We as coaches and entrepreneurs are all about action and moving forward with our plans to achieve our goals – right ?
Procrastination is not welcome at our door. My question today is – can procrastination be good for you? Can it really benefit you? If so, when ?
As a coach to others and having been coached myself, I’ve never had the discussion where the action or task for the week was to procrastinate. {read: sit on your ass for a week, think of everything you should be doing and don’t do any of it, beat yourself up for not doing stuff in the process}.
Yet, everyone does it on a regular basis. Watch the hours, the days, the weeks, the months go by as you sit in full blown procrastination mode. The beating up on ourselves just festers.
Ok, so there’s no physical action happening, and behind all the time wasting and self-flagellation, what is really happening ?
Procrastination – gives us space to think
In procrastination, we are often growing our ideas. The seed has been planted and sometimes in the same way, our ideas have to germinate. In this time that may look like procrastination. We may be getting clearer on what we need to do. It gives us time to really brainstorm, to tease out our ideas.
Time that looks like procrastination may be necessary to take a look at our options.
Even though we are not ‘actively’ working or taking action, we probably still have some attention in the space of what we think we are procrastinating about and in some way gathering information and mulling it over.
With larger projects and goals, what we may think is procrastination, is really just time space for us to see the real scope of our big goal or plan. It’s also the time space we need to start coming up with not only what we need to do, but how best to tackle it and get started.
Reframe procrastination as thinking time
Procrastination – gives us space to feel
The ideas come to us before we are ready. We do have to grow into our ideas, dreams, visions and goals. If it’s not big and scary, then it’s not really a goal. If it doesn’t feel big and scary, then it’s really more like a task or something that you just do. It’s not your big dream.
Procrastination is that time that we need to sometimes get ready to step outside our comfort zone.
We have to feel our way into being ready. Whatever is required of us; speaking up, writing, visibility, putting ourselves out there, showing up, owning our gifts and talents, creating something, daring to speak of our goals and dreams, the list is endless! Some of what we are labelling as ‘procrastination’ is the time space we need to get ready; getting our brave on and being ready to take action.
When we feel we are ready, the doing is easier. Without this time, which we may be mis-labelling as procrastination, taking action may feel like pushing a boulder up a hill.
Reframe procrastination as getting ready
There is a balance between giving ourselves too much time to think and too much time to feel.
So are we really procrastinating or is it the time space that you need?
How do you know ? Just ask yourself! And answer honestly!
Not everything has to be done today.
Thinking and feeling ready, take time too.
