Overcome Procrastination with These 4 Questions and 4 Steps
3 min readFeb 3
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Four powerful questions to ask yourself, and four steps to follow, to overcome procrastination for good.
Asking yourself these questions will help you to identify the real cause of your procrastination. Once you’ve answered those, follow the four steps to finally free yourself from all procrastination and achieve the results you want and deserve.
The 4 Questions
- Do I really need / want to do this thing?
In other words — is it really what I want or need to do, or am I feeling I should do it? (Others expect it; I’m worried about what someone will think; It’s just automatic — I haven’t really thought about it; Someone else could actually do this… ) - When I think about doing the thing, what happens inside me?
For example: When I think about creating a website, I feel overwhelmed.
Or: When I think about writing a blog post, I feel that people I know will judge me.
Or: When I think about writing a book, I think about the fact that I don’t have the time.
Or: When I think about creating a video, I think of the last time I saw myself on camera.
Or: When I think about writing, I think about the clutter in my office.
Or: When I think about making a phone call to a prospective client, I expect to be rejected.
Or: When I think about creating a website, I think about how tedious it is to use the software, or I think about the fact that I don’t know how to write content, or I think “What’s the point, no-one will visit it anyway…” - What is my “payoff” for NOT doing this thing?
Am I getting to feel familiar feelings of unworthiness?
Am I getting to “beat myself up”?
Am I getting to prove a limiting belief (I never finish anything I start; I’m too old/ young/ un-creative; I can’t write.. etc.)?
Am I benefiting from an excuse for not moving forward with something else?
Am I avoiding something I fear (eg. success, exposure)? - Where am I looking?
In other words: Am I keeping my eye on the end result — the destination I want to end up in — or am I keeping my focus on where I don’t want to be?
Am I focusing on what it will be like once the thing is done, or am I focusing on where I am right now, what I don’t like about doing the thing, or the negative consequences for not doing the thing?
Wherever…