How to Beat Procrastination

Procrastination has a lot of hype. But it's not all bad.

You can use it as a tool to supercharge your output, or you can let it control you and demolish your productivity.

Before learning how to beat procrastination, you have to understand what it is and how it arrives at the forefront of your consciousness. 

procrastination

Where does procrastination come from? 

Primarily, procrastination stems from unconscious emotional and psychological TK that block the flow of creative energy.

On the emotional side, it can be anger, guilt, shame, apathy, or any other type of disempowering emotion. This often shows up as laziness or some form of depression. You know what needs to be done, but its physically difficult to get yourself to do it.  

On the psychological side, you might be procrastinating because of some deep-rooted fear, or because of some disempowering beliefs that lead to self-sabotage. This often shows up as indulging in distractions or doing easy things instead of hard things. You know what needs to be done, but you do everything except that. 

Sometimes, these blockages are pretty obvious. You can feel them or sense them, either as a result of something happening to you, or for absolutely no reason at all (i.e. when you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed). 

It's normal and natural to feel tired, stressed, angry, lazy, or completely unmotivated sometimes.

You're human. 

We all live in a very complex world that is often more draining than it is energizing (unless we've intentionally created our lives to be such a way). 

So how do you navigate this emotional turmoil?

How do you prevent these emotions from demolishing your productivity?

"That's okay, do it anyway." 

The moment you become aware of procrastination that's cause by emotional blockages, you can use a powerful affirmation to get back on track. 

First, stop everything you're doing and observe how you're feeling. 

Then, take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, say to yourself: "That's okay, do it anyway." 

This is the TODIA technique (pronounced "Toe-Dee-Uh"). It's a powerful point-and-call strategy that empowers you to do what needs to be done regardless of how you're feeling... 

Have you ever been to a theme park like Disney World, Six Flags, or Universal Studios? If so, you've likely seen the staff who do routine safety checks for each roller coaster.

Their safety checks use a "Point-and-Call" system to ensure rider safety.

They jiggle the lap rail and tug on your seatbelt. They put their thumbs up and shout commands like "All Clear!". They go through so many small tasks. And they do them in the same order, in the same way, every single time.

Pointing and calling decreases the risk of injury by using clear verbal and visual cues. And it works very well.

It's so effective because it brings greater awareness to unconscious processes.

TODIA works the same way. As soon as you recognize any yucky feelings come up, you say "TODIA!" and start doing your habit immediately, without any hesitation.

Saying "That's okay" brings awareness to your negative emotions. And "do it anyway" facilitates acceptance of how you're feeling.

From a place of acceptance, you can take action without letting your emotions get the best of you.  

5 to Thrive

In her book, The 5 Second Rule, Mel Robbins explains how many people lose the battle against their feelings. Self-doubt, shame, and other emotional blocks prevent them from doing what they know they should. 

You're bound to go to battle with your emotions on occasion. It's part of being human.

But you don't have to let them win. You can separate your emotions from your actions so you can be productive regardless of how you're feeling. 

Essentially, you have a 5-second window after you become aware of the fact that you're procrastinating. Once you notice what's going on, there can only be one of two results: thrive or die. 

If you want to get past all that stuff holding you back from being your most productive self, you must choose to thrive within that 5 second window. You have to be ready and willing to use strategies that help you navigate tough times.

Be prepared ahead of time so when it comes down to the wire, you know exactly what to do. When you choose to thrive, you're shattering the blockages that make you procrastinate and funnel your creative energy into the task at hand.

When you choose to do nothing in that small window of opportunity, that creative energy dies and your precious resources are wasted. 

So if you want to beat procrastination, you basically have 5 seconds to thrive.  

If you're winding down for bed and realize you forgot to do something critical...

"TODIA." 

If you're angry because you missed your morning routine... 

“TODIA."

If you're lacking motivation and enthusiasm...

"TODIA."

Using this 5-second strategy blends together emotional intelligence, surrender, and action. It helps open up a compassionate space within yourself so you can do your habit from a place of courage and commitment.

"Even though..."

Emotions and beliefs can be quite debilitating if you're not well-equipped to handle them.

Gary Craig, pioneer of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), has another useful strategy to work through procrastination. He uses very specific affirmations called “setup statements” that address psychological and emotional blocks that are holding you back. 

The key words that begin all setup statements: “even though.” 

First, he brings the unconscious block to the client's present awareness. Then he attaches "even though" to the statement, followed by an empowering "reversal" clause. 

The reversal is simply a matter of reversing whatever it is that's holding you back. 

So if you have a big report or presentation due and you find yourself procrastinating, take a moment to pause and reflect, identifying what's going on internally.

Let's say it's fear of failure. This is a big presentation that could determine whether you get a B or C in your class. Or maybe if you nail this presentation, you'll get a huge bonus and perhaps even a promotion at work. In either case, there's a lot on the line. So naturally, you have a lingering fear of failure. 

Now that you've recognized the psychological block, you can create an affirmation that helps reverse whatever's making you procrastinate.

“Even though I have a fear of failure, I can still work on this presentation and do my best to ace the class (or nail that bonus/promotion).”

Do you see the formula?

[even though] + [psychological block] + [reversal statement]

If you’re feeling tired but there are household chores that need to be done (i.e. laundry, dishes, etc.)…

“Even though I’m feeling tired, I can finish the laundry and do it efficiently." 

Awareness is the first step—noticing what you’re feeling or what mental state you’re currently in. Acceptance is the next step, being gentle with yourself, knowing that you can still be productive “even though” you don’t necessarily feel like it. 

Don't Let Procrastination Get the Best of You

"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not."

—Thomas Henry Huxley

You are not your emotions. And you're not your thoughts, either.

You are that which witnesses those thoughts and feelings arise. So don't let these things control your life.

Write "Even though" or "TODIA" in big, bold letters somewhere you’ll see it every day: on your bathroom mirror, on your desk, in your journal, etc. 

This will be a reminder that it's okay to feel down sometimes. But that's no reason not to get sh*t done.

Invest in your future self means acknowledging the inevitable challenges that you'll face along the way. Being prepared to handle those challenges ahead of time will save you some headache and heartache. 

The next time you find yourself procrastinating, accept how you're feeling and do what needs to be done anyways.