Note: this post was originally written as an Atomic Essay as part of Ship 30 for 30 and posted on Twitter. I’ve copied the essay content here so it isn’t just lost in the endlessness of the Twitter feed. Enjoy!
As an Ambitious Procrastinator I feel uniquely qualified to talk about the hot topic of the week: procrastination.
First a little backstory…
Resentment and shame were my default for years because I felt like I couldn’t get my shit together. The more I tried to push through or looked for ways to “fix” myself the worse I felt.
0/10 don’t recommend.
The redemption arc…
Somewhere along the line I realized that fighting against what I perceived as a flaw wasn’t getting me anywhere. I decided to get curious instead.
I discovered a few typical triggers:
- trying to do too much or feeling overstimulated
- feeling pressure to perform or have a particular outcome
- not getting enough sleep
Aside from getting more sleep and not being a jerk to myself, I also found a few things that help me get the necessary things done.
My favorite strategies:
- making space daily to just BE and not have to DO anything
- not using due dates on tasks unless it’s a hard deadline
- finding an accountability partner (total game-changer)
- co-working regularly (another form of accountability, but with built in time to actually do the work)
The bottom line is we’re imperfect humans so we have flaws.
Instead of desperately trying to fix them all, accepting that they exist and working with them makes life a whole lot more enjoyable.
