From experience, there’s two levels of avoiding what we’re doing.
The Resistance to Starting and Procrastination, which runs deeper.
How can you tell the difference between the two?
Resistance to Starting
Is a close cousin to procrastination, but it’s a much milder form. If you had to rate your willingness and happiness to work on something out of 5 (with 0 being dread and 5 being excited), Resistance to Starting is around a 3-4 out of 5.
Resistance to Starting is not recurring and it may be something you generally don’t mind doing or may even really enjoy doing once you’ve started. But for some reason, you don’t feel like it. There’s a bit of inertia. You don’t have the momentum nor any major inclination to get working on it. So, left unchecked, it’s easier to find something else to do instead.
Because it’s something that we don’t have any great objection to doing, the main hurdle is not our attitude towards the task but physically getting started on it.
How do you overcome your Resistance to Starting?
The common way to overcome this form of Resistance is to ease ourselves into starting.
The easiest way to do this is to promise yourself that you only have to do 15 minutes on this task. If necessary, offer yourself a small bribe or incentive that you can have as soon as that 15 minutes is over. More often than not you may find that once you’ve started you get into the flow, any resistance you previously had melts away. You may even remember how much you enjoy what you’re doing and appreciate that you got over your initial resistance.
If at the end of the 15 minutes, you’re not in flow. Stop. Have a break. If you haven’t finished the task, then after the break, restart the timer for 15 minutes and work for another 15 minute block. Or schedule in another 15 minutes slot on another day. Review and repeat as necessary.
The trick to this technique is that you have to honour your word to only work for 15 minutes (or whatever time you promise yourself) and then take a break. If you say you’ll do 15 minutes but really expect to work for a full hour, this technique won’t work over the longer term. Because the next time you try this, you just won’t trust yourself that it will be quick. And you’ll find yourself making excuses that you don’t have the time. (That’s why I sometimes even promise to do only 5 minutes work just to get something done.) So, whatever time you decide on, please mean what you say and take at least a 5 minute break after your promised time is over.
Hopefully this tip gets you well on your way to breaking through that resistance and inertia.
Want more tips to overcome Resistance to Starting?
So, what’s Procrastination then?
Facing procrastination is bigger than just overcoming inertia to get started on something. Procrastination comes with a major feeling of dread or a sense of fear in relation to the task. It’s around 0-2 out of 5 on that willingness/happiness scale. I know that I’m suffering from a major bout of procrastination when I keep putting off a task more than once.
How do you Relieve Procrastination?
If you’re finding it hard to follow through on something, remember that this isn’t a reflection on you. You are not lazy nor deficient. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s most likely that at some level it doesn’t feel safe or there’s some stress associated with either the task or its result. That’s why it helps to reflect and investigate what lies behind the procrastination. And if it’s really chronic, then it’s most likely that you can’t reason nor logic your way out. Your nervous system also needs some attention and support to calm down against the perceived threat.
During the Reflect and Investigate phase consider the following options in relation to your task:
- Delete – Do you really need to do it?
- Delegate – Can you pass it on to someone else that could do it better or easier?
- Modify – Can you change or reduce the scope of your task to make it easier?
- Add – Can you improve how you do it or your environment?
- Shift – What beliefs or thoughts are underpinning your resistance? How can you shift your mindset or self-talk?
As you go through each option, check in with your body to see if your stress has decreased or you feel a sense of relief. Follow your body’s cues. If the stress is chronic, then seek support with a trained professional.
Read more about these steps in the following blogs and videos
How to Overcome Stubborn Procrastination and Blocks to Your Success – May 2023
In her Brava presentation, Natalia will help you discover what’s been holding you back and how you can move through it.
Watch to learn a quick and easy method to get you started on any task, as well as 5 different strategies to address procrastination.
What’s holding you back from creating the life that you want – Nov 2023
Watch Natalia’s presentation at Brava’s Wise Women Wednesday where she helps you:
- identify what’s been holding you back
- learn 5 strategies to deal with procrastination
- discover a way to transform stress and limiting thinking patterns.
Watch the recording with a particular issue in mind that keeps frustrating you and you’d like some more traction on. By the end of the session, you’ll have a clearer path forward.
How can Natalia Walker from Inner Creative help you to overcome Procrastination?
1. Procrastination Buster Handbook
The Procrastination Buster Handbook contains 33 tips to help you overcome procrastination and any resistance to starting relating to your task or project.
You’ll also receive a A4 mini-poster with your pdf download link, so you can quickly refer to the tips when you need an inspirational hit.
2. Book a 1on1 session to reduce your stress and create longer lasting change to better support your goals without procrastination and self-sabotage
If there’s something that you consistently keep putting off despite every good intention, you need more than tips and tricks to overcome your procrastination.
There’s probably something deeper at play.
Set yourself up for success. Finally feel the relief and satisfaction of getting that task done after you book an online session to Transform Stress and Thinking Patterns using PSYCH-K®. This means we can specifically address the stress and mental or emotional resistance you’re feeling towards the task.
PSYCH-K® is a simple, effective and proven process designed to transform the subconscious beliefs and thinking patterns that are holding you back from reaching your desires. It’s a process that uses left and right brain integration techniques to create a more relaxed ‘Whole-Brain’ state around your desired belief or situation. As a result, it’s easier for you to take actions that support your desired belief without stress nor self-sabotage and be able to see a noticeable change in your work or life.
3. Clarity and Accountability Package
Over 3 months, Natalia can be your accountability partner to support you in moving towards your goals without feeling the need to force yourself, feeling guilty or ‘shoulding’ on yourself.
Our sessions are based around creative tools, like LEGO®, drawing and journalling, to help you tap into your own inner wisdom and see solutions from a different perspective.
Natalia won’t tell you what to do. In fact, she’ll help you assess your workload so that you can prioritise what’s important and let go of what’s not. We look at batching, scheduling and setting boundaries too.
Plus you’ll have access to PSYCH-K® belief change sessions and other supportive tools, as well a personally selected Mandala Inspiration that speaks to your situation and acts as a touchstone as you move through each month. Learn more about what’s included in the Clarity and Accountability Package or book a free 20 minute Getting to Know You chat to find out more and see if it’s right for you.
4. Still got questions?
If you’re wondering what solution would work best for you, book in for a free 20 minute consultation with Natalia.
We can then chat about your situation and desires for the future, and work out which approach is right for you.
More about Natalia Walker of Inner Creative
I know what it’s like to run oneself ragged doing all the things. I’m a recovering perfectionist, Type A personality and once serial procrastinator. I used to set smart goals and worked really hard to make things happen. But no matter what I achieved, nothing was ever good enough. Failure or saying ‘no’ was never an option.
I put myself at the bottom of the list. I had no time for creative pursuits nor activities that filled my tank. I was exhausted and overwhelmed.
I was out of touch with my own dreams and desires. I got into the habit of over-riding my hunches and gut feelings. My ‘to do’ list was full of busywork and tasks based on others’ expectations. Never questioning, ‘Why?’ nor reflecting on whether the task or project was aligned with my own values or goals.
I kept shifting the goal posts on myself, demanding more. My self-talk ticker tape was on constant repeat that I should be doing more, doing better. And then after a series of major life events, I got tired of living and working this way.
I now use a kinder and gentler approach to getting things done. I make sure to be clear about my intentions first so that I’m already vetting what gets onto my ‘to do’ list. I use my 20 years of strategic planning experience in a way that capitalises on my visual and kinaesthetic thinking strengths. For instance, my planner now has lots of colour to help me organise and process information, and keep things interesting.
I have learnt a lot about creating new habits and making time for creative hobbies through my mandala art practice. My experiences, backed by research, have informed the creation of my Procrastination Buster Handbook and accountability services. And my artwork has now developed into a product range of its own: The Happy Hearts Care Range.
I also trust my own body and energy levels to guide me on what to do next. Because funnily enough when I do things that I enjoy and make me feel better, I do better. Self-care is not just something that I pay lip service to any more (especially after the recent years we’ve had). I have learnt that when I fill up my tank I have more to give to my business, my clients and others.
I’d love to support you to reconnect with your inner desires and to overcome any procrastination or resistance that’s holding you back from achieving what you want. Let’s see how you can create a life and work practice that feels more like you, plays to your strengths and supports your values and lifestyle.