Procrastination. It’s one of the things that we all do, and it’s never fun. We all wish we could procrastinate less and do more. Truth is, it’s just human nature to procrastinate. Unfortunately, if we business owners procrastinate, important things don’t get done. That leads to feelings of failure and “funk,” which cause us to procrastinate even more.
So, how can we overcome this funk and start getting things done?
Experts will tell you that procrastination is all about avoiding fear and anxiety. But there’s even more at play. When you procrastinate, you’re weighing the opportunity of whatever it is you’re procrastinating against the fear of doing it. You procrastinate because one’s not outweighing the other. It seems just as acceptable to miss out on the opportunity as it is to avoid the pain it may cause.
This is the wrong mindset to have. It’s easy to put that decision to bed because of the fears that are overriding the opportunity that is on an equal level. And with all the things we have going on and all the decisions we need to make, there’s just no time to get something done. We take a pass on those decisions. Why spend the time deciding to decide? That attitude, of course, isn’t going to move the ball ahead.
So what do we need to do there? We need to either increase the fear or increase the opportunity so that we can move ahead with the decision. In order to do that, we need to bring clarity into it. And once you have clarity, you’ll be able to boost your confidence. That, in turn, increases your courage to either move ahead or put it to bed.
Ultimately, procrastination isn’t about avoiding failure per se. It’s about avoiding decisions, which we as business owners and entrepreneurs, must do, like it or not. We need to create a clearer vision of where we’re going to be. When we boost this clarity bubble, we achieve what Cameron Herold called “vivid visions.” The more detailed your vision, the easier it is to see the opportunity and create your benefits from the ideas. When we can see a clear path, we can also what the long-term implications of this decision are going to be. That helps us break out of the procrastination funk, which is short-term thinking.
It’s also worth noting that fear is often exponential. When we think about our fears, we tend to magnify them to a point where they’re much bigger than often they are. Unfortunately, we often don’t do that for our opportunities. We’re not making that vivid vision that we create for our fears, and so we’re depriving ourselves of the chance to see the full breadth of an opportunity.
That’s a big reason why so many people procrastinate. It’s not that their fears aren’t real, but they’re exaggerated. Meanwhile, the missed opportunity doesn’t seem as big as the fear. To flip your mindset, you need to take an honest look at your fears, then focus on creating a vivid vision of your opportunity. That tips the level playing field into one where the opportunity is the easier choice.
Make no mistake: this takes conscious effort that’s not easy. You need to shift that dial, making sure that it aligns with your future and what you want out of that decision in your vivid vision. Force yourself to think long-term and diminish your fears, or at least cast an honest light on them. Once you have that vivid vision and decide to proceed with the opportunity, it’s so much easier to gain momentum. You can think of your decision as putting the opportunity on the rails. The direction is clear, the tracks are laid… and the train can start moving and build up speed.
When faced with a decision, whether it’s a big business decision or simply a choice to take action, you need to undo that even balance between opportunity or fear. You must shift away from the magnified anxieties and focus on clarifying the opportunity with a clear vision. If you don’t, things are never going to happen. You’re always going to stay in that realm of procrastination, which ultimately, prevents you and your business from moving ahead and entrepreneurial success!
About the Author
Peter Mohr is the founder of Simplifying Entrepreneurship, a podcast and coaching company working with Entrepreneurs to help provide clarity, confidence and momentum for their business and entrepreneurial lives.
If you’d like a copy of the 1Page Decision Maker tool to help push you through big and small decisions, just email peter@simplifyingentrepreneurship.com with Decision Maker Tool in the Subject line and we will get it out to you!
