How to Slay Procrastination

Do you have a problem with procrastination? I certainly do.

My procrastination teams up with perfectionism. 

My perfectionist says "You have to do this perfectly." And that's just overwhelming. So my procrastinator jumps in and says, "Oh, you don't need to do it at all. You don't need to be uncomfortable. Just don't do it at all."

Before I know it, I've picked up my phone and opened up Solitaire.

And then I disappear into Solitaire for 10 minutes, half an hour, an hour. I can get lost in Solitaire for over an hour when I'm really trying to avoid something that I know I need to do.

I say to myself, as I'm pulling solitaire up on my phone, "I'm going to play just one game to blow off a little steam because I'm feeling a little anxious." Well, the problem is, it's not just one game. It's two, four, five or more games. Then I feel really bad about myself because I didn't get the thing that was really important done.

I have two very dominant saboteurs in my head -- perfectionism and procrastination.

When I'm in perfectionism mode, I get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of having to do everything perfectly. Then my procrastination kicks in and tells me "screw it, just don't do it at all."

When I am in procrastination and perfectionism mode, my mind is working against me. My Saboteur Brain is doing my thinking for me. I am in saboteur mode. My saboteurs - perfectionism and procrastination -- are firmly in charge of my thinking and are running my life.

My Saboteurs live in the part of the brain that is called the Survivor Brain.

The Survivor Brain is the amygdala, parts of the limbic system, and parts of the brain stem. When we are stressed or anxious, our Survivor Brain is doing the thinking for us. It's like the Survive Brain "on" switch is permanently stuck in the "on" position.

The Positive Intelligence mental fitness program has taught me how to turn that switch off.

I have learned to quiet my saboteurs so that they are not in charge of my thinking and running my life. 

Now when I'm procrastinating, I'm able to recognize that I'm procrastinating...before I have gone down the Solitaire rabbit hole. And then I'm able to shift the part of the brain that is doing my thinking for me. I'm able to turn off my Saboteur Brain (at least for a few minutes). I'm able to turn on my Sage Brain. My Sage Brain is my wise brain. It's the prefrontal cortex. It's the creative side of the brain, the part of the brain that is curious and open and non judgmental.

I'm able to turn on my Sage Brain.

My Sage Brain is my wise brain. It's the prefrontal cortex. It's the creative side of the brain, the part of the brain that is curious and open and non judgmental. 

When my procrastinator and my perfectionism are running amok, I have learned how to shift into Sage Brain where I can be compassionate with myself. Instead of beating myself up for procrastinating, I can say, "I understand that I'm feeling overwhelmed right now." And then I can ask to myself, "Is this really something that has to be done perfectly or is 80% good enough?" I can take the pressure off myself to do it perfectly and with that pressure off, I no longer need to procrastinate.

My aspiration is to become a "good enough-ist".

That's a term that Brene Brown coined in her book "The Gifts of Imperfection". She says that she is a recovering perfectionist and an aspiring good enough-ist. That's what I want, too. And the only way I can be an aspiring good enough-ist is if I'm thinking from my Sage Brain, rather than from my Saboteur Brain.

If you have a problem with perfectionism and procrastination...

If they're really causing a lot of problems in your life, if they're running amok in your life like they did in mine, contact me. I'd love to tell you more about how I quieted down my Perfectionist and its constant companion, the Procrastinator through the Positive Intelligence mental fitness program. You too, can learn how to minimize the effect of perfectionism and procrastination on your life.

Contact me. I'd love to tell you more about how to slay perfectionism and procrastination.