If not now, when….if you sometimes find yourself cleaning the office kitchen, rearranging the pantry or doing your least favourite chores because it is REALLY important and URGENT instead of tackling your day head on this post is for you GF! Read more on how to flip the P word on its head and make it work for you!
Do you ever experience the P word....that is PROCRASTINATION?I know I do, and it normally comes when I am feeling overwhelmed or out of control with my workload and work-life balance. This is a perfectly normal response, avoidance will make it magically go away or fix itself right? Well, in fact it is the complete opposite. So how do you flip the P word on it’s head and make it work FOR you as a motivator rather than against you? Procrastination and perfection tend to go hand in hand. Unrealistic fear of completing a task or project that is anything less than perfect terrifies some gals so much that it manifests into procrastination. Because if you put it off or distract yourself with other things, it doesn't get completed therefore there is no judgement, right? This goes for both self judgement (because 9 times out of 10 we are our own harshest critics!) and judgement from others.
Perfection is simply not sustainable. And don’t get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with striving to be our best and do our best, but when perfection takes over and stalls progress this is a BIG problem. So let's give ourselves a well deserved break, a pep talk, pick ourselves up off the floor (ok, that’s a little dramatic, but you see where I’m going with this) and first things first: write a list. Why? Personally, when I’m overwhelmed with a lot going on writing everything down then prioritising each item with a due date works wonders. This forms my foundation for flipping the P word. Once I do this I’m already feeling better and more motivated because the realisation that I’m organised, in control and ‘I totally got this!’ kicks in. Structured, bite sized chunks with due dates to stay accountable is key!
"Once I have my prioritised list, the realisation that I’m organised, in control and ‘I totally got this!’ kicks in."
Once I have my list with due dates, I pick my most favourite task to work on from the top 3 priorities. It is so much easier to knuckle down and get it done when you are feeling less than fresh when you are doing something you love and the sense of accomplishment when you tick that item off is definitely a motivator that will flow on to achieving the next 2 nonnegotiables on your list for the day. Make sure that you go back and update your list as you progress: tick things off, update your progress (no matter how small) and then re-set for the next day. That way you can hit the ground running.
If you find you are really struggling with something and just not getting through it, leave it. Don't let yourself get the point of frustration where you just want to drop it all and do nothing. That’s where that pesky p word will creep back in. Celebrate what you have done, move on but write down when you will come back to it to hit your due date. Sounds simple, but it really does work.
So a quick recap:- Write your list
- Prioritise your list
- Add your due dates
- Pick your favourite task from your top 3
- Update your list with progress
- Re-set for the next day
- If you are not feeling it, leave it but lock in when you will come back to it
- Perfection is not sustainable, or the be all end all. Sometimes our best work is done when we are creative and willing to colour outside the lines!
I truly hope these practical tips help you when you’re just not feeling it and want to flip the P word and make it work for you!
What do you do to counteract procrastination and being a perfectionist? Have a fab Monday! Hayley x