Habits and Hustle - Episode 220: My Best Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

Episode Date: March 4, 2023

Struggle with procrastination? In this episode of the Habits & Hustle podcast, Jennifer admits she is a natural procrastinator, especially when it comes to things she doesn’t enjoy doing or things she thinks she is bad at doing. Although, the reality of life is that we aren’t going to be good at everything and we also aren't going to enjoy doing everything–but we still have to do it. So, how do we overcome this and learn to break our toxic procrastination patterns? If you can relate, get ready for Jennifer to share her best Habits & Hustle tips. She explores the different parameters she has implemented into her everyday life that have greatly changed the way she tackles tasks. She also explains how procrastination can be detrimental to our self esteem, how overcoming procrastination needs to become a habit, and the little things she does to eliminate distractions All the tips Jennifer shares are simple, tangible, and available to you at any time for whenever you’re ready to start tackling your procrastination, too.  What’s discussed: 0:00 - Introduction to procrastination 1:45 - How some people don’t have time to procrastinate 2:05 - Why we procrastinate on the things we’re bad at 2:53 - How to make big tasks feel less daunting  3:37 - Getting things done first thing in the morning 4:39 - The correlation between procrastination and self esteem  5:59 - How to eliminate distractions  7:44 - Utilizing time blocking 8:30 - Tell us what you think in the Facebook group! Key Takeaways:  You procrastinate less when you break things down into smaller, sizable chunks. If something feels daunting to you, instead of thinking about the daunting task at hand, reframe the way you think about it by focusing on getting a small piece of it done today. The smaller you can break up your task, the less daunting it will end up feeling.  Procrastination is one of the simplest ways to destroy your self esteem and being your own accountability partner is one of the best ways to build your self esteem. If you make sure you do the things that you tell yourself you're going to do and do them completely, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, and that leads to building real self confidence.  Put all the hard things you need to get done at the start of your day. Don’t allow yourself to do anything else until you have fully completed these tasks. Turn this into a habit: Tackle the uncomfortable things first before falling into doing what feels comfortable. Find more from Jennifer: Jen's Bigger, Better, Bolder Mastermind starts in March! Apply now to be considered: https://www.jennifercohen.com/bigger-better-bolder-mastermind Join Jen’s new Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/662921105381902/ Find out Jen’s secret to getting anything you want out of life: https://www.jennifercohen.com/the-secret-to-getting-anything-you-want-in-life Follow Jennifer: Instagram: http://instagram.com/therealjencohen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealjencohen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealjencohen Jennifer’s Website: https://jennifercohen.com/ Did you learn something from tuning in today? Please pay it forward and write us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have feedback for the show, please email [e-mail]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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San Antonio, Texas. Are you a procrastinator? I'm actually not. I don't have time to procrastinate. That was a very short and there was nowhere for me to not. I don't have time to procrastinate. That was a very short and there was nowhere for me to go. It wasn't very open-ended. No, I'm not.

Okay, then. Well, let me tell you something. I tend to be a little bit of a procrastinator. I tend to procrastinate on things that I really don't want to do. Like, if I really don't, I'm not someone who's good at just doing things if I'm not interested in it, right? In the mood. In the mood.

So I have to set parameters for myself and ways that I can actually get through all the hard stuff, which I was thinking that you were going to say the same thing. You're like, nope, not at all. I don't have time to procrastinate. It's like physically impossible. Well, I mean, the truth of the matter is there are something to be said for if you want something done, give it to a busy person I do feel like that is true

Like I feel like the most efficient people are the people who are able to like knock stuff off of their to-do list Which I'm you know to be honest to be fair. I am I am okay with that But it's because I had to settle these like very strict parameters for me to be able to do that So that's why I wanted to bring it up I think that a lot of people procrastinate when they're not interested in things. And there's also other reasons why people procrastinate. I think people have fear around whatever the task is.

I think people also have like perfectionism. If they can't do it perfectly, then they don't want to do it. And they think of all the things otherwise. And I guess, you know, people can fall on the idea of like ADD or I'm too ADD, I can't focus on doing something. I don't know. I think that people rely and use ADD as a,

sometimes not always, as an excuse to get out of doing things that they, that they should be doing or as a way of like, when they don't finish a task or. Yeah, I think it's like, I used to progress all the time, but then, I don't know, I just feel like as you grow up, it's like, I need time to wind down and I want to sleep.

I'm like, you know, I'm older now, I can't pull like an all-nighter, we're like a procrastinate all day and then I study all night. Like, I can't function that way anymore. So it's like, I feel like you just have to get things done. Otherwise, what do you do? Well, it depends on what it is, right?

Like, I think it's, let's pick an example, right? So for an example, I think that it's not, I don't necessarily believe that, I don't procrastinate on everything. It's the things that I think I'm bad at, if I was to be honest. I procrastinate on the things that I think I'm bad at. So then I just don't want to do it

because the idea is so overwhelming because I know it's going to take me so long to get it done where it's like, oh, I don't know how to start, right? Either you don't know how to start because it's so overwhelming and you don't feel like it's a strength of yours and therefore you don't do it.

So of course, because this podcast in general and also with every episode, we want to talk about ways we can overcome an issue versus just like bitch and moan about what it is. Let's just unpack that a bit, right? So things that I've been able to do that's helped me. And other people I've interviewed is break things down into much smaller, smaller, sizable chunks where you tend to procrastinate less when you do that, right? So if something feels so daunting to you, instead of thinking about the daunting task at hand, maybe just like change that way, reframe the way you think about it until like

just a little piece of it. If you just did this little piece now, it makes a big difference. Yeah. What about knocking out all the stuff you're really good at first, too? First thing, so I was just going to talk about that. I talk about that in my book is I like to do another one of the ways I set a parameter for myself

is I put all the hard things that I need to be, but then I need to get done and make it so it's done first thing or really early on in my day. And I won't allow myself to do something else unless that thing is like taken down, like taken down my list. That way, and I do that by saying if I want X, I need to really do this first, right? It helps a lot. And then become so habitual where that's the real key, right? You want to make things so habitual for you that you become used to doing these uncomfortable things

or these things that like tend to really slow you down or really get in your own way and you make it much more manageable to do. Yeah. You know what I mean? 100%. I like making a game plan the night before. That's always helped me a lot.

Where like I know exactly what the first four or five tasks I'm gonna do in the morning are, and I just get to it. I think a lot of people spend so much time planning their tasks, like they have their planners and their notes and their to-do lists, and then they never end up tackling them. I always make like an actionable four or five things, I'm just gonna knock out right when I wake up

and then I just get them done. Yeah, that's why it's really, that's exactly right. So you get those things done. I also believe there's something to be said about a correlation between confidence and fulfilling the commitments you make to yourself. I think a lot of times where we lose our confidence is when we have these things that we have to get done

and then we don't do them. And it's kind of letting yourself down. It lets you're like, oh shoot, you know, I knew I had to do that. I really need to do that and I never did. And then you know, you're chipping away at your self-esteem and your confidence. But one thing I really believe in is that

if you really want to build true self-confidence, is you've got to make yourself your accountability partner, make sure you do the things that you tell yourself you're going to do and do them completely. And once you do that, you feel that sense of accomplishment and it really helps with that self-confidence. That's how you build real self-confidence. That's why I love the gym so much as an analogy, right?

Because if you have a goal and you then achieve that goal and then it can progress you to the next point, that's really these life lessons that I've learned from the gym, the discipline and the patient and the accountability really does work in every area of my life. It actually helps me even with the procrastination. I've learned these fundamental tools

and I apply it to all parts of my life. But a big one also is eliminating as many distractions as you possibly can. I can't. I can't. I can't. Focus mode. Focus mode on the phone is the most brilliant thing. No, you're gonna put your phone on silence.

That phone is like the bane of my existence, right? Like I need it, I love it, but it's addictive. And it stops me from doing so many things. That's like really why people a lot of times don't get the shit done is because people respond. Like just because someone's texting you and emailing you and calling you doesn't necessarily mean that you have to respond in that one second.

That's absolutely, that'd be crazy. But that's what happened. It's like because you hear that ding, ding, ding, or ding or whatever and it's like it gets you out of that mode of focus and then it gets you down like you know, you gotta get yourself back into that place. There's literally focus mode on your phone. Wait, it's called Do Not The Stir.

It's called, it's called exactly. No, no, it's literally, and then you don't get, it's not just silent, like you don't get any incoming anything. So phones go straight to voicemail, text don't appear, like it's so brilliant. No, it's, do not do something.

And people use it, I mean, I just think that- I use it all the time. People should use it more. Yeah. And to actually, when you have like a mean, I just think that- I use it all the time. People should use it more. Yeah. And to actually, when you have like a deadline, you have to put these things into play, you've got to eliminate these distractions. Use your phone for do not disturb,

because it's so hard, that's why even at like, again, not to always use a gym as an analogy, but I will. You know, when people are at the gym, and I've also been victim of this too, like, you know, you're like, you're texting with your friend, you're on the phone while you're working out. Number one, what happens is then you're half-assing everything,

you're half-assing the workout, everything's kind of like done in like a rhythm that's poor. And then when you get back into the rhythm of trying to get back into that flow state of exercise, it's really hard. So I think it's really like a great thing to do is block out like block times out. This block of time is when I'm going to do this.

This block of time is when I'm going to do that. And when you, again, the key word today is parameters here is setting parameters and creating ways and strategies where you can win versus lose. And that's basically what I have to say about it. Blazing deals, boundless options. It's Hot Grill Summer at Whole Foods Market from June 14 through July 4. Fire up the grill with quality cuts at the best prices.

We're talking animal welfare certified meat. Check out the sales on Bone In Rib by Beef Cabobs and New York Strip Steak. Round out your barbecue with plant-based proteins, slice cheese, soft buns, and all the condiments. Plus, sales on fresh strawberries, peaches, and more. Don't forget to pie, either. Get grilling at Whole Foods Market Terms Apply. So you're winding down with a podcast. Sounds like you have no plans to leave the couch tonight.

Nope, you just want to unzip your jeans, slip on a pair of fuzzy slippers, and rip open a bag of skinny pop popcorn. Because the only place you're going tonight is the bottom of this bag of popcorn. I love that time blocking monotasking. I want to task in time blocking, eliminating distractions, doing it first thing in the morning, all the things, and not letting your fear or perfectionism stop you from starting and breaking it things

into small, sizable chunks where it doesn't overwhelm you as much. I think that's basically all. Yeah, it tells what you think in the Facebook group. Yes. Yeah, don't forget to subscribe. And of course, can you please leave us a review? Leave me a review. I'd appreciate that.

And I think that is, uh, we're out. That's great. Thanks, guys. I hope our little actionable items can help you procrastinate just a little less. Hope you enjoyed this episode. I'm Heather Monahan, host of Creating Confidence, a part of the YAP Media Network,

the number one business and self-improvement podcast network. Okay, so I want to tell you a little bit about my show. We are all about elevating your confidence to its highest level ever and taking your business right there with you. Don't believe me? I'm going to go ahead and share some of the reviews of the show so you can believe my listeners. I have been a longtime fan of Heather's no matter what phase of life I find myself in, Heather seems to always have the perfect gems of wisdom that not only inspire but motivate

me into action. Her experience and personality are unmatched and I love her go getter attitude. This show has become a staple in my life. I recommend it to anyone looking to elevate their confidence and reach that next level. Thank you! I recently got to hear Heather at a live podcast taping with her and Tracy Hayes and I immediately subscribe to this podcast. It has not disappointed and I cannot wait to listen to as many as I can, as quick as I can. Thank you Heather for helping us build confidence and bring so much value to the space. If you are looking to up your confidence level, click creating confidence now.