BEAT procrastination - with 5 steps

We all do it.

Procrastinate, that is.

Most of us feel some level of shame around procrastination. We might see ourselves as generally capable and disciplined people so why do I keep pushing "this" out!!!???

Shame is, however, NOT likely to help us get unstuck. And even if we shame ourselves into action, we're not likely to feel proud or uplifted even as we finally make progress. Because it "was about time(!) I did that!" or "Finally! How hard can it be!?"

Instead, I suggest you try out these five steps - the 5 C's - to get to the crux of the matter, resource yourself, and get into meaningful and empowering action!

For a minor task or an area of slight resistance, this process might just take a couple of minutes - a quick touchpoint on each of the C's and you might feel resourced and ready to go. For larger initiatives or more persistent avoidance, allow some time for inquiry into each step.

1. Compassion

There's probably a reason you've been procrastinating. Rather than "beating yourself up" about it, take a moment to show yourself some compassion. "Feel into" the procrastination; What are you feeling about this task or project? Frustrated? Bored? Disconnected? Anxious?

Then show yourself some compassion. You can use this phrase: "No wonder I'm feeling___ , because____." It might sound something like: "No wonder I'm feeling a bit anxious about this because it's something I have never done before." or 'No wonder I'm dreading this task, because last time I had to do it, it was tedious and frustrating."

2. Curiosity

Now that you've (hopefully) given yourself a bit of a break, let's start by looking at the details and the underlying assumptions of this task or project: What's important about this? What is really going on here? What about this task or project feels that way?

Keep asking: "What else?" until you get to what feels like the actual crux of the matter. Then ask "what else?" one more time, until you get a sense of having gotten to the root of it.

Once you have more clarity about what, very specifically, you are avoiding or dreading, you can work on resourcing yourself to resolve THAT.

3. Creativity

Knowing what you now know, it's time to resource yourself with some out-of-the-box thinking! Here are some questions to get you started:

What are some creative ways I could approach this?

What has worked in a different part of my life, or for a different task, that I could apply here?

What if I infused this task with something I find enjoyable?

How could this be easy!?

If it feels hard to come up with new ideas, it can be very useful to tap into the creativity of others, find a sounding board and brain storm together. You could ask for support or even just imagine: What would [my hero] do? What would a clown do? What would my most annoying uncle do?

This is the brainstorming phase. Stay open and look broadly at all sorts of possibilities! No ideas are bad.

4. Choice

Now you hopefully have an expanded sense of options. Some ideas might be unrealistic or downright silly, but hopefully, your creative brainstorming led to some real options you could pursue.

Considering the options you generated, what seems like the best approach for you right now? What approach would be aligned with your values, your priorities, and your current situation? Make a choice.

5. Committed Action

Once you've chosen your approach to tackle the task that you have, until now, avoided, take a moment to get really specific: WHAT, exactly, will be your very first action? WHEN will you do it? HOW will you approach it?

Make sure you commit to an action. Ideally it's something you can do right now, a first step to get the ball rolling.

You can do this!! Good luck!