Douglas: Welcome to the Unleash Your Potential Blog; what question can I answer today?
DreamBuilder: What should I do to overcome procrastination?
Douglas: It’s funny how things work out sometimes. Here I am, sitting down to write about procrastination, and guess what? I’ve been procrastinating. Some days, the words just flow effortlessly. But this morning? My mind is scattered, jumping from one thought to the next, refusing to focus on the task at hand. Sound familiar?
So, where does procrastination come from? Most of us already know it as the act of delaying tasks. But why do we do it? Often, it’s because we choose something else at the moment—something more exciting or that gives us that quick hit of dopamine. For example, instead of getting down to write, I spent 15 minutes mindlessly scrolling through social media.
This brings me to my first tip for overcoming procrastination: Practice self-discipline. Sometimes, it’s as simple as building a routine. I write every morning at the same time. Do I always enjoy it? Not really. Am I always inspired? Nope. But after 72 days, it’s become a habit. Even on days when I don’t feel like writing, I remember how hard I worked to build this routine, and that’s enough to keep me going.
When I finally got into the flow, I did some light research to understand where procrastination comes from. Turns out, it’s often tied to fear of failure, along with lack of motivation or feeling overwhelmed. That fear of failure? It hit me hard.
Just before I started writing, I opened Wix to check my blog stats. And there it was—over the past few days, only two people had read my blog. After two months of posting, that’s all I had to show for it. Naturally, the negative thoughts crept in: Why am I doing this? Is anyone even paying attention? Does it matter?
I almost convinced myself to quit right then and there. But then I remembered my second tip for overcoming procrastination: Set clear and specific goals. When I started this blog, it wasn’t about getting likes or building a huge following. My goal was to practice answering life coaching questions and create a daily writing habit. I also challenged myself to answer all 100 questions without editing them because, as a life coach, I don’t get to choose the problems my clients bring to me. I have to work with what I’m given. Reminding myself of these goals helped me push past the discouragement and get back to writing.
Sometimes, I still feel overwhelmed. I look ahead and see that I’ve got 25 more blog posts to write, and it feels like a mountain. Social media? Now that feels easy. It’s an instant win—I swipe, I scroll, and I don’t feel overwhelmed. But that’s why my third tip is so essential: Break tasks into smaller steps.
Instead of thinking about all 25 remaining posts, I focus on today. I focus on writing day #73. That’s something I can handle. And yes, sometimes I have to physically remove distractions—like putting my phone in another room so I’m not tempted to check email or scroll through Instagram. Which brings me to tip number four: Remove distractions. It works every time.
Lastly, I make sure to reward myself. When I see the words start to appear on the page, I celebrate it. It’s a small victory, but it’s another step toward my bigger goal, and that’s worth acknowledging.
So, let’s recap the five strategies I used to overcome procrastination today:
Practice self-discipline
Set clear and specific goals
Break tasks into smaller steps
Remove distractions
Reward yourself
Procrastination is something we all struggle with at one time or another. The key is recognizing it for what it is and having the tools to fight it. These strategies won’t make the temptation to procrastinate disappear, but with practice, you’ll get better at overcoming it every time it shows up.
Now, here’s my challenge for you: What’s one task you’ve been putting off? It doesn’t have to be something big, just something that’s been lingering on your to-do list. Today, I challenge you to take that task, break it down into smaller steps, remove distractions, and start. Even if you only work on the task for 10 minutes. See how far you get—and don’t forget to reward yourself afterward!
You’ve got this. Now, go tackle that task!
I hope my answer sheds some light on your question. If you want to dig into this concept further, I encourage you to reach out and set up a conversation. In the meantime, check back tomorrow for the next question in the Unleash Your Potential Series!
Be Well!
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