Mandy Schumaker

PERFORMANCE COACH, TRAINER AND SPEAKER

Procrastination

3 Tips to Get Out of Procrastination Mode

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do_it__procrastination_concept“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”

Napoleon Hill

Okay, I’ll be honest. Even though part of my job is helping my clients move out of procrastination mode and into action mode, I sometimes experience the same struggle. Particularly when I have a lot of writing to do, or when I need to develop content for an upcoming workshop.

When I’m in procrastination mode, I spend a lot of time and energy thinking about the projects, and really feel them hanging over my head! And I feel stuck and unmotivated to actually begin them, because, well, I secretly think I still have a lot of time and I always work better under pressure!

And while it may be true (sometimes) that I work better under pressure, I can really feel how having these things hang over my head, zap my energy and make me feel cranky, particularly with my family!

So this week, I talked to myself as if I were a client and applied these three strategies to get me unstuck…and they really worked!

1-Stop waiting for “the perfect time” to start.

One of the things I realized, is that I often feel like I need a huge chunk of time to start a writing project-like at least three or four hours. Well, like any of us, I rarely have three or four hours of open time on my calendar. So I took my own advice (from my free CD, 7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs) and set aside two 90 minute time periods this week (on different days) to start my project.

2-Stop filling up your calendar with “busy work”

In analyzing my reasons for procrastinating on two big projects, I realized that I had successfully filled my calendar with so many “busy work” kinds of things on the calendar-they had totally sucked up any available time to work “on” my business. Blocking out times to strategize, plan, write, work on projects is absolutely crucial to get them underway.

3-Just do it!

While waiting for the “perfect time” to start, but realizing I hadn’t even left any available time in my calendar to start, I felt so overwhelmed and stressed until I challenged myself. I took the next 15 minutes to see how much I could get done. I turned off my phone, Facebook, the “ding” on my computer, signaling a new email and I set the timer on my phone and just dug in. For only fifteen minutes. The results were amazing-it got me started, in fact at the end of the time I didn’t even want to quit. I was on a roll. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get back to my writing-which was a total turnaround to how I was feeling before I spent the focused 15 minutes on it.

We all get stuck and we all have our stories to tell around why. Sometimes it just takes a few simple steps to unhook us, prop us up and get moving on the things that will significantly make an impact in our businesses.

I would love to hear from you in the comment section below, some of the tips you use, when you get stuck and procrastination sets in!

Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below.

Is Procrastination Hurting Your Business?

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All of us are guilty of letting procrastination creep into our lives at one time or another. The trick is to recognize it for what it is, then take a hard look at what it is that’s holding you back and begin taking small steps to move you forward.

This video takes a pretty amusing (and accurate) look at procrastination. Enjoy, and then do your best this week to remove the procrastination from your life so you can move forward on the things that will make you and your business even more successful!

Enjoy!

httpsv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU8H0kR-_Go&noredirect=1

Mandy works with talented, bright, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own.

Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” at www.mandyschumaker.com. Or contact her at 207-653-6977


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Is Procrastination Prohibiting You From Playing A Bigger Game?

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Procrastination.  We all suffer from it at various times.  Waiting to start that big project. Waiting to do some household chore. Waiting to have a difficult conversation with an employee, colleague or family member. Most of the time  we eventually work our way through it and get the things on our list done.

But the procrastination I find most concerning  and detrimental is the behavior that gets in the way of a bigger vision.  The clients I work with are high performing people.  They have talents and gifts to offer the world.  They know deep down inside that there is a bigger game to play, a bigger vision for their lives.   My job is to support them in that vision and help them get there.  Yet one of the common traits among my clients is that they often let procrastination get in the way of moving forward.  There is an underlying fear of giving up something they are doing now  in order to catch the bigger brass ring.  It’s that chasm between what we know and what is possible.

Procrastination technically refers to the avoidance of a specific task or work which needs to be accomplished.  But this technical explanation doesn’t begin to capture the emotions triggered by the word.  If your are suffering from procrastination issues,  its important to analyze those situations where your work or project  is not  being completed. Perhaps it’s one of the following reasons:

1. Lack of Relevance – If something is neither relevant nor meaningful to you personally, it may be difficult to get motivated to even begin.  It’s important to determine if the goal, project, task is meaningful you.  Working with either a coach or mentor, it’s important to dig deep to determine whether what you are avoiding is indeed  relevant to you and your bigger vision.  If the answer is it’s not, then let it go, get it off your list and figure out what is important.

2. Acceptance of Another’s Goals – Has a project been imposed or assigned to you by someone else?  Maybe it is not consistent with your own interests,  or values.   If this is the case, you  will probably get it done eventually — you may be “required” to get it done.  But it doesn’t have to become part of your goal or vision.

3. Perfectionism-If you feel everything needs to be perfect before you can start a project, you may stay stuck for a very long time.  I have clients who feel they need to have their website up and running before they can talk to a potential client, or they have to have a completely free schedule to start their book,  or they have to have all of the right managers in place before they start working on team development.  Certainly having a plan and timeline in place for each of these scenarios is helpful, but being able to see that “done is better than perfect” can help you start taking some small steps forward.

4. Fear-Many people fear taking steps that move them forward towards their vision or dream, because it means letting go of some of the things they are doing today.  If, for example, someone wants to play on a bigger field, it may require giving up certain things they are doing today — things that bring in money or keep them at a certain status.  It’s giving up what is familiar now for much greater possibilities down the road.  By fully embracing your bigger vision, breaking down the steps and projects into bite-size pieces and continuing to hold that vision  for yourself, can help lower the anxiety and actually get started.

5. Ambiguity-Are you unclear what is expected from a task, project or field work that has been assigned to you?  This can be another roadblock to procrastinating behavior.  By asking the pertinent questions upfront, you can be more clear as to what is expected.

6. Time Management- How are your time management skills?  Working with a coach who can put you through an assessment or two around this area can quickly help you determine where you are with time management.  By focusing on some of the areas that may  play into your procrastination issues and taking some steps to improve them, could greatly improve your productivity.

7. Can’t Say No- Many times people suffer from procrastination because there is too much on their plate.  Have you been unable to say “no” to others and then found yourself with so many projects you have become paralyzed?   Look at everything on your plate and prioritize it.  What can go, what should stay?  Which items  move you towards your bigger vision and which ones are sucking the life out of you?  These are important questions to ask when sorting through all the various projects, tasks and commitments that you are currently facing.

If fear is holding you back from a bigger vision or playing bigger in the world, I would like to speak with you.  As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “we must do the thing we fear the most”.

I would like to hear your comments on this post.  Or if something resonated with you, please feel free to contact me at 207-653-6977 or mandy@mandyschumaker.com to continue the conversation.

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