Why Procrastination Is Delaying Your Success—and How to Get Momentum

Dr. Christine Li [00:00:01]:
Welcome back to the Make Time for Success podcast. This is episode number 254. Today's topic is one of my favorite topics of all time, and that is procrastination. I am going to talk today about my own fascination with the topic because procrastination is oftentimes on the scene. Just when we want to get something to the point of being successful, we want to achieve something. We want to move something forward. And yet we find ourselves thrown back into a state of feeling like we're sitting on our hands. We are feeling paralyzed.

Dr. Christine Li [00:00:40]:
We are feeling like we don't have what it takes. And I just thought I'd put together some thoughts and some strategies for you today so that if you are caught in a zone of procrastination right now, you can move right on by back into that preferred state of feeling momentum, feeling like you have forward movement. Because that's what I want for all of you today. Let's go listen to this episode together now.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:12]:
Hi, I'm Dr. Christine Li, and I'm a psychologist and a procrastination coach. I've helped thousands of people move past procrastination and overwhelm so so they could begin working to their potential. In this podcast, you're going to learn powerful strategies for getting your mind, body and energy to work together so that you can focus on what's really important and accomplish the goals you want to achieve.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:39]:
When you start living within your full.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:42]:
Power, you're going to see how being productive can be easy and how you can create success on demand. Welcome to the Make Time for Success podcast.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:54]:
The other day, I was in dance class like I typically am weekday mornings, and a fellow classmate came over to me with a small brown paper bag and I was wondering what she had for me, and it was this cute notepad that I'm holding up in the video. If you're watching the podcast on video right now, it's a pad that says at the top, procrastinate like there is a tomorrow. It's really sweet. I really loved this gift and I love my classmate and friend and it made me think that oftentimes we have the urge to procrastinate. It is so common. It is so every day. It is such a human thing to do to put off to tomorrow what we need to do today. So I really appreciated having this extra notepad and having the thought that indeed we do have the option of procrastinating like there is a tomorrow.

Dr. Christine Li [00:02:56]:
But today's episode is going to be my attempt to encourage you to procrastinate like there is no tomorrow. I, of course, want everybody to have a tomorrow. And I want all of you to live vibrantly and nice, healthy, long lives. So I don't mean like there's no tomorrow in that way. I mean that we're just going to get rid of the need for procrastination. That is my goal. I want to teach you what I know in this episode about procrastination and how to overcome it. So why do we procrastinate when we know that oftentimes it's not very helpful to us that it actually brings us stress? I think we procrastinate because it feels like our ego can't tolerate the stress in the moment that we're making the decision on whether to act or to stay still.

Dr. Christine Li [00:03:52]:
We feel that we just need a little bit of time. We need some feeling of comfort. We need some more confidence. There's something that we're lacking. And that feeling that we're lacking something causes us to look at procrastination and say, hi, old friend. Procrastination, I need you again. So that's the basics that we feel like we're lacking something. We fear that we're not ready.

Dr. Christine Li [00:04:22]:
We know that there is a tomorrow. And then we decide, okay, let me put the brakes on. I don't need to continue. And then we feel like we surrender. We feel like we're gonna not use the present moment to achieve the goals that we know we have to achieve anyway. And I've always been just a curious person when it comes to human behavior. My own behavior and that of other people's as well. You know, or maybe many of you know, that I am a psychologist.

Dr. Christine Li [00:04:55]:
So I've spent my career investigating what makes people tick, what makes people happy, what makes people feel like they don't have what it takes. All the things I've been spending my time just wondering, how do we optimize everyone's performance? How do we optimize everyone's self esteem? How do we get into situations where we feel like there's no way we can fail, that we're never lacking in such a way that we have to stop ourselves and feel like we're almost paralyzed and where we never have to feel like we're desperate to procrastinate again. My aim in this episode is to help you to remember that you were always powerful, that you always have more ideas where the originals came from, that there's always an option for you to feel like you're stronger than you think. And I'm going to give you some concrete suggestions for doing just that. But before I give you the suggestions, I want to talk a little bit more about that in between state of feeling like you're lacking in something that you feel is necessary to move forward. And. And yet you're also desiring the success goal. You want this thing to happen.

Dr. Christine Li [00:06:24]:
You want the assignment to be completed. You want dinner to be finished. You want to clean up the clutter in your closet. All these things are your wishes. So why are we holding ourselves back, and sometimes for months, even years, from taking those steps that are necessary to get us to the finish line, to get us to our goals? And I would say sometimes it's not just the fear that we don't have exactly what is needed to get to the success goal. Sometimes the fear runs deeper than that. I think sometimes there is a fear that we are just not enough. And no matter how hard we try, it's gonna be a mess.

Dr. Christine Li [00:07:17]:
That the fear is so intense, it's so severe, it's so powerful, that no matter how educated you are, no matter how much social support you have, no matter how much time you have, the emotional system, your nervous system inside you erects a barrier that says it's not safe to move forward. And I thought I would put words to that event, because so often we're experiencing it inside our bodies with our nervous system telling us it's not safe. It's not safe. And yet no one is really putting words to that state, that state that leads to procrastination, that we can actually see with our eyes and feel, feel. Because things are not happening in real time. But I feel like these things start on a cellular level where we don't feel safe, where we feel like we do anything to get ourselves out of this situation, even when it doesn't make sense. So I hope that now that I've put words to this internal state, that maybe you feel a little bit more empowered to take a look at how that works in your own body. Where do you feel nervous? What situations make you feel nervous? Where do you feel it in your body? Is it tension in your shoulders? Is it that you feel like you can't think, you have brain fog? Is it you feel that you need to isolate yourself because you just can't concentrate? Where everything feels like it's not cooperating with you? Your own body is not cooperating with you? If that sounds familiar, I want you to know that I have been there.

Dr. Christine Li [00:09:06]:
I've been there so many years of my life. Where I just felt like I couldn't put two thoughts together in a coherent way because I was so afraid of not being good enough, of not having the right words, of running out of time. There was always something that I was fear thinking of that was more terrifying than focusing could be. So I was always focusing on the terror instead of what I actually needed to pay attention to. So again, I'm hoping this helps you because it feels like a walk down memory lane for me. And the way that I got through that and the way I decided to move away from that kind of strategy was in some ways because I was just sick and tired of not feeling successful. I think I knew that I had much more inside of me to experience and to let out of my own body. And I had more learning to do both in an academic sense of the term, the formal sense of actual learning, but.

Dr. Christine Li [00:10:19]:
But also I had more life experiencing to do. As you age, you know, lots of opportunities come and go, and I knew that I wanted more for myself. I knew that I could actually handle more than I was fearing. And I was ready to just say, okay, I'm ready to try a new way. I'm ready to read some books. I'm ready to get some more mentors. And of course, I was in training to be a psychologist at the time that I was coming to these realizations. So I was very lucky that my own profession supported my own desires to expand and to get healthier, I think in terms of self esteem, self confidence, and actual productivity.

Dr. Christine Li [00:11:12]:
So again, I'm hoping all of this helps you to review where you are in your own journey when it comes to procrastination and productivity. Oftentimes we're moving on that axis of procrastination and productivity every single day. It's not like I never procrastinate anymore. Sometimes I do. Even with this podcast that we're sharing today. Oftentimes it's. It's a little bit difficult for me to say, okay, right now is the time I'm going to record. There is a bit of procrastination in there, but of course it never really fully gets me because I'm on schedule here.

Dr. Christine Li [00:11:50]:
I have committed to being a weekly provider of fresh episodes. I've committed to myself to not let myself down when it comes to being the host of this episode and having my assignment be done in a timely way, in a professional way, as best as I can. And in some ways, it's that tactic of being committed to something that really helps you to have a guard against procrastination. You can have all the fearful thoughts that you want. Your brain can generate very powerfully, a lot of really creative ways of scaring you into feeling like you can't do it. But if you have made a commitment to something, to a project, to a date, to another person, to a cause, all of those things will be well served by your commitment. When you stand up and say, I'm not going to fail my own promise to myself. I'm not going to let myself down, I want to say that is one of the best ways to protect yourself against procrastination.

Dr. Christine Li [00:13:10]:
It is saying to yourself, no matter how I feel, I'm going to move forward. It's saying to yourself, there are things that are more important than me keeping myself in this protected state of procrastination. Protected in quotes, of course, because procrastination never really protected anyone from anything, really. It just kind of delayed success. So I would say the first actual strategy I have to share with you today is to decide you're going to commit to something. Start small. Start saying, I'm going to add one healthy food to my diet this week. It's small enough that you can succeed, but small enough that it's meaningful, too, that you can actually see yourself going to the grocery store, being more mindful about what you're putting in your cart, and then using that new vegetable in the new recipe that you now have the pleasure of creating for yourself because you've been committed, instead of procrastinating and eating the same old way you've been eating, which might be not as healthy as you can eat.

Dr. Christine Li [00:14:25]:
So every time we overcome our procrastination, we feel a win. We get to experience something new. We get to see a new side of ourselves. So that may be strategy number two. Strategy number two is to remember what you're stressed out about in the first place. Remember why you started this effort. Remember why you're facing this challenge. Remember why you decided this is where my focus needs to be.

Dr. Christine Li [00:14:59]:
Because there's always a positive statement at the end of that investigation. There's always a very reasonable reason why you're feeling stressed and like you want to procrastinate. But I want you to remember the goal. I want you to remember the aim. I want you to remember the win that you're going to experience and have the gratitude for in just a few days or a few steps more when you don't procrastinate. So always remember the goal, remember the win, remember what you're after, and that will also protect you from procrastination. So I'm going to now head straight into the list that I already made for you. Since I've already just shared two strategies on the fly, I have more ways to overcome procrastination.

Dr. Christine Li [00:15:52]:
The first one on my prepared list is movement that you want to get daily movement. And I do mean physical movement, because I do think life requires physical movement. Your health, your vitality requires daily movement. And once again, I don't mean you have to be scaling mountains every day. No, no, no. It just means avoid being sedentary. It means get to the gym. It means figure out how to add some steps into your day.

Dr. Christine Li [00:16:30]:
Again, it does not have to be super coordinated. It does not have to be marathon level. But it does need to involve actual physical movement. Why do I include this here? I include this here because when we're in movement, we tend to stay in movement. It's kind of a law of physics. And when we're sedentary, we kind of get lost in our thoughts. We think, oh, I have no place to go. We think, oh, it's comfortable here, let me turn on Netflix.

Dr. Christine Li [00:17:04]:
And we forget we've got places to go. We've got things to accomplish. We forget that action really gets us what we want. That action is very rewarding. And action, again, is a protection against feeling like you don't have what it takes. When we're in action, we feel vibrant, we feel connected, we feel engaged. So I do feel that consciously putting in movement in every day is going to help you to avoid the stagnation that procrastination tends to suck you into. The second idea that I have on my list is to remember how you want to feel.

Dr. Christine Li [00:17:51]:
And this was taught to be by my own coach, James Wedmore. He taught me that Mount Everest exercise. And I'll describe the Mount Everest exercise to you here. We're envisioning Mount Everest on a piece of paper and just as an illustration. And you are on the ground level, on the ground looking up at Mount Everest. So imagine a stick figure, meaning you at the ground level. And imagine you putting your major goal at the top of the mountain, Mount Everest. And you want to think to yourself, how am I feeling when I'm at the ground level? Am I feeling positive? Am I feeling doubtful? Am I feeling scared? Am I feeling, oh, my God, I'm never going to get up Mount Everest.

Dr. Christine Li [00:18:40]:
Let me quit right now, before I even take a step. I don't know what you're thinking, but I want you to think for yourself when you're Thinking about your own goal. What are you feeling before you even start when you're on the ground floor? And then the Mount Everest exercise teaches us to then draw another stick figure at the top of Mount Everest. Now, what is that person feeling? If that's you at the top of Mount Everest, what is going through your heart? It's likely not terror, or maybe terror because you're at the top of Mount Everest, but you're also very likely feeling exhilarated. You're feeling grateful, you're feeling so proud of yourself. You're feeling something like, why didn't I do this earlier? And things like that. You're thinking all of these positive, life affirming thoughts and you're feeling like a winner. You're feeling like success is yours.

Dr. Christine Li [00:19:40]:
And the reason why I share this exercise with you is because it is such a powerful reminder that our mindset needs to be at the top of the mountain all the time. Even when we're literally on the ground floor with our goals, we have to have a success mindset so that we can make the journey quicker, so that we're not terrifying ourselves or convincing ourselves that we're not the right person for this job. We have to decide, oh, of course I'm going to get to the top of the mountain. Of course I'm going to succeed with this goal of mine because it's my goal and because it's important to me and because I'm exactly the right person to do this goal. So when you have that positive success mindset, that Mount Everest exercise is all done and dusted, you will have a much easier time keeping yourself in motion towards your goal. You're going to feel like you're at the middle of the mountain instead of at the ground floor. You're going to feel like, oh, it's just a couple steps more. All I need is just a few more positive thoughts and I can get there.

Dr. Christine Li [00:20:57]:
Because after all, even mountain climbers need to go a step at a time. So take it easy on yourself, but always move forward. Always remember that you are the success that you are looking for. You are already that person even before you start. And don't ever convince yourself otherwise. The next strategy that I have for you is in some ways related to the Mount Everest exercise that I just taught you. The next idea is that you need to get better at planning. I myself do not consider myself a very masterful planner.

Dr. Christine Li [00:21:40]:
I would say I'm more a wing it kind of person and I'm more spontaneous. We can put it more positively, but Planning does not come very naturally to me, but I have learned over the years that planning can really be a wonderful skill to have and develop and get better at. Because when you can put yourself in the mode of planning, you're basically saying, I'm going to take care of my future before it even comes. I'm going to just think, what is the weather going to be like? I'm going to think, how am I going to get there on time? You're going to think, what do I need when I arrive at that conference center? Am I going to need a couple layers? Am I going to need some chapstick? Whatever you need. You're going to give yourself the benefit and the advantage of having some time to think about what you need ahead of time. Basically, the ABCs of just being a planner. You're going to decide before the time comes that you're going to think, what do you need? What kind of person do I want to show up as? Who's going to be there? What do I want to tell people who are there? What do I need to learn from people who are there at that conference? You get the idea. Become a planner.

Dr. Christine Li [00:22:58]:
If you're like me and you don't feel like you were born a great planner, I want you to know you can get better at this skill because it is a skill. And when we call things skills, that means that we have a shot at learning. Getting a coach, doing some experimentation, buying a little planner or journal and deciding, I'm going to take Dr. Lee's advice and just start to write more things down so I have my thoughts with me, so I know what I want out of this experience instead of just winging it all the time. The next strategy that I have for you is something that I try to model on this podcast and elsewhere all the time, and that is thinking positively. When we keep ourselves in this hyper positive mode that I oftentimes am in naturally and through practice, we don't really have so much reason to procrastinate anymore. Because life is roses and daisies and chrysanthemums and butterflies and fun people and things to learn and surprises and holidays and work days and things that we can turn into positive experiences. Life is one giant opportunity when you allow yourself to see that.

Dr. Christine Li [00:24:22]:
And sometimes life can be a pain in the patootie. For sure. We all have days like that. We all have times like that where we're in sadness or stress or grief or other negative experiences or sad experiences. They're not necessarily negative, they're just life. But Overall, life is this one giant magical experience. And when we think positively, we keep ourselves in that memory. We keep ourselves in that state of mind that this is all magical.

Dr. Christine Li [00:24:59]:
And I'm just one of the many magicians in this state that we're in this state of life. So let's take advantage of, of what we have because it's amazing and there's no need to procrastinate the amazingness. The very last idea that I have to share with you today is to get support. Because if you are feeling like of course I have to procrastinate, how can I move forward with this? And oftentimes I intersect with people who come to me feeling completely frozen with different channels in their lives, being blocked by grief, by clutter, by overwhelm, by lack of self esteem, by negativity. Of course we can block ourselves and be blocked by so many things, including external forces that we have no control over. When you feel like there are so many different layers of these blocks or multiple channels in your life are blocked, please, please, please take my advice and get some support. The support really is out there. Please consider me a source of your support.

Dr. Christine Li [00:26:14]:
Turn on a podcast episode if you feel like you just don't know where to go next with your behavior or with your plans or with your procrastination and let yourself let this stress go. Go. Oftentimes we need professional support. A friendly ear, a friendly friend, a dance class, a notepad. Use your tools, use the physical people, the support that you have. Use movement. Use these strategies that I've shared with you to shift yourself away from procrastination. Because that is just one option that you have to use.

Dr. Christine Li [00:26:55]:
And, and it's oftentimes the least interesting, the least favorable option that you have at your disposal. So I just want you to remember that, friend to friend, you've got more to you than what procrastination will show you. If you'd like a lovely download, free downloadable worksheet that comes with this episode to help you get your momentum back and to help you review what options you have for moving forward. A little project sheet for getting back your momentum. I invite you to go to maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/Momentum again. Maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/Momentum and we will move forward together. We'll take things a step by step. That's basically all that's ever required.

Dr. Christine Li [00:27:54]:
Procrastination sometimes as a visitor, but procrastination doesn't have to stay permanently at all. I promise, I promise, I promise I will see you next week. Thanks so much for being here. Bye.

Dr. Christine Li [00:28:08]:
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Make Time for Success podcast. If you enjoyed what you've heard, you can subscribe to make sure you get notified of upcoming episodes. You can also Visit our website maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com for past episodes, show notes, and all the resources we mention on the show. Feel free to connect with me over on Instagram too. You can find me there under the name Procrastination Coach. Send me a DM and let me know what your thoughts are about the episodes you've been listening since to. And let me know any topics that you might like me to talk about on the show. I'd love to hear all about how you're making Time for Success.

Dr. Christine Li [00:28:48]:
Talk to you soon.