Why Procrastination Is Not Your Problem

Do you remember when you were a kid and really wanted a bowl of
delicious ice cream for desert? Yes, a bowl. Several scoops, with
gobs of toppings. And, you wanted it as your main course, not
just desert.


 


But, you knew your parents wouldn’t go for that, so you pushed
your carrots around, ate your potatoes, and had a few bites of
protein before you proclaimed yourself as ready for that mint
chocolate chip yummy goodness.


 


“You need to eat a few more bites of your carrots and chicken,
and then we can talk desert,” your parents would say. (For the
record, my parents never had to use this technique on any of us…
we ate everything, and always had extra room for desert, so you
have to forgive me if I don’t get this game exactly right.)


 


Cutting your chicken into the tiniest pieces, you took a few
extra bites, showed your progress, as you prepared your pallet
for that vanilla bean delicious goodness.


 


“You can eat a few more of those carrots,” your dad would say,
“And then you can have your cookies n’ cream with a little extra
chocolate sauce.”


 


“Chocolate sauce?” you thought in yummy anticipation, before you
swallowed three carrots practically whole. But, hey, they were
off your plate, and finally you got your ice cream. Excitement
rippled through you, and a giant smile strung across your face,
as you instructed your mom, “A little more chocolate topping,
please.”


 


All that anticipation made the chocolate sweeter and the ice
cream creamier. So delicious! It was worth the torture of getting
through your broccoli and spinach. The system worked, and you
wound up eating balanced meals.


 


Thank you, mom and dad!


 


Now, skip forward a couple of decades. Not only is ice cream
plentiful and well within reach, but emails, text messages, and
additional projects keep coming to you in droves. You want to
feel that sense of accomplishment of finishing, but for some
reason you can’t seem to focus.


 


It’s not that you don’t have the time. You do. In fact, you’ve
sat in front of your computer, with every intention of completing
the project, but somehow a couple of hours go by and you walk
away empty handed, angry at yourself for not finishing.


 


Your anger and irritation with yourself leads you to avoiding the
very project you want very much to complete. You want that
feeling that comes from finishing, yet you’re tired of dealing
with the self-beatings for not getting it done. At this point you
refuse to even sit down and work on the project… leading you to
calling yourself a terrible procrastinator.


 


You are not a terrible procrastinator. In fact, procrastination
is not your problem in the least. Your real problem is lack of
parentals to make you wait for your ice cream.


 


I mean, let’s be real. Just as ice cream dances on your taste
buds, emails, texts, and special requests push at your “I’m
needed, special, important” buttons. Ice cream tastes good, and
affirmations feel good. And, staying focused (carrots and
protein) are necessary to a healthy mind, body, and spirit.


 


So, rather than beating yourself up for being a procrastinator,
call your mom.


 


No, I’m kidding. Well, kinda. You’re mom may very well have some
ideas to help you stay focused. Here are a few I’ve uncovered…


 


Turn off automatic send/receive on your email.

Silence your phone.

Discover your prop of silence.



 


One executive told me about the sheer number of interruptions he
dealt with every day in the office. In order to address important
issues in a timely manor, he shared his frustration with his
team, and then asked them not to interrupt him when he had his
Orioles cap on. “If it’s truly an emergency, interrupt me,” he
said.


 


Interestingly, his team has almost never had to disturb his
focused time because ultimately very, very little of what
distracts us is truly an emergency. Figure out what you need to
put in place to ensure emergencies are handled appropriately, and
then focus.


 


Here’s to Your Greatness,


 


Misti Burmeister


 


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