I can be a licensed professional counselor. But I ended up having to get a second master's because I procrastinated. The I'll do it tomorrow has cost me somewhere around $35,000. Now I don't want you to do that. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Let's get you on a path so that you stop saying I'll do it tomorrow and instead start saying I'm going to do it today. I am doing it today.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Another way that you can tell if you are stuck in procrastination mode is you keep yourself busy with unimportant tasks instead of tackling the big ones. I am so guilty of this. I will have 14 little baby tasks going instead of focusing on the one big task that I need to complete. Or the other way happens If what I need to get done requires a bunch of little tasks, I will be like no, I'm going to go focus on this big task over here instead, because that's the one that needs to be tackled. But when you are not in procrastination mode, you're like let me just focus on these little tasks and get them done, because they move me towards my bigger goal, right? So we need to start really honing in on what needs to get done to get us to that goal, whatever it is. Maybe your goal is to write a book, like mine is, or maybe it is to get that promotion, or maybe it is to close X number of deals this month. Whatever your big goal is, we need to make sure that we're doing those tiny steps along the way to get to it, so that we avoid the overwhelm and we aren't doing busy work on things that don't matter.

Speaker 1: 11:04

Another sign that you're stuck in procrastination mode is you wait for the perfect time to start. I got news for you. There's never a perfect time to start. I had started writing my book in 2022 and then life happened and I had a sick parent and all of 2023 was dedicated to my sick parent. And well, all of 2023 was dedicated to my sick parent and I was so thankful to be able to be there for them and be a part of that journey with them, to be there for them and be a part of that journey with them. But it was not the perfect time to write, so I didn't do it and looking back now I can see all of the opportunities that I missed. That were times that I could have used to write, because I put it in the box of it's not the right time.

Speaker 1: 12:05

So if you are trying to reach your big goal, you have got to find little pockets of space to do the things that need to get done. It doesn't have to be okay I have a year away in a cabin to get this done like it was for me, with writing my book. Instead, it can be I. I have a year away in a cabin to get this done like it was for me, with writing my book. Instead, it can be I have 10 minutes a day to write. That means I can crank out about half a page to a page in 10 minutes. Makes it a lot more achievable, doesn't it?

Speaker 1: 12:38

So another way that you can tell that you are stuck in perfectionism is that, or procrastination, I'm sorry. Is you feel guilty about avoiding something, but you still don't take action? Okay, if you feel guilty about something, it should be a little hint to you that your brain, your mind, your soul, your heart is telling you that this is something that you need to be doing rather than avoiding. And so we need to listen to our bodies, listen to our minds, and when you get that little tingle of like I could be writing right now, just do it, do it, jump on it. Even if all you do is open the laptop, even if all you do is visit the page to the link where that job posting is, any small action signals to your brain that you are going to start working in that general direction and it is going to continue down that general direction until an outside force comes and pushes it off of that general path. So I want to encourage you to take the small steps. Take some action, any action, no matter how small it is. So if any of these feel familiar, don't worry, there's a way out.

Speaker 1: 14:06

So let's talk about how you break the cycle of procrastination. Breaking the cycle of procrastination can happen. Procrastination is a habit, and habits can be changed, and I'm going to give you some practical ways that you can break free from procrastination. So identify the fear behind it, right. What are you afraid of? Once you name it, it loses its power. So we really got to speak it right. Like, I am afraid of failure. Well, now you know that. Now it's out loud, the genie is out of the bottle. You have spoken it out loud. You are afraid of failure. So now you can try to prove that as a lie to your brain. Right, I am not going to fail. There is no perfect book. It is all the. What is it? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so I want you to really identify the fear behind your procrastination. What are you avoiding? What are you afraid of? And then name it, speak it out loud, acknowledge it so that you can move on.

Speaker 1: 15:25

I always tell people that shame and fear and hurt fester in the dark, right? So we have to get the thing that we're ashamed of out so that it can stop growing inside of us. It's the same thing with whatever is holding you back and causing you to procrastinate. Whatever fear is at the root, we need to talk about it. Get it out so that we can acknowledge it exists. Stop letting it be the elephant in the room and do something about it.

Speaker 1: 15:57

Step two, or the second way that you can break free from procrastination is to break it down into smaller steps. Instead of saying I need to finish this project, start with, I'll spend 10 minutes on this project, kind of like I was saying about my book, like I can sit down for 10 minutes a day and write. So start small, break it into small steps. If you are wanting to Open your own cookie business, that is a big goal. It requires a lot of things and it can be very daunting. Instead, break it into small pieces. What do you need to do first? If you're wanting to open a cookie store, you probably need to have a cookie recipe. Once you have your cookie recipe, you got to figure out how you can mass produce this cookie recipe. Once you do that, you've got to do the market research, like where is a good place to have a cookie shop? If you look at Insomnia Cookies. They have cracked the code. They are literally stationed in college areas and they are open till the butt crack of dawn because they know students studying late probably want some cookies. They want a sweet treat. So they have strategically placed themselves by universities so doing that research. But it is now breaking it down into bite-sized pieces that aren't going to overwhelm you and keep you stuck in procrastination.

Speaker 1: 17:39

The third practical way to break free from procrastination is use the five-minute rule. Commit to working on the task for just five minutes Most of the time. Once you start, you'll keep going, but giving yourself that five minute limit allows your brain to say I can do this for five minutes because we all know we can do anything for five minutes. So set the timer for five minutes and get to it and get to it. Number four is set external accountability. Tell a friend, a coach or an accountability partner about your deadline. This helps other people keep you on task. So my friend knows that I'm writing my book and she periodically says how many pages have you written this week? And that really keeps me accountable, because I don't want to tell her zero. I don't want to have to text her and say I wrote zero pages this week, thanks Bye. So having an accountability partner or coach that you are working with can be a really powerful tool.

Speaker 1: 18:51

I know my clients hate getting on the phone with me and I say, okay, how'd you do with our goals for last week? And they say I didn't do any of them. They hate it because then we go into a long spiel about why they didn't do it. I make them dig in and figure out the root cause and they don't want to deal with all that, so instead they do the work. Number five is reward yourself. Give yourself a small reward for completing even the smallest step and celebrate your progress. So this can be anything right?

Speaker 1: 19:28

I have a friend who loves stickers, so every time she completes one of her small steps she gets herself a new sticker or maybe you want it to be so. I have a client. She is trying to focus on studying and make it through her master's program, and one of her biggest hangups is reading, and so what we do is I tell her, set a timer for five minutes and you read for five minutes straight. She loves powdered donuts, so at the end of the five minutes, if she has stayed on task and read for five minutes straight, she gets a powdered donut. See the point Like she is, it's silly and it's small. But when you reward your brain, it wants more of that. So it is going to read more, it is going to cross those tasks off the list more because it's getting a reward. So the last one is well, that was the last tip. That was the last tip.

Speaker 1: 20:42

But the last thing that I want to talk about is my client, who has struggled with procrastination for two. This will be the third year. So we started working together almost three years ago and she came to me wanting to retire within a certain number of years. Right, the goal and it wasn't even years, actually, it was I want to be retired in 18 months. And I said okay, so what's the goal? How are we going to do this? If the goal is to be retired in 18 months, how are we going to break that down? What does that entail? What's holding you back from retiring in 18 months? And it has been almost three years and we are officially six and a half months away from her retirement and I am so excited. Why did it take almost three years rather than 18 months?

Speaker 1: 21:54

Procrastination she realized that procrastination was her way of avoiding the discomfort that was going to come with having to tell her colleagues, having to tell her partner, having to tell her children and her grandchildren that she was going to be retiring, because so many people depended on her and the revenue in that business to be successful for their own well-being and their own livelihood. So she was letting that fear hold her back from retiring. She was afraid to let go of the title of business leader, and that held her back for about a year, because every time we talked about retirement she would say, yeah, but I've built this business. Yeah, but I want to make sure that this business goes to the right people. I want to make sure that the right leadership takes over. And so there was some fear attached to that.

Speaker 1: 23:05

I think it was a little bit of fear of not being that business owner anymore, not being that business leader anymore that was driving her procrastination. So every time we would get on a call, every week, we would get on a call and I would say, okay, did you tell your coworkers that you're going to retire in 18 months? No, the conversation just never came up. Okay, have you started looking for an alternate place to live that isn't as close to your work, because that was one of the hang-ups no, we haven't found a place that we like yet. It was constant excuses, and I always tell people I'm here to guide you along the way, I am not here to drag you across the finish line. And so I came alongside her and tried to point out the times when procrastination was holding her back.

Speaker 1: 24:01

But it wasn't until recently that she realized that when she started taking small, intentional actions, her mindset shifted and so did her results, and the same can happen for you. She stopped waiting on the perfect house, she stopped waiting on the perfect time, she stopped waiting for the perfect revenue numbers and she started taking little actions. She toured a condo, she toured a house, she put in an offer on the house, she told one co-worker about her plans to retire. These little actions began to shift her mindset, and now she is seeing bigger changes. And, my friend, I so want that for you too, if procrastination is holding you back.

Speaker 1: 25:00

So, if today's episode has resonated with you at all, I want to invite you to take action right now. So I'm going to challenge you to pick one task that you have been avoiding, set a timer for five minutes and just start. Just start five minutes today. Maybe you're driving in the car right now and you can't do it, but I want you to go home today and set a timer for five minutes and start that task that you have been avoiding. If you're ready to break free from procrastination, burnout or self-doubt, let's chat. I offer one-on-one coaching to help high achievers create freedom and momentum in their life. You can book a free 15-minute discovery call with me and let's talk about how you can break free and reach your true potential. Or send me a message or visit my website to book your session today and, if you loved this episode, take a screenshot, tag me on social media and let me know your biggest takeaway. Until next time, remember, true success comes when you take action, not just when you plan for it. Let's break free together. Bye.