For most of my life, I was a serial procrastinator. But somehow I always pulled off an end result that was good enough. I watched a Ted Talk on procrastination and felt validated...there was method to my madness.
But eventually I realized 3 things:
The stress of the 11th-hour dash wasn't good for my physical or mental health
I wasn't delivering optimal results
I was driving the people around me crazy
Over time I realized that my procrastination was signaling a deeper truth: I was afraid that I had no idea what I was doing and that whatever I created would be crap. Cue the spiral of doubt and negative self-talk! ...my colleagues would distance themselves from me....my boss would regret having me on her team...my career was dead in the water. I was making some huge leaps in my head, and at first they weren't this clear, but that's where I ended up. And through vulnerable conversations, I discovered I wasn't the only one.
Not until I started with my own coach did I realize that this was the result of my own deeply rooted belief system. I was processing almost everything I experienced with a negative mindset, who we nicknamed 'Downer Jessica'. Then we practiced processing things with her counterpart, 'Gung Ho Jessica'!
Identifying these 2 mindsets within me was just the beginning. From there my coach helped me recognize when I'd slip into Downer Jessica and encourage me to process the topic at hand as Gung Ho Jessica. As with most things, it got easier with practice. I'm not perfect...but that's not my goal!
Why do I love Gung Ho Jessica so much more? She enables me to just do it. Just start typing, just schedule that meeting, just jot down the ideas in my head, just go for that run, just clean out that drawer, etc. Spend less time in my head, and more time doing. What's the one next thing that I can do to achieve progress toward a goal. And then I employee one of my favorite tactics: commit to working on something for 10 minutes. Just 10 minutes! That's it! Here are the benefits I've experienced:
About 80% of the time I end up finding my groove and blow right past the 10-minute mark much more than nothing
I get what's in my head out, making way for evolutions of my initial thoughts or new thoughts altogether
I can share my initial draft with others to gain their valuable perspective early on, and if I need to make any significant changes, I have time to do so (something I never had as the Queen of Procrastination!)
So now instead of letting Downer Jessica rain on my parade and languishing in analysis paralysis, Gung Ho Jessica is excited for the challenge and commits to taking action for just 10 minutes. Whatever happens from there is icing on the cake!
Have a few things in mind this process could help you with? Lets chat! Click the Vibe Check button and find out if we're a good fit!
Either way. 10 minutes. Just do it.
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