What To Do When You're Procrastinating

We’ve all been there… you have a task to do, but instead of getting started, you suddenly feel the urge to clean the kitchen, scroll through social media or research a topic that has nothing to do with your actual work. Before you know it, hours have passed, and you still haven’t started the task.

What I want you to know is procrastination isn’t laziness. It’s your mind doing a brilliant job at avoiding something it doesn’t want to face. The focus shouldn’t just be “How do I stop procrastinating?” but actually “Why am I procrastinating in the first place?”

Here Are 4 Steps to Overcome Procrastination

Step One: Understand the Why Behind Your Procrastination

Your procrastination isn’t random. Your mind is protecting you from something, whether it’s discomfort, fear of failure, or an unconscious belief that you’re not capable. The quicker you get to the root cause, the quicker you can shift it.

Let’s break down the most common reasons behind procrastination:

• Fear of failure – If you don’t start, you can’t fail.

• Fear of success – If you succeed, will it mean more responsibility, pressure or change?

• Perfectionism – If it can’t be done perfectly, why bother?

• Overwhelm – When a task feels too big, your brain shuts down.

• Lack of clarity – If you don’t know where to start, you won’t start at all.

• Pressure – If you have to do something, a part of you might resist just to prove you have control.

Recognising what’s driving your procrastination is key to overcoming it. Your mind isn’t working against you, it’s working for you. So you need to understand what it’s trying to protect you from.

Use these journal prompts to explore what is the root cause of your procrastination:

1. What task am I avoiding?

2. When I think about doing the task how do I feel?

3. What feels uncomfortable or scary about this task?

4. What’s the worst that could happen if I do this?

5. What’s the best that could happen if I do this?

6. What am I telling myself about this task that might not be true?

Look at your responses and what I want you to do is ask yourself, if a task made me feel like this/I thought the outcome would be this, would I really want to do it? I’m going to make the assumption that the answer is no. Remember to be kind to yourself, procrastination is your mind’s way of avoiding something that feels uncomfortable and hopefully by answering these questions you have some more clarity around what makes you want to avoid it.

Step Two: Work Through the Root Cause

Once you’ve identified the root cause, you then need to work through it. This can really vary depending on what has come up for you and sometimes you might need some support.

I’ve listed the five most common root cause and how I work through this with clients below:

• You’re scared it won’t be good enough – The key here is challenging the belief that it won’t be good enough and that you are not enough. What do you want to believe instead? And what belief will support you to take action?

• You’re scared of actually putting yourself out there – You need to understand the fear of being seen and what comes up when you think about being seen. Are you worried what other people might think or not being as good as others?

• You’re scared you’re going to make a mistake/fail – With this you need to reframe “failure” and making a mistake. How can this be an integral part of you journey? What does the version of you who has achieved all of your dreams believe about failure?

• You don’t know what to do, it feels new and daunting – How can you recognise that new is good! I know your brain has some resistance to doing new things but how can you reframe this to see these uncomfortable feelings are a sign you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and that is where the magic happens.

• You feel overwhelmed with what you need to do – How can you break down the task into smaller chunks and focus on making it easy and enjoyable.

If you’re struggling with working through your root cause, then please reach out to me about working together. I feel very passionate about helping people overcome the unconscious blocks holding them back and I can only share so much in this blog.

Step Three: Shift Your Mindset

Procrastination is often an unconscious habit, but just like any habit, it can be rewired. Here’s how:

1. Reframe your resistance

   Instead of judging yourself for procrastinating, show yourself compassion. Recognise procrastination as a helpful tool, thank your mind and ask yourself - How can I make this task feel easier and more enjoyable?

   For example, if you’re avoiding a big project because it feels overwhelming, break it down into tiny steps. If the task feels boring, how can you make it more fun. Can you introduce rewards, create a focus playlist or make your favourite snack to eat whilst you do it.

2. Create a low-pressure entry point

   Your brain resists big, scary tasks. So the key is making it ridiculously easy to start.

   Instead of saying, “I need to write this entire report,” say, “I’ll just open the document and write one sentence.”

   Instead of “I want to build a highly successful business,” say, “I’ll just make a vision board.”

   Once you start, momentum takes over.

3. Use a timer to override your brain’s resistance

   Set a 5 minute timer and tell yourself, “I only have to work on this for 5 minutes.”

   More often than not, you’ll keep going. The hardest part is starting.

4. Work with your energy, not against it

   Your brain has natural peaks and dips in energy. Instead of forcing yourself to work when you’re drained, schedule tasks for when you feel most focused.

   Reflect on when you naturally feel most alert and energised. How can you do your most important work during that time

5. Detach from the outcome

   Sometimes we procrastinate because we put too much pressure on the end result. How can you shift your thinking from “This has to be perfect” to “This is just a draft.”

   Your brain will feel safer starting when perfection isn’t the goal.

Step Four: Take Action with These Quick Hacks

Now that you have an understanding of the root cause and shifted your mindset, here are some practical techniques to help you to take action:

1. Use the “Two-Minute Rule” – If something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. If it’s a big task, commit to just two minutes of effort.

2. Change your environment – Work from a different location or clear your space to reset your brain.

3. Make it a game – Set a challenge, like “How much can I get done in 10 minutes?” or “Can I beat my own record?”

4. Reward yourself – Attach something enjoyable to completing your task, like a tea break, watching 10 minutes of your favourite show or a walk.

5. Get an accountability partner – Tell someone what you’re going to do. The external accountability makes you much more likely to follow through.

6. Talk to your future self – Imagine how relieved and accomplished you’ll feel once this is done. How can you tap into this version to give you now some motivation?

Remember - Procrastination Isn’t the Enemy

Instead of fighting procrastination, listen to it. It’s trying to tell you something about how you think, what you fear or what you need.

When you work with your mind instead of against it, you don’t just get more done, you also create lasting change. The goal isn’t to just to stop procrastinating, it’s to understand yourself better so that you can take action from a place of clarity, ease and self-trust.

You’ve got this!

Book a free discovery call to find out how I can help you to support you to finally overcome procrastination at the root.