How to STOP Procrastinating and Start Doing One Raison D’être at a Time

Procrastination doesn’t mean we are lazy.  Instead procrastination is often associated with a fear of failure and none of us like to fail.  Can you relate to the following comments?

• I don’t know how to do “x, y or z.”
• Someone can do that thing better than me so why should I try?
• What if I invest a lot of money into this endeavor and still fail?

Are those though patterns helpful?  No, they only make us want to avoid the task at hand.

Procrastination is also linked to behavior avoidance.  We want to trade the unwanted task or required behavior with something we like to do.  We like trading up and replacing a not so good thing with a good thing.  

• “I know I should clean the house, but I’d rather surf the internet and eat dark chocolate.”
• “I should focus on catching up my business financials, but I’d rather write a blog or finish my course.”
• “I’d rather walk the dog than ….”

I’d Rather Do This Than That, but the “That” is Necessary……

We all want to do what is pleasurable or easy for us.  Who wants to add unpleasantries to their lives and who wants to take on challenges when things are hard enough as they are?

What’s Happening in Our Brains causing Procrastination?

Neuroscience tells us that our emotional brain, the limbic system, is associated with feelings of pleasure.  Those feelings are a key contributor to our choices. We choose things we like over the less favorable.

Our logical mind, the pre- frontal cortex, wants to plan to do “x”, “y” and quite possibly “z.”  Unfortunately, far too often our emotional brain jumps in the driver’s seat and we choose the easy, more favorable task or option. 

How Do We Challenge our Brain’s Natural Default?

1. Recognize what’s happening.  Be mindful of your choices to do or not to do.
2. Prioritize what needs to be done into 2 key categories:
   1. Want to do/Easy to do
   2. Dreading it/Difficult/Can’t Stand It/Ugggh
3. Tackle that List

Let’s face it, it’s easy to do what we like. I can get absorbed into looking at and editing beautiful images for my blog.  I also love to write so; I’ll tend to put off an administrative business day. I don’t want you to think things that we don’t like aren’t important.  That is hardly the case. Business admin. days are critical, but there are better ways to tackle doing the things we don’t like to do. For example, if administrative business days aren’t your thing, automate as much as possible.  Believe me, I’ve automated as much as humanly possible, because I’d rather spend my time on things I like to do. You can also consider delegating and/or deleting what isn’t truly necessary.

 Write it Down. Create a Plan.  Make a List.

Writing things down solidifies our commitment to that task, easing procrastination.  I find writing to be much more effective than adding an item to my calendar.  Yes, we can all throw a piece of paper in the trash, crumble it up and forget about it.  We can also swipe away calendar reminders. For me, writing connects the thoughts to something I’ve already started with my hands.  It’s a connection to my desire to do that task.

Once you decide how you want to create your lists spend some time thinking about the fact that there are 24 hours in 1 day.  We do not have the luxury of adding time to the day. What’s important to you every day? Give those things the highest priority.  I highly encourage you to think about things that fuel you, exercise, eating right, sleeping properly, social connection, even if not in person.

You may consider using an outline like this.  I use 3 key categories, Health, Work, Life.

Health:

Rank	Like to Do/Want to Do	Dread/Difficult/Ugggh
5	Go back to dance when social distancing is a thing of the past	Use the elliptical at least 20 minutes/day
4	Yoga – at least 30 minutes/day, 3 to 5 days/week	Eat 5 veggies/day 5 out of 7 days even when you had rather have fruit
3
2
1

Work:

Rank	Like to Do/Want to Do	Dread/Difficult/Ugggh
5	Finalize TTV Intro. Show Video – 31 March	Admin Day – 03 April
4	Finalize IMPACT Course Draft-start recording – Week 2 April	Purge unnecessary emails; unsubscribe – Week 2 April
3
2
1

Life:

Rank	Like to Do/Want to Do	Dread/Difficult/Ugggh
5	Work on my refinishing project – Saturday pm	Clean the house – Saturday
4	Play with graphic software – Sunday	Buy groceries and put away – no later than Monday
3
2
1

You don’t have to use charts, but you do need to hone your focus.  Again, for me, organizing and writing things down helps me to picture my priorities, both the good and not so favorable.  This type of chart makes me view both categories side by side. My dislikes are equally as important as my dislikes once I rank them.

I challenge you to face your procrastination.  Look it straight in the eye and figure out why you are putting something off.  Spend some time thinking about it. Do you fear you will fail? Do you simply not like doing the task?  

If it’s fear of failure, then jump in.  Failure is how we learn. It doesn’t matter if you fail.  Failure is the path to success. It’s by failure that we understand how to adjust a recipe or recode software. Failure helps us.  Embrace it.

Getting Started:

The Art of Doing:  One Step at a Time

1.  If you REALLY don’t want to do something think about its priority.  Rank that something on a scale of 1 to 5. If it’s a 5 you need to do it. 

 If it ranks lower either delegate or delete it.

Let’s use the “I don’t’ know how to do ‘x” example and name “x.”  “X” is I don’t know how to cook Chicken Cacciatore and it’s my friend’s favorite dish.  You want to make the dish but feel uncomfortable with the outcome. It’s your friend’s birthday and they had rather dine in and catch up.  The pressure is on and you ranked this a 5.  High priority, you cannot procrastinate.
Once a priority is assigned an estimated amount of time to complete the task, e.g. 4 hours.

2. Break that time up into workable chunks of time, but keep in mind that once you get into flow, you don’t want to lose that flow.  It takes too much time to recoup. Ideally commit to 60 to 90 minutes of focus time for each planned time slot.

3. Break that time up into workable chunks of time, but keep in mind that once you get into flow, you don’t want to lose that flow.  It takes too much time to recoup. Ideally commit to 60 to 90 minutes of focus time for each planned time slot.

4. Plan – write down the steps.

Example:  The” Chicken Cacciatore” Plan

First 60-minute time slot

You don’t know how to cook, let alone cook Chicken Cacciatore, but we live in the age of the internet and “Okay Google” and “Alexa” are always on standby.  

1. Research – find recipe 
2. Check ingredients and make a list if you need to purchase items
3. Don’t wait until 1 hour before your friend shows up to get started on this!  Commit to researching and purchasing necessary ingredients ahead of time. 

Second 60-minute time slot 

1. Shop for ingredients and consider a trail run to boost your confidence 
2. What side dishes are you going to make or purchase?
3. Plan the entire meal, not just the Chicken Cacciatore.

Third 60-minute time slot 

1. Day of the event – what needs to be done?
2. Get ready for the dinner party

• Table ware
• Drinks
• Present
• How long will it take you to cook?  When will your friend arrive? Coordinate scheduling.

Fourth 60-minute time slot 

1. Cook dinner
2. Enjoy

Maybe you’re already a pro in the kitchen and would never need to plan a meal, but we all need to put structure and more effort around some things.  We can’t know how to do everything and those things we are less familiar with or simply dread seem to take a back seat.

Step into your “not so” comfort zone by breaking larger tasks down into manageable goals.  It doesn’t matter if you are studying for an exam or building a business, embrace the things you don’t like to do one step at a time. This will help you end procrastination.

Delegate After You Know the Facts:

We all have natural strengths which are not the same as innate problem- solving abilities.  You can take your free natural strengths test at the VIA Character.org.  Again, it’s free so find out a little more about yourself.   Once you have a better understanding of your strengths use them to your advantage.  

Kolbe A™ Assessment helps you decide what to do with your “TO Do” List 

                                    Should you delete, delegate or do in increments…

Another key assessment is the Kolbe A™ Index.  The Kolbe index tells you your natural way of solving problems.  Think about that for a moment. Procrastination does not come about because we are lazy, we tie a negative emotion to a task.  What would it feel like if you could use your innate problem- solving skills and save yourself time, effort and mental energy?  

If you work on a team, then work together and use one another’s innate way to approach problems.  Working together, using a wide array of problem-solving skills balances teams and builds true synergy.  It’s that synergy that gets things done. When you know how you address problems you better understand your innate abilities and learn how to expend your mental energy.

For example, if I don’t like to spend my time on administrative business tasks but know it’s a necessity, then I might consider delegating that task.  If I can’t delegate it, I should break it up into the Chicken Cacciatore Plan model.  Plan how long the task will take and plan to get it done incrementally.  And one of the best options is thinking about hitting the delete button.   You don’t have to do everything and quite frankly you can’t do everything, so stop trying. 

Celebrate Your Accomplishments and Re-evaluate What You Didn’t Start or Finish

Example:  If my goal is to clean the house on Saturday and I don’t do that I need to ask myself why?

• Did another true priority come up?  What’s my backup plan for getting the task done and sticking to my goal?
• Did I just put it off again, because I’d rather spend time doing something in the column one, my Want to Do column?  

This self- debriefing is important because you use your cognitive brain to evaluate what your emotional brain might be driving.  I suggest writing down the why behind your reluctance to move forward with your plans. If you are tempted to write words like “Feel”, “Want” or “Ugggh”, you might be procrastinating.

Recap – 7 Steps to Stop Procrastination:

1. Make of list of what you need to do in 3 key categories:  Health, Work, & Life
2. Divide that list into 2 parts:
   1. Want to do
   2. Dread to do
3. Prioritize and Rank 1-5
4. Commit to working on items in BOTH columns and start with the highest priority in each.
5. Write your “Chicken Cacciatore” plan for conquering the tasks that require more effort.  Break down the plan up into manageable segments based off the expected time to complete.
6. Celebrate your accomplishments– celebrating helps your brain associate the accomplishment to your feel- good hormones.  You are more likely to establish good patterns when you incorporate mini celebrations. Dance a little gig, allow yourself to eat a sweet treat or do something you consider to be special.
7. Evaluate and Tweak – Make certain you reflect on what you did or didn’t do.  Tweak the plan and go after Take 2, or 3. Don’t give up. Keep tweaking.

Remember procrastination doesn’t mean you are lazy.  Procrastination means you are human. Spending some time evaluating what you like and don’t like to do will help you better understand yourself.  Write it down and put that list front and center.

 Focusing on the Why Behind Your Procrastination Will Help You:

• Prioritize necessities and call them your raison d’être.  That’s French for “the most important reason or purpose for someone or something’s existence.”  Now that’s making something a priority. The things you choose in BOTH columns become a priority when you call them your raison d’être.
• Delete those things that don’t require your attention
• Balance the things you enjoy doing with the things that will make you grow as a person, both personally and professionally.

Raison d’être Challenge:

Ready, set, go!  Let’s commit to starting and finishing one thing we’ve been there’s been procrastination on.  What will I do? I’ll pick 1 thing from my “want to do” and 1 thing from my “dread to do” column.

Want to Do:

My commitment:  Finish writing and recording my introductory show for Transformation T.V.  and post by first week in April.

My “Chicken Cacciatore” Plan: 

1. Set up camera, adjust height by Sunday
2. Set up camera, adjust height by Monday
3. Record the show by Wed.
4. Edit and load by Friday
5. Plan includes an extra day to work out kinks [Thursday]

Celebrate: When I achieve my raison d’être.

Tweak:  Evaluate and tweak if I didn’t get it done.

Dread to Do:

My commitment: Go through files that desperately need to be shredded or tossed. 

Chicken Cacciatore Plan: 1 file per day x 5 days or pick a day or two to equal at least 5 file folders.

Celebrate:  Celebrate when I achieve my raison d’être.

Evaluate & Tweak:  If I don’t get rid of at least 5 file folders then I need to ask myself why?

• Did I make it a priority?
• Did something more urgent take up that time?
• Am I still procrastinating?  If so, why?

Keep in mind, we experience the most growth outside of our comfort zones. And it’s inside our raison d’être where we will find our purpose.  Let’s be purposeful about stopping procrastination in its tracks!  We can do it!

About the Author: Kimberly Sheldahl is a former executive, turned Kolbe Certified ™ Consultant who is also an Integrative Health Coach. She has a science background and a degree in psychology.  She loves positive psychology and is passionate about the integration of productivity and well-being. 

Kimberly is the host of BOOM Baby BOOM, a T.V. show/podcast which will begin airing on Transformation TV in April. She is the author of the #1 Best Seller, Hack Into OZ, Get the Most Out of Life, available on Amazon. Her course, IMPACT will also be released in April. The modules include science backed data on building happiness, self-belief (efficacy), self-control (regulation), building habits, and staying motivated.

Other Free Tools:

How to STOP Procrastinating and Start Doing One Raison D’être at a Time E-Book– Download this blog as an E-Book (FREE)!

or view it as a flipbook here!

Kintsugi Connect™ – A FREE Well-Being Assessment

PERMA  Assessment – Science proves that much of our well-being is associated with 5 key categories:

Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Achievement.  Find out your PERMA score here.

TED Ed – More about PERMA on my TED Ed platform.  There’s a short video featuring Martin Seligman.  He is a leader in positive psychology and developed the theory of PERMA.  through a built in Q & A.

You’ll have an opportunity to discuss PERMA with me through a built in Q/A.

A Note from the Author:  Kimberly Sheldahl

Thanks for reading How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Doing!  It is my hope that you now have viable tips to get moving in the right direction.  Check out my book, HACK into OZ & Get the Most Out of Life!You’ll enjoy a new trip down the yellow brick road.  Discover your OZ and learn how to maximize your Operational Zones!