Aren't Ya Tired Of? Smart Conversations for Living & Working Well

Procrastinating: Why Does Later Always Seem Like a Better Idea?

• Patti Johnson & Mark Benton • Season 2 • Episode 1

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You know what you need to do... so why aren't you doing it? And why does putting it off feel so good—until it doesn't?

In this episode of Aren't Ya Tired Of...?, Patti and Mark take a fresh look at procrastination. Instead of getting down on yourself for lacking discipline, they explore what procrastination is trying to tell you. Is it fear of failure? Perfectionism? Uncertainty? Or simply avoiding something uncomfortable?

They also share practical ideas that work—from taking a very small first step, setting attainable goals, creating momentum, and knowing when procrastination is actually a wise pause instead of avoidance. Whether you've been putting off a difficult conversation, a career move, or that one task you've ignored for weeks, this episode will help you stop waiting for inspiration and get moving.

Please leave a review, subscribe, and share this with anyone who needs to hear this conversation! Check out Aren't Ya Tired Of on YouTube, and follow us on Instagram at arentyatiredof_social.  Send your topic suggestions to podcast@pattibjohnson.com or through DM on LinkedIn or Instagram.

SPEAKER_01

Welcome everybody. So here's the question today. Aren't you tired of putting off things you know you should be doing? If you want to do it, you know you should do it, but you just put it off, and then you put it off, and then you feel guilty. So that's what Mark and I are going to talk about today. We're going to talk about what we've seen work for us, why we're procrastinating at the beginning. We'll talk about that and hopefully give you some good ideas. So welcome to Aren't You Tired Of and with my co-host Mark Benton.

SPEAKER_00

Hello.

SPEAKER_01

Hello, everybody. And I'm Patty Johnson. Welcome, everybody. So we we got into this topic because we we talk about it a lot as sort of like that's one of those things that always trips us up. And so I'm gonna start off, Mark. I want to know do you know when you're most likely to procrastinate?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I'm most likely to procrastinate when um obviously it's something I don't want to do. I was voluntold to do. And or it it could just be it seems a little too daunting. Okay, and I don't know where to start.

SPEAKER_01

Start I'm very much the same. I'm a selective procrastinator. If you if I went through Is that what you call it? What makes me feel better, right? It's not I'm not a full-blown procrastinator, I'm a selective procrastinator. But it will typically be very much like you, things that either I don't want to do or I don't know how to do it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And those are kind of two different camps. So let's kind of dive into what are those real root reasons of why we procrastinate. Because if you've listened to Mark and I long enough to know, long enough, I don't know if it's just us or if it's important. We always start with, but why are you doing it? Why? What's the root cause? Why are you doing it?

SPEAKER_00

What's the root?

SPEAKER_01

Why are you doing? So let's start off, and I'll give you one of mine uh first ones of reasons why I think we do it, and that is fear of failure. Like back to the things we don't know how to do.

SPEAKER_02

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

What if I really screw up? If I'm a perfectionist, man, if I don't do this well, then you know, I maybe I'd be better just not do it. Right. Right. I'll just not just push it back a little bit.

SPEAKER_00

So that's one what other makes total sense are you thinking of? You know, I know that um I have procrastinated sometimes in the fear of success. So tell me what, tell me about that. Like, you know, if it's something I've not done before, it's a goal or it's something that I really want to do, uh, but I've not done it before. Well, what what if it's successful? What what if it actually works? And then I start building up the issue and the things and the I the I don't even knows, right? Yep. And then I'm just still sitting where I started. But it's like just the success of it sometimes, you know? What if this actually works?

SPEAKER_01

What if it really works? The opposite, yeah, you know, of what we the failure fail fear of failure. So, you know, I think for me too, another thing that really I've seen trip up, not just me, but people in general, I got plenty of time. I got plenty of time to do that. Yeah. Yeah. Um, it's not urgent, but yet if it's something that's important, we talked about this actually in one of our episodes of why you always put yourself last.

SPEAKER_02

That's right.

SPEAKER_01

Those things that we think are important, but they never like bubble to the top of your list. So they're important, but you think, I have a lot of time to do that. That doesn't need to be today. Yeah. So if it's something that will take weeks or months, guess what? If it never if you never start, you're it you're never started. You're procrastinating, yeah, exactly. Or you're like procrastinating every day, every day. And that's something that I think is a real issue. I got plenty of time. I don't I can procrastinate on it, and there's no impact.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and and and I think a lot of listeners, and and I'll even say this, I I I'll do that. It's just, I got plenty of time. I don't need to worry about it, right? Right. Um, we also procrastinate just because of the uncertainty around it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Around the thing. I don't know where to start, I don't know how to start. Uh, do I really understand? Like, you know, if I'm trying to solve something, you know, what's the problem I'm trying to solve? You know, we have uh an episode, uh, previous episode where we talk about, you know, aren't you tired of ambiguity? Yeah. And not kind of knowing, you know, where to go. And that uncertainty, uh, it's better if I just wait. Maybe something else will change and then I can, you know, start on this thing. And and that's happened to me a lot. You know, I'm just like really uncertain on what to do or how to do it, when to do it, when's the right time. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. That's a big one. That that ambiguity, lack of clarity can cause you to say, oh my gosh, especially if you don't know how to do it. Right. And it's uncertain times is like, oh, right. That's just going to go down the list.

SPEAKER_02

That's right.

SPEAKER_01

So a few others that I want to mention, and one of them is I think it's really interesting, but research would say identity protection. And what I mean by that is if you think about uh, and this there is a lot of research around talented and gifted kids, starts young. Okay. But then the we work with some people that kind of feel like they're in the talented gifted program, right? But they think, you know what I mean? It's like, uh-uh, this is my brand. Yes. Right? I'm this great research scientist. I need it back goes back to needing to be right and wanting to be perfect. But it is not only just accuracy and being right, it is this is who I am.

SPEAKER_00

That's very interesting.

SPEAKER_01

You know, and so the risk is very high for me to, and so I'm just gonna procrastinate on that uh versus you know, jump in there.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So that that is very interesting. It's like, you know, in in my my um corporate world, we would call that also impression management. Right. Yeah. I'm I'm not gonna start it because this is my brand, this is what I know how to do, doing something new and different that might stretch me or grow me. Uh, you know what? I don't, I'm not gonna even try. I want to be stretched. Don't be stretching me. Don't be stretching me.

SPEAKER_01

Don't be stretching me. Don't do it.

SPEAKER_00

Nope.

SPEAKER_01

Um, another one, another reason, and this one I can really relate to is it makes me uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh so I'm gonna wait. So, as an example, I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but I know a lot of people that you're saying that's the thing. I think that is as you represent. Yeah, I'm just uncomfortable. So I don't want to do it. Okay, gotcha. That's very, very common. And it's it's like, uh I think of this in terms of tough conversations, performance conversations. How many people have we coach, advice? I know I've experienced it myself. Like this person needs to know this.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Uh today's not the day.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

It's gonna be later. I don't want to do it today.

SPEAKER_00

Right. Well, I mean, there's a lot of listeners out there, they've either um been in a position to procrastinate on having a critical conversation or a hard conversation, or uh they're no one's coming, right? But that's the thing. If I had a dollar for all of the guidance and coaching I've done because someone is procrastinating on a critical conversation, we'd be sitting on both my yachts. Yes, we'd be going from one to the often from one to the other. That's what we'd be doing.

SPEAKER_01

100%. I completely agree. I also think um, you know, like it this I had this conversation with somebody who's doing the job search.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And needs to, and she's younger and needs to do more. I hate to say the word, networking. She needs to get out and talk to people and needs to get out and let people know, here's what I'm looking for. And she's like, I just keep putting it off. I don't want to bug people. I don't want to go do that and be asking for help. And I think that's an example of where it would help her to do it, but she's procrastinating.

SPEAKER_00

Well, you know, that one, the procrastination around something I don't want to do. We have a great episode, you know, networking kind of small talk.

SPEAKER_01

Small talk.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

That would help you. Right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00

If you listen to that episode and you procrastinate because you don't like the networking, that episode might help you a little bit. It might a little bit.

SPEAKER_01

The other one, this is funny because we've talked so much about procrastinating over the last couple of weeks.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I started like thinking about when do I procrastinate? This is embarrassing. You know, I'm not a shy, retiring person. Returns. Hate to do returns.

SPEAKER_00

You hate to do returns. Oh my gosh. I don't want to go.

SPEAKER_01

I don't want to return it. I don't want to go in there and face the person. Yeah, it just it's kind of short. I didn't like it.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my gosh. That is hilarious. Well, you know what? Now I have to be honest. We have a uh a returns corner in our I we do too.

SPEAKER_01

Dining room chair if it needs to be returned. I'm hoping Jim will do it.

SPEAKER_00

But he's not gonna take it.

SPEAKER_01

He's not gonna go into anthropology and make a return. Anthropology.

SPEAKER_00

Here's the thing. I love that. And then I I have a question for you on this whole thing. But the thing that's so funny about returns is I don't care. Like, like, oh, you didn't like it? No, I didn't.

SPEAKER_01

See, I'm that way with most things. Like, I'll send a drink back.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Oh.

SPEAKER_01

Like with the rest of my group, we were at dinner with a big group just this past week. And somebody was like, they had ordered an espresso martini and it wasn't right. It wasn't the way they normally made it. Yeah. Send it back. Yeah. Send it back. We're we're paying a lot for this meal. We're doing it like send it back.

SPEAKER_00

Do it.

SPEAKER_01

Oh no, no. If it were me, send it back.

SPEAKER_00

When it comes to a good beverage, I'm gonna put myself first.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna put myself first.

SPEAKER_00

I'm gonna put myself first.

SPEAKER_01

Return?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I'm gonna put it on. You're gonna put it off. I'm gonna put it on.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know what that's somebody who psychoanalyzed me. I got some issues.

SPEAKER_00

Well, it's a question though, on this topic of procrastination. You know, is there really patty relief in procrastination? I mean, you know, it can last a long time. Is there any payoff? You know, any good news if you might procrastinate on some things. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01

I think it's very short-lived.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

You might get that em that just momentary relief of, you know, we talk about small talk about I, you know what? I don't want to go to that thing. I'm not gonna go. I'm gonna feel good for five minutes, and then I'm gonna then when I go into the office and everybody else was there the next day, then I'm I'm filled with guilt that I didn't I really wasn't sick. I could have gone, you know? Yeah. So, you know, I think that, I think that um that procrastination, especially if it builds up over time, yeah, I don't see much relief.

SPEAKER_00

Do you? Not really. When I was thinking about this question, I I was thinking sometimes I have been quick to activate, like quick to do something, because I'm like, nope, let me get this done. And it's done and it's out there. And then something immediately changes. Yep. And I'm like, you know what? If I had procrastinated just a little bit longer on that, I would have had this new information. So I don't have to send anything new or I don't have to redo what I did. Sometimes, but I don't know if you could really call that procrastination. I think I put it there because I'm thinking about mark it off the list, get it done. Don't, don't wait. But core procrastination, kind of what we're talking about. Yeah. Yeah, I it's it's probably short-lived because it's still gonna be there.

SPEAKER_01

It's still gonna be there. I also I have another hot take on why on why we do it and the impact of doing it before we give you some what I think some of our solutions and ideas are. Okay, it's a hot take. I think procrastin depending on the topic, yeah, procrastinating can be a selfish act, or it can be a, it can cause you to be solo. So if you wait till the last minute, like if you're on a work project, you and I are working on a project together and we're supposed to do this, and I'm in charge of it, and I procrastinate getting information to you, and it's the day after, day before, yeah, I'm gonna have to do it myself, right? You're like, hey, I'd love to help you.

SPEAKER_00

I miss out, but yeah, you missed the window.

SPEAKER_01

You missed the window, you procrastinate to the last minute. You know, and the other thing that can make it kind of selfish, I think, is if you are you're hosting the big summer party, wow, and your sister, I don't have a sister, for those of you who wanted to gosh, she's always talking about her sister, and your sister calls you 30 minutes before, text you 30 minutes before. What can I bring, girl?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And too late. Girl, nothing because you can't cook.

SPEAKER_01

Well, you late you th I've already got everything.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

I've bought everything, it's already on the table. Right. It's too late.

SPEAKER_00

If you wanted to do it, like in that case, if you wanted to do a kind gesture, you would have a day or so before, maybe.

SPEAKER_01

You know, so it's like that procrastinating has impact on other people. That's the point. So sometimes it does. You know, just like procrastinating, you know, like I was gonna say, we talked about having a tough conversation.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That can be really hurtful to somebody if they don't know what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00

I've talked about that with with people, leaders, you know, and managers. I've said, you know what? You know you need to have this conversation. And I'll just throw this out there real quick. Um, and maybe I'll say this again, maybe in a future episode, but um, when you have to have a tough conversation, don't procrastinate. Actually, the motivation for me in getting through that was transparency. I believe it 100% is a sign of respect. 100%. Right? So if if you're out there listening right now and oh, I hate having tough conversations, think about it. Like if you respect the person, right, then they deserve to know, they deserve to know in a timely manner. Now, if you do not respect them, that's a whole nother episode. But they report to you or they are you know in your circle. Some kind of obligation to them.

SPEAKER_01

To them, whatever it may be.

SPEAKER_00

You have information that they need to know. So that that the reason why I came back to that is that is really a big thing that I hear a lot.

SPEAKER_01

I believe it. And I think it is selfish. Like, and I got past that too. I mean, in terms of having tough conversations. I was like, this person deserves to know. Would I want to know if everyone is saying something about me that I can fix? Right. That's just yeah, you need to, you should tell them. So I think that is like, you know, one of the so we've kind of talked about um, you know, some of those things that that cause us to procrastinate. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Now let's kind of shift it. Okay. What do we think works? What's helped us, what's helped the people that we've worked with, yeah, um, colleagues, friends, and so on. So let's talk about that a little bit. Okay. And so I'm gonna give one, and that is set little mini goals, baby steps. So I'm gonna use a family member who shall remain nameless. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Used what I call the little Debbie method.

SPEAKER_00

The little Debbie. You know those little cakes. Little cakes. Little Debbie cakes.

SPEAKER_01

And his method was it was studying when he was in college. Okay. And he would always procrastinate. He got his method was uh after two hours of studying, uh-huh, you have you got a little Debbie.

SPEAKER_00

Right. So Well, you know what happens, you eat too many little Debbie's and then you come become Big Deborah.

SPEAKER_01

Big Don. Big Don. I'm just gonna say you saw this person, right? This person is in great shape, could run circles around us. Yes. So this was not a concern for him.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Because I I was like, have you looked at what's in little Debbie's? And the answer was I gotta get the study and done.

SPEAKER_00

That was that was the problem to solve, right? That was the problem to solve.

SPEAKER_01

Let's we're gonna worry about what's in the little Debbie's later. Uh-huh. But uh that is a good money, chunk it up, make it small, set a little reward, doable, build in a little reward.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Yes. What are you thinking? I have one that's uh big Deborah. Um I have one. Um schedule the start and two steps in. So if you're procrastinating, one thing that I do is I okay, on Thursday at you know, five o'clock, I got this thing, I gotta start. So I'm gonna start it and then I'm gonna plan two steps in. Here you go. So it feels doable. Yeah, it feels doable. And and it gets me a little bit of the win. So I um last week I actually did this the before we had even kind of talked about this as an idea. Um, and I needed to clean up my home office. Right. Just there's still boxes everywhere from when we moved in and all these things, right? And I said, okay, this is what you're gonna do. You're gonna plan it Thursday at five o'clock, and you're gonna take two steps. One step is you're gonna remove five boxes. The next step is you're gonna hang four pictures. Here you go. And so when I did that and followed that, you know, that advice to myself, um, I felt good about it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. And I think that's an example. Actually, you and I were laughing about it. You're also probably prioritizing. I got other stuff. I don't, I can't take three hours and work on my office. No, can I take 15, 20 minutes? Yeah, probably. I can do that.

SPEAKER_00

And and it it was momentum.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Right. I get a little progress. That's right. That's right. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think that's good.

SPEAKER_00

Got another one?

SPEAKER_01

Well, yeah. I think uh for me, I think it's remove the desire to feel motivated. Because you're probably not gonna say more about this. You're not gonna so what I mean is, you know how sometimes when you're doing something new, yeah, like I want to feel motivated. I want to feel excited. Okay, I'm pretty sure you weren't getting too excited about organizing the office. It was just the maybe the clutter was getting on your nerves and it was distracting. Yeah. So don't expect that you're going to feel that sense of excitement and motivation. Instead, think about what the action.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So you're saying set my own expectations. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You can't be, you're not gonna be all pumped up all the time. I think that's one. I think the other one is I think productivity experts would say, you know, a lot of tips would be like, if you look at your list for the day, yeah, knock out a couple that you just don't want to do. Yeah. Now, if it's a B item, if it's B7, you're probably not gonna do it first.

SPEAKER_00

You're not gonna do it. You're certainly not gonna do a D D6.

SPEAKER_01

D6 is not even gonna make it. D6.

SPEAKER_00

I don't even know what D6 is.

SPEAKER_01

D6 will be moved from day to day to day. But if it's like uh an A item and it needs to get done, do what you don't want to do first. Yeah. That's what they say. Do I always do that?

SPEAKER_00

That's what they say.

SPEAKER_01

That people are saying. Yes. That that that will help you if it's a you know, if it's something you want to procrastinate on, or you know, okay, like you said, I guess momentum. Yes boom, I did something that got that out of the way. Yeah. So do it. Yeah. You know. Sometimes I do that. I do that sometimes.

SPEAKER_00

You know, well, I I I like that. Um, for me, my fill in the blank on, you know, remove the emotion, you know, around it and and that just you're not gonna necessarily be motivated. The fill in the blank for me is like, you know, working out.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Oh, same. Same.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I'm gonna work out with a beverage in my hand. Yes. What are you doing working my bicep?

SPEAKER_01

Somebody's gonna call me and I'm moving.

SPEAKER_00

That's right from the table talk to table to my lips. Table to my lips.

SPEAKER_01

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_00

That's some good workout.

SPEAKER_01

That's right. But I do think getting back to why am I To the point.

SPEAKER_00

To the point.

SPEAKER_01

No, no, no, no. Where you're going is why am I procrastinating? What is it? Yeah. What is it causing me? Is it because your schedule, I know, is wild. Yeah. Like I just need a I need a free night. Yes. I don't want to go to the gym tonight. I mean what is causing me to procrastinate? Is it that it makes you un that you've got it's uncomfortable? Is it I don't know what to do? Because I think depending upon which those of those things it is, will determine if you need a little Debbie or you need to, you know, maybe learn about a new topic so you can do it. You know?

SPEAKER_00

I I think that's right. And I I also know when I procrastinate, we talked about this earlier on in this conversation, is it it I don't feel great when I just don't do it. Right. So I talked about the fill in the blank for me around what I procrastinate. One of them is working out. But every day I tell myself, today's the day.

SPEAKER_01

Today's the day.

SPEAKER_00

Right? So when is the day? So also I know for a lot of people, and and I'll speak to, you know, sometimes we always like to talk about and call out our others out there, people that, you know, might be um neurodivergent, they think differently. Sure. Um, you know, if you know, you're someone that, you know, has like attention issues, you know, and some of those things, time management is a hard thing to master if you also have other things going on. And so that procrastination, you know, can really be real for people and cause them to not um really get to the fullest potential in their lives sometimes. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you're right. If you have some of those other things that are creating distractions in your mind, you know, I'm also reminded of the book that I talk about all the time, but it's atomic habits been around for 10 years, whatever. But you know, one of their big things there was setting goals you can achieve. Yeah. So as an example, yeah, if it's, you know, if it whether it's working out, if it's going spending time with Aunt Barb, whatever, set realistic. I can, I'm gonna commit, I can work out twice a week. Yeah. Like that's as much as I can do. Yeah. And, you know, I think for that, that helps. That can help on procrastination of like and the guilt that follows when you do procrastinate. Right.

SPEAKER_00

We all feel it. That's real. You know, as you were talking, one of the things we hadn't mentioned is get someone to hold you accountable. Yeah. Right? That's that's something maybe a listener out there was thinking, you know, I have an accountability partner for this thing.

SPEAKER_01

For this thing.

SPEAKER_00

Like you know it's like a struggle. Yeah, it's a struggle, or I just need the motivation. Yeah. Right. I I need to feel great about this. I need a a cheer person, you know, to come and just walk alongside me. Yeah. You know, to help me get it done.

SPEAKER_01

But see, that's an example. I think what you're going is what is causing me and if for you, if it's like I it it's never making it up on my list. It's important to me, but my schedule is demanding. What is it?

SPEAKER_00

You are, I think, really hitting at the core of this. What is causing the behavior? You know, because if it's something we're tired of, our focus here, right, is to help people live and work well. Yeah. And so anything that we're talking about we're tired of, we're always going to get into the conversation of, well, what can you do? Yeah. Right. To live and work well. And if you're procrastinating, you know, I know a lot of times I I actually have taken my own advice, you know, I've encouraged myself and and I've said, get an accountability partner.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, so my fill in the blank, I don't like to work out. Well, why? Because um, I I don't want to.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, I need to. But I've thought about, you know, I have a a person I could call and and he would be more than willing, and and is actually a trainer. I gotta pay him. But he would come and be like, all right, get your butt up off the couch, let's go. Right. So sometimes, you know, it's what you need.

SPEAKER_01

So question though, yeah. Is there ever a time when procrastination might be a wise pause?

SPEAKER_00

Well, yes. One thought that comes to mind is I don't know if I'd call this procrastination, but it could live in that lane. It could be in that family, is when you have to make a big decision.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And you it's a really big decision for you, whatever it may be, right? Each each to their own on what they consider a big decision. And you may need to, you know, kind of the plane might need to circle a couple of times before you make it before you make it. And so I some people may code that as, oh, why are you procrastinating? Let's get on with it. But sometimes that pause, you know, which I said might not necessarily be procrastinating, but the pause could be good because you just need a little bit more data.

SPEAKER_01

You need more data. That's so funny you say that because a really good friend of mine is she's in the process of moving. Okay. And that exact story. So she wanted to buy in this neighborhood.

SPEAKER_00

That was the story I was thinking about, like buying a house or something. New development.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Buying by a new house. She just sold hers, buying she has the money, we're ready to go. Yeah. And wanted to buy in this new development. Only one problem. The two lots left in this new development were not really where she wanted to be.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And so, and she's telling me, I I just, I, I know that's the right development for me, but I just keep procrastinating and making the commitment.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And she goes, I know if I procrastinate much longer, those lots are going to be gone. Well, what she finally came around to was the the procrastinating was her gut instinct telling her, this is not, this is I can't get, I can't get comfortable in the time frame. Okay. This time frame is now. Right. And I can't get comfortable. It's the right thing to do. Interesting. And now she's very this happened a couple of weeks ago. Okay. Now she's very happy. She goes, I'm so glad I didn't rush into it. And we were laughing about how it really wasn't procrastinating. It was her instinct of I'm not 100%. And like that's a huge decision.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's like it's like a procrasto pause.

SPEAKER_01

It's a procrastinopause. And that can be wise. Just like if you get the text from the prints, it says if you don't respond in the next 30 minutes, you're not going to get the $50,000. I'm going to say procrasto pause.

SPEAKER_00

Procrasto pause. That's what you're going to need to do. Yeah, from the prince.

SPEAKER_01

And he's not going to send it.

SPEAKER_00

I'm held hostage.

SPEAKER_01

Can you please send fifty thousand dollars? Yes. Or I'll send you $50,000 if you just text me your number and your side. I'll get it right over. I'll get it right over. So that's an example of procrastinate. Procrastinate for the print. You get something from the prince.

SPEAKER_00

You're going to get the procrastinators on that. Yeah. That's good.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. That's really good. So let's let's just kind of summarize here of for those of us who are either self-proclaimed, self or selective procrastinators. Selective procrastination. I liked it.

SPEAKER_00

I like it. We're just going to go with it. No judge. No judge.

SPEAKER_01

What are the two three things we want to just kind of remind everybody what we think really works?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. One thing that I I will come back to that helps me is one thing is the schedule the start and two steps in. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Begin.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, just begin. How do you begin? Schedule the starts, schedule the beginning and two steps in. I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that. Right. And then do it again. Right. So that's one. Did you want to go or you want me to say another one? No, go ahead. Okay. The next one is I I struggle and have struggled with time management. Right. And that is one of the big culprits in my procrastination. Right. Now, I don't really have that issue anymore. And, you know, we could do a whole other episode on maybe what what happened, you know, that that I, you know, got on this. But um I took one of those leadership assessments um many years back, and one of the indicators was something about uh it was about time management and and it it focuses on you get two things in your own timing. So like I do what I want to do when I want to do it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_00

And I'm getting more and more that way.

SPEAKER_01

Sadly, that's you know, I'm getting pretty good at it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I mean, I I used to be more like that, and I'm not. And that is another thing. Just think about, I go back to what we said just a few minutes ago. Why? Why are you procrastinating? And so is it about making a big decision? And so it's a procrastinopause. Like I'm not procrastinating, I just something is keeping me from saying yes.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. And I think I think to couple with that is like, what do you want out of this situation? And if your procrastinopause is in conflict with what you want, yeah. So like I really need to get this person needs this feedback, but my procrastopause is I don't want to do that. I don't want to do it. Why? Why? Okay, so right there, you're in conflict. So I think that's important. I think the other thing I've done we haven't talked about is visual cues. Like I know, like Patrick has an my son, one of the things he has on his wall is uh he wrote down his big, he didn't call them uh goals or anything like that for the year, but just kind of like stuff that matters. Stuff that matters this year. Yeah. He has them written on a big thing that's on his wall.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

For me, I know one time I was heading up a I was given this huge project at the time, and I didn't know quite how to go about it. And so I I finally I found this stupid poster. I wouldn't even go into it, but that it was like I put it right in front of my desk. It was like this big. Okay. And every time I sat at my desk, it was like, if you aren't thinking about talent development, all your oars aren't in the water. Oh. And I was like, Yeah, I want my oars in the water. I want them on the water. It was the visual cue that was like, don't forget about this thing. It's it's a it's a six, nine-month project. Yes, it's not gonna be your burning eyes, it's not gonna be your A1 today, but you need to get to it. That's good. So the visual cue helped me. Um I also think for me, if you don't know how to do it, do your research with a deadline.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah, research with a deadline. Otherwise, that's great.

SPEAKER_01

Otherwise, you're just gonna keep spinning and spinning and spinning.

SPEAKER_00

So that's gonna help you with that with the time management, right? Big time.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, definitely. You have until Friday to do whatever research you're going to do. And then you gotta hold back to holding yourself accountable. That's great. Yeah. So I think um and I think the the last thing I would say is like, what are my goals in this situation? What do I want?

SPEAKER_00

What's the outcome that I want?

SPEAKER_01

What is it the outcome that I want? Whether it's a better relationship, I want to, I want to be uh, you know, I want to be healthier, I whatever it is. Make sure that you're not that procrastination isn't like under your your private little underminer. Right. You know what I mean? Your saboteur. Your saboteur. That's exactly what I'm saying. I like it. Anything else, Mark? Any other tips before we wrap up?

SPEAKER_00

No. I I uh like I will often say, I'm I'm really proud of this conversation. Yeah. I think it's been a good one. And uh some things that I just had a couple aha moments on as I reflect back on my life around, yeah, you procrastinated about that or you didn't do this thing. Well, why? And you know, when you get to that why, right? Self-awareness, as we say, is the greatest greatest gift you can give yourself. Yeah. When you have that self-awareness about why, then you can be on the path to not be tired of it and to live and work better.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I love that. I think that that can be revealing of why you're procrastinating on something. Yeah. Give that information to yourself. It can be helpful. You all have a great week.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh don't procrastinate on things that you don't need to unless it's like a D7.

SPEAKER_00

It's if it's a D7 on the list, then let it go. And don't procrastinate on subscribing to this podcast. There you go. Right? I need you to not procrastinate. Don't procrastinate pause. No. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love for them to give us uh leave a review.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. Please leave a review. And you you can find us, I know we have your listening now, but we're on YouTube, we're on Apple, we're on Spotify, all of the things, and we welcome your feedback. Y'all have a great week. Take care. Bye.