This is the season to be productive
I’m a summer girl. It motivates me to get up in the morning when it’s a beautiful and bright day.
The last few weeks, my motivation for waking up early to write and do my morning routine crashed because it’s still dark. The same goes for after work.
It’s more exhausting to have artificial light on and sit in front of the computer.
So to remove my inner procrastinator, I’m writing about it today to remind myself of strategies against it and of the reasons why I’m doing it.
Reasons why you are in procrastination mode
There are a lot of possible causes for procrastinating.
- I don’t have enough knowledge yet
- The task/goal looks too big and too far away
- The why isn’t motivating enough
- Being distracted
- Fear of failure and judgement
- No immediate pressing deadline
- Low energy
The good thing: all of those reasons are solvable.
The last point is my current reason why I procrastinate: I have less energy because there’s no daylight waking me up. Our body gets energy from the light of the sun.
My short-term solutions:
- drinking a glass of water
- affirmations
- get moving
Your body needs to wake up and gain some energy, and those 3 things help me get there fast.
Here are long-term strategies you can use every time you feel like you procrastinate:
Find your big why and your anti-vision
We procrastinate when we don’t have a good enough reason to do the work. The work is hard, harder than sitting in front of the TV.
You need to find your reason why or your dream future to motivate you to get the hard stuff done.
If you struggle with dreaming big, start with an anti-vision.
What is the future you definitely don’t want to have?
For me, it’s being stuck in the same job I have now and not moving forward. Not having the freedom to choose when, where, what, and how I work.
This anti-vision already gets me motivated to write this now because having no freedom is worse than writing some words in this moment.
I want the freedom for my future kids and myself to have time to grow and enjoy life.
Here are some questions to help you find your why:
- Where do you want to be in 5 years?
- Where do you want to be in 1 year?
- What keeps you from getting there?
- What do you have to do now to get there?
- What hard work do you have to do now to have an easier life later?
- What would your future self do?
- What’s the worst that could happen?
Prioritize
Big goals can be overwhelming. You don’t know where to start.
You have so much to do. And you have all the other to-dos of everyday life too.
One harsh truth you have to accept before you continue:
You can’t do everything!
It’s impossible. We are all humans.
We have a limited time in life. The world is unbelievably huge.
Accepting that is the first step to removing to-dos from your list.
We need to prioritize. Why? Because you need to focus on your future. You can’t get distracted by the small things of everyday life.
Does scrolling through social media help you get to your goal?
Does binge-watching reality TV shows on the weekends help you grow?
No! “But I need to watch them to be up-to-date and to talk about them with friends!”
No!
This means you’re prioritizing watching someone else live life over living your own life and making your dream come true.
At this moment it’s easy to stay on the couch. But you need to do a little harder things to have it easier later.
So what are your priorities?
What are the priorities of your dream future self?
This perspective change helped me focus more on myself and self-care. I don’t have to go to every party anymore. It drains my energy which I need for making my dreams come true.
Instead of preparing for a Halloween party now, I’m writing this for you, and I will enjoy a calm evening with my boyfriend and good food. And then I have more energy tomorrow to get up early, exercise, and go on a daytrip.
I want you to question what you are doing on a daily basis, because those are your priorities. Consciously chosen or subconsciously doesn’t matter.
What do you want to change?
Tackle one task at a time
After you found your priorities, there are still a lot of steps until you reach your dream future.
We need to focus on one task at a time to get it done faster.
We need to get into the flow state.
It’s a state in which time goes by without you noticing it. Without distractions. Just solely focusing on one thing.
That’s what we need.
The first step is getting rid of distractions. No phones. No multitasking.
Just you and the task.
And this task is one tiny part of your path to success. It’s something so small you can do it in a day or two.
If you get into flow state, it will be done faster than you think. It’s a big realization: the tasks can be done faster than you thought.
When I created my first freebie, I procrastinated because it sounded like a big job to do. But as soon as I sat down and started with the small tasks, I was done in a few days.
Cut those dreams of yours into small, digestible bites you can do in a day. They don’t just feel smaller and easier to do, they are helping you get small doses of success daily.
Start tracking your successes and reward yourself!
Then it’s easier to start with the next task.
Final thoughts
Everyone procrastinates. Even Jeff Bezos.
But there are small hacks and strategies you can use to trick your mind and get started.
I need those from time to time too. And my rewards are usually chocolate
Less Stress. More Time. Less Overwhelmed!
Get your free copy of my 3 steps!
Get daily insights, motivation, and inspiration:
If you are as addicted as I am to reading books, check out my favorite books!
