50 I Stop Procrastinating: Time Management Methods for Dental Hygienists Starting an Online Business

Have you ever told yourself you work better under pressure, only to find yourself scrambling at the last minute, feeling stressed and overwhelmed? 

In this episode, I’m diving into the real reasons we procrastinate—hint: it’s not about laziness or poor time management! I’ll break down what’s actually happening in your brain when you put things off and share practical strategies to help you break free from the procrastination cycle. 

This episode is for my fellow dental hygienists and myofunctional therapists who feel stuck after training, overwhelmed by all the “shoulds,” and ready to finally build a thriving, profitable business. 

If you’re craving more clients, predictable income, and a business that feels simple (not stressful), you’re in the right place. Expect to walk away with clarity, courage, and a plan to take imperfect action—because that’s how we roll around here. 

Grab your ☕coffee and your courage - and let’s dive in! 

Xo, 

Carmen

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Chapters

• 3:29 Why We Procrastinate
• 4:42 Buffering And Fake Productivity
• 10:08 Step 1: Call Yourself Out
• 10:52 Step 2: Stop And Reset
• 11:57 Steps 3–4: Identify And Start
• 13:58 Momentum, The 5-Second Rule

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 2:20

Have you ever told yourself you work better under pressure, only to find yourself scrambling at the last minute feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Today, my friend, we're diving into the real reasons we procrastinate. And spoiler alert, it's rarely about laziness or poor time management. We'll uncover what's actually happening in your brain when you put things off, and I'll share practical strategies to help you break free from the procrastination cycle so you can build the thriving myofunctional therapy practice you've been dreaming about. If you've finished your myofunctional therapy training and feel stuck on how to start, grow, or simplify your business, welcome my friend. I'm Carmen, a dental hygienist who once sat right where you are, trained, motivated, but totally unsure how to turn that training into a real profitable business. If you're ready to attract consistent clients, create predictable income, and simplify your business, grab your coffee and your courage, my friend. Let's make your Myobusiness make sense and a whole lot of dollars. Friend, let's talk about procrastination. So I um I just wrapped up a coaching call not too long ago with a student in my Done For You uh Ditch Hygiene Academy program. And one of the first things that I ask students when we're starting out is basically I want to get information that I can hold against them further on down the road when we're coaching. So I always ask them about um basically how they're getting, you know, give me three ways of how they're getting in their own way. And so it was really funny, I thought, when this student talked to me today about how um she is so detail-oriented, so that she gets in her way because she is very detail-oriented, and that just made me want to pop in here and record this because my friend, if if being detail-oriented gets you in your own way, that's just really a fancy way to say that you procrastinate. So that's what we are going to be talking about because when I further unpacked that with her and I asked her about her uh procrastination drug of choice, um, she told me that it was scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, okay, that mindless waste of time. So whether that's social media, whether that's searching for recipes, whatever, uh in the coaching industry, you know, we call that buffering. And it's basically anything that keeps you from being willing to do the uncomfortable thing, okay? And so I just wanted to quickly record this because anytime that I have something that I think is a coaching or a learning opportunity, I want to just get that into your ear. So we are talking about stopping procrastination, okay? So whatever your quote unquote drug of choice is with it, it's at the end of the day, however you want to call it, if you want to say that it's um attention to detail or detail-oriented, I stand corrected. I'm looking at my notes, uh, detail-oriented. Um, we got to stop that, okay? And really because the students that I work with in the ditch hygiene academy, you guys, these are uh these are high-level ambitious women, okay? Uh lazy, um I don't love the word lazy, but unmotivated women are not coming into the ditch hygiene academy because they're not gonna make that kind of investment in themselves if they know that they're not gonna do it. Or they're they're unlikely to, because as soon as I say that, I'm thinking about this particular student who was like, hey, I know that I have to work with Carmen to get my butt in gear. So let's let's talk about buffering. Whatever you do. I have talked about this before, probably on the podcast, but I have found myself doing something as stupid as organizing my tea drawer. Okay, talk about buffering. Also, my favorite thing that I used to do was organizing my office. So when I would find myself deciding that it was time to rearrange things, I would have to sit down and be like, okay, Carm, what is going on here? So that leads me to step number one, which is to call yourself out, okay, with love, but you have to be brutally honest. Catch yourself in the act, okay? Ask yourself, is this actually productive? Am I moving the needle on my essential tasks or am I just dodging the real work? Um, my notes here say think about it. And if what you're doing feels productive, but doesn't actually move the needle, it's just fancy procrastination. Okay, there you have it. So um, so that's that's the first thing. Okay, you have to identify your that you're doing it. Then guess what you have to do, my friend. Step two, you have to stop, okay? Literally, stop what you're doing. You've got to get up, walk around, walk away, um, leave it as is, which was always interesting when I was in the middle of a of a reorganization or moving the furniture around in my office. It's like, what are you doing, Carmen? You're supposed to be um, you know, writing a blog or drafting your emails or doing A, B, and C, but you're over here doing X, Y, and Z. So you've got to stop. Okay. And then next step three is you have to identify what you're avoiding. Okay. So why, what is it, and what am I supposed to be doing? And then I like to narrow it down to like doing a little piece of that. Okay. So step three is to identify the task that you're avoiding. And then step four is to just set a 10-minute timer and just freaking start. So I like to compare this to like working out. I um I always work out. I don't think I will ever fall in love with working out, it's just like something that I do because I'm a woman who honors what she says she's gonna do, and because it's on my calendar, quite honestly, you guys, that's why I exercise is because it's on my calendar. Somebody told me I needed to do it, and so therefore I do it. Um, but I always compare this to my workouts. Like, okay, if you really don't want to do it, Carmen, go do it for 10 minutes. And I never stop. It always feels so good once you get started, but it's just that getting started. So you don't, I don't want you to overthink it. I don't want you to worry about um perfectionism, okay? Because remember, around these parts, we take ugly and perfect action. So none of that stuff. No thinking you're gonna wait till tomorrow, just start. Okay, you can survive anything for 10 minutes, and like I said, once you get to that 10 minutes, you're probably just gonna keep going because you're just gonna get it done. Um, another thing that, you know, one of my business coaches coaches us on is, you know, really the it's called the coaching model, where you know, your results are are the outcomes that you get are a result of the actions that you're taking, the thoughts that you're thinking, um, the negative emotions that you're having. And oftentimes for me, I just have to kind of turn it on its head. If I need the outcome, then I clearly need to do the work. And so I just become like a robot, 54321. Thank you, Mel Robbins, for the five for that rule, five, four, three, two, one. And I just start, okay, do 10 minutes and just get it over with. And then the last one is to reward yourself, okay. And so that is the big dopamine hit uh is getting it done. Whether it's just those 10 minutes, whether it's the whole enchilada, however, um, you have to reward yourself. And so one thing that I teach my students is really the difference between active and and passive action. Passive action is not moving the needle in your business, it's not going to put any money in your bank account. But um, but it's also important. So passive action, listening to a podcast, reading a business book, that kind of stuff. And so this is where you're going to reward yourself with the fact that you did get something done. Okay. So there you have it. I just wanted to record that. Like I said, when I come out of coaching, I just think that if there is, you know, gold nuggets, I want to share that with you. So I hope that was motivating and uplifting and helpful to you. And it helps you stop procrastinating and um don't just think that you're being detail-oriented. Think about really what's going on. So that is all I have for you right now, my friend. I will be back soon and we will talk more myofunctional therapy business goodness. I'll see you then. I hope you love today's episode, friend. I pray that it lifted you up, motivated you, and taught you something. If so, would you stop right now and go to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review? And lastly, make sure you've joined the profitable myofunctional therapist Facebook community. Links to all the goodies can be found wherever you're listening to this podcast. That's it for now. Cheering you on, my friend, and we'll chat soon.