When it comes to reaching your goals there are all sorts of things that can impede your progress. But what happens when the barrier to moving forward is you? And what can you do about it?
Today we’re sharing the #1 obstacle to achieving your goals, why you behave that way, and how you can defeat it so you can achieve success.
TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:
There Can Be Many Obstacles to Reaching Your Goals
[Theresa] Meghan, what would you say is the main obstacle to reaching your goals? You can only pick one thing.
[Meghan] Putting me on the spot right away, I see. I think Theresa’s getting even with me since I did that to her in the last episode!
OK, I know that the #1 killer of productivity is time management. So, I’m thinking it has something to do with time.
[Theresa] That is an excellent guess! This obstacle to reaching your goals is definitely related to time, but not so much about management. Though I suppose you could make an argument. Here’s a hint. It’s related to how you are NOT using your time.
[Meghan] Does the obstacle have to do with planning your day?
[Theresa] I love a good plan, but no.
[Meghan] We’re in suspense here! What is it?!
[Theresa] OK. OK. I’ve tortured you enough.
Meghan and I have spent a lot of time talking about achieving your goals. We’ve shared the importance of getting your goals out of your head, what you must consider before setting goals, as well as what you should and shouldn’t do when your goal achievement hits a snag.
The Obstacle that Will Prevent You From Reaching Your Goals
[Theresa] But today, I want to focus on the one thing that will derail you from reaching your goals every single time. In my opinion, it’s the worst thing you can do. It’s more disastrous than wasting time doing the wrong work or on shiny object syndrome.
That one thing is procrastination.
Merriam-Webster defines procrastination as follows:
To put off intentionally and habitually
[Meghan] Procrastination! Of course!
When I think about procrastinating, I think about delaying or postponing something. But that definition gets to the heart of why procrastination is so troubling.
When you procrastinate, you delay action on purpose. And when you do that too often, it becomes a bad habit.
So, yeah, procrastination is a bad thing for sure. I think this is a really good topic to cover, especially since I procrastinate a lot!
When you procrastinate, you delay action on purpose. And when you do that too often, it becomes a bad habit.
[Theresa] You’re not alone, Meghan. Procrastination is bad, though. Many small business owners struggle with it. So today, I’d like to dig into how procrastination keeps you from achieving your goals, reveal why you procrastinate, and share some strategies to overcome procrastination.
But first, I want to discuss what procrastination is and what it isn’t as it specifically relates to reaching your goals.
A study in the journal Psychological Science defines procrastination as “irrationally delaying actions that help accomplish one’s important goals.”
[Meghan] What stands out to me in that definition is the word “irrationally.” When you procrastinate, you know you’re doing it. It’s a conscious choice that doesn’t make sense.
When you procrastinate, you know you’re doing it. It’s a conscious choice that doesn’t make sense.
For instance, you need to create that opt-in so that you can grow your email list, but instead, you intentionally choose to go watch the next three episodes of that Netflix show you’ve been binge-watching.
It doesn’t make any logical sense, but you do it anyway. That episode of Psych isn’t going to move you closer to reaching your goals, and you know it. Alas, somehow it doesn’t seem to matter.
[Theresa] That’s right. When you procrastinate you are fully aware of the consequences of your actions. It’s ridiculous when you think about it.
I want to clarify here that procrastination is not the same thing as distraction. Yes, distraction and procrastination will both delay reaching your goals, but distraction has more to do with your attention.
When you’re distracted, you can’t fully concentrate on the task at hand.
[Meghan] That’s an important distinction to make.
An example of a distraction would be not concentrating on the task at hand because your cell phone keeps dinging. You can’t help but be curious and you give in to the temptation to look.
You discover it’s a text from your best friend sharing something they saw on Facebook, so you check that out. That leads you down the rabbit hole and the next thing you know you’re off watching YouTube and so on and so forth.
[Theresa] The point being that the response to distraction is more of an impulse.
When you procrastinate, you are doing so intentionally. That’s not the case when it comes to distraction.
How Procrastination Keeps You from Achieving Your Goals
[Theresa] In either case, your behavior keeps you from reaching your goals. In the case of distraction, you will lose time. The consequence is that it will take you longer to get where you want to go.
The impact of procrastination, however, is far greater. Of course, you’ll lose time, but there are more serious implications. First, you’ll miss out on opportunities.
The impact of procrastination is far greater than the impact of distraction.
[Meghan] Yeah, you never know when a situation may come along that will propel you forward in your business. It’s exciting when it does.
If that opportunity helps move you closer to your goals, that’s a big win. By procrastinating, though, you could miss out on the window of opportunity. Then you’ll only have regret. And that never feels good.
[Theresa] No, it doesn’t. Procrastination also erodes confidence. That leads to lower self-esteem. Then self-doubt creeps in and you find yourself wondering, “why can’t I just do this?” Which lowers your confidence.
It’s a vicious, unrelenting cycle that prevents you from making progress and keeps you from reaching your goals.
[Meghan] Procrastinating will lead to making bad decisions, which in turn has serious negative effects on achieving your goals.
When you leave important decisions to the last minute—especially those that affect meeting milestones and deadlines—you feel pressure that wouldn’t be there if you hadn’t procrastinated.
When you leave important decisions to the last minute—especially those that affect reaching your goals—you feel pressure that wouldn’t be there if you hadn’t procrastinated.Click To TweetThis leads to making decisions based on emotion rather than logic. Making emotional choices usually doesn’t have good consequences.
[Theresa] And finally, procrastinating can lead to a damaged reputation. Your integrity is everything. When you procrastinate, you’ll be seen as someone who doesn’t do what they say they’ll do. Would you want to work with someone who doesn’t deliver on their promises? Of course not.
A tarnished reputation will keep you from reaching your goals. How?
Let’s say you’re a coach who is looking to onboard five new clients in the next month. But you’ve not gotten the deliverables you’ve promised to your current clients on time or at all. What you’ve taught your current clients is that they can’t count on you to get them what you’ve promised.
This will directly affect your ability to reach your goal of onboarding five new clients because your current clients:
- Won’t give testimonials that could help you attract new people
- Will speak poorly about you on social media or other platforms
- Won’t refer you
[Meghan] That damaged reputation could also prevent you from being offered opportunities that aid you in reaching your goals.
For example, you might not get invited to speak at an event where your ideal client can be found. That means you miss out on getting new leads. And that directly affects being able to onboard five new clients.
Hopefully, you see the serious consequences of procrastination. But why do you do it? Why do you procrastinate? (And when I say “you,” that includes me!)
4 Reasons Why You Procrastinate
[Theresa] Procrastination is a tough habit to break and always leads to regret. I don’t remember a single time where I didn’t experience devastating anxiety because I put something off to the last minute.
I’d rather die than miss a deadline. In the past, I’ve stayed up all night to ensure that I delivered on time. That action has additional consequences.
[Meghan] That’s a good point. Procrastination can lead to regret and savage anxiety.
I’ve had a few times when putting something off has actually paid off. But, in general, I get really annoyed with myself if I procrastinate because it leads to anxiety, poor sleep, and more stress.
Procrastination leads to anxiety, poor sleep, and more stress.
Sometimes I know I’m procrastinating on something really important, but I still do it! That’s super frustrating. Of course, I’ve got only myself to be mad at!
[Theresa] Oh, yeah! That is frustrating. I think the brain wants to make sense of your actions, but it can’t. If you want to act differently you have to first understand what you’re doing and why.
It wasn’t until I understood why I was procrastinating in the first place that I was able to improve my behavior.
[Meghan] The “why” is often very important to self-improvement and breaking bad habits.
Now, we don’t have enough time to dig deep into all of the reasons why you procrastinate, but Theresa will share a few.
[Theresa] Okay! First, you procrastinate because you’re not clear on your goals. How can you possibly know what work to do if you don’t know what you’re working towards?
When you don't know what your goals are, you won't know what work to do. That leads to procrastination.Click To TweetI can’t imagine walking into my office every day without a clue as to what I’m attempting to accomplish. Just thinking about that is causing me anxiety.
So, it stands to reason that not knowing what to do would cause overwhelm, which leads to saying, “I’ll deal with this later.” Goodbye productive work, hello cat videos!
[Meghan] Ha! Or, in my case, van life videos.
Goal setting does make an enormous difference in productivity. No goals and procrastination becomes much easier and much more likely. I’ll fess up to this one!
Having clear goals makes an enormous difference in productivity. When you don’t have them, procrastination becomes much easier and much more likely.
[Theresa] Similarly, you procrastinate because you don’t have clear deadlines.
Let’s say you know what your goals are and you’ve even created an action plan, but you’ve not selected any dates when each part of the plan is due.
When you don’t set deadlines, it’s easy to put things off.
[Meghan] It sure is! Deadlines create a necessary sense of urgency. Plus, they keep you on track and making progress.
Without deadlines, I sometimes don’t finish projects. Or, at least, not in an acceptable amount of time.
[Theresa] That’s so true. Ok. Another reason you procrastinate is that you’re afraid of failure or of success. I feel like there’s lots of discussion around the fear of failure, but not so much on the fear of success.
It comes down to the stories you tell yourself. You may fear failure because you believe that failure means you aren’t smart or capable. Conversely, you may fear success because you believe reaching your goals means that you won’t have your freedom and flexibility.
Neither belief is true, but allowing the narrative to swirl around in your head leads to procrastination. There can’t be a consequence if you don’t do it, right?
[Meghan] Right. Failure to me feels like a normal part of life. To grow, you must fail.
So, I tend to fall on the other side where I fear success. Success means showing up consistently without letting people down, and I fear that I’ll impose deadlines that I can’t keep.
At least, that’s the story in my head. And I do feel like it’s held me back and made me procrastinate too.
[Theresa] Sometimes you procrastinate because you just don’t want to do something. Everyone has those moments when they don’t feel like doing a given task. Sometimes a little procrastination is in order.
Everyone has those moments when they don’t feel like doing a given task. Sometimes a little procrastination is in order.
In episode 29, we shared how sometimes the best thing to do is walk away and take a break.
[Meghan] The problem arises when you’re always walking away and taking breaks!
[Theresa] That’s right! In this scenario, figure out why you’re procrastinating and take action to counter it. For example, if you’re stalling around a piece of tech, outsource it.
As we mentioned, there are so many reasons why you procrastinate. These are only a few.
3 Strategies to Help You Stop Procrastinating
[Theresa] The question is, “can you really stop procrastinating?” Well, that same study in the journal Psychological Science notes that procrastination is a lifelong trait.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about it.
[Meghan] As with all things, the first step to fixing a problem is to be aware that there is one.
The first step to fixing a problem is to be aware that there is one.
If you know that you are a procrastinator, especially as it relates to you reaching your goals, there are some things you can do. Theresa’s going to help us out with some strategies that you can try.
[Theresa] First, identify when, how, and why you procrastinate. And you begin by paying attention.
When do you tend to procrastinate? Is it at a particular time of day? Does it happen near mealtime? Or when you feel tired?
What kinds of activities do you end up doing in lieu of working towards reaching your goals? Are you double-tapping Instagram photos? Do you eat or exercise?
And why did you choose to procrastinate? Was it because you were tired? Were you overwhelmed? Was the task at hand too challenging? Did you not know what to do?
[Meghan] This is really great advice. Here’s why. If you can step back and look at your behavior from the outside, then you’ll recognize patterns.
For example, mornings are my jam. I’m most creative in the morning, and I have more energy. I do most of my writing and creating in the morning for this reason. When I try writing in the afternoon, when I’m tired, it’s easier for me to procrastinate.
Procrastination for me comes in the form of streaming. I’ll watch YouTube, Prime, or Hulu. Or, sometimes my procrastination comes in the form of hunger. I’m not really hungry, but my brain wants to avoid whatever I’m doing. So, I will take a short break, and that usually helps.
[Meghan] Because Meghan identified when, how, and why procrastination happens for her, she knows how to work around it. She plans work that contributes to reaching her goals earlier in the day so that she consistently makes progress.
So, be aware of what you’re doing and why. Paying attention offers valuable insights that can help you change your behavior. It starts there.
Be aware of what you’re doing and why. Paying attention offers valuable insights that can help you change your behavior. It starts there.
Another great strategy to combat procrastination is to build the chaos into your goal achievement plan—along with some wiggle room.
Challenges are inevitable, even with meticulous planning. Obstacles can be a trigger for procrastination, even if you’ve practiced navigating those challenges. In other words, you’re going to experience messy moments!
If you know that you tend to procrastinate, it’s a good idea to build a little extra time into your deadlines.
[Meghan] Just to clarify, Theresa is not saying that you should build in time to procrastinate. Rather, add in time to manage the issues that arise. Be proactive about your behavior, what your brain and body require, and how life works.
[Theresa] That’s exactly right, Meghan. Building in that wiggle room will help, but you can add some fun in the form of planned chaos. When I worked in craft and hobby, there was a funny meme going around that said, “Measure twice. Cut once. Swear. Repeat.” This always makes me laugh because it’s true. Even the best-laid plans can fail.
[Meghan] I’ve never heard that one before, but it’s funny…and so accurate!
[Theresa] Here’s an example to demonstrate what I mean.
Let’s say that you’re going to add the Social Warfare Pro plugin to your WordPress site. You’ve never done it before. It seems straightforward, but you’re not that techy, so there might be some bumps along the way.
Start by writing down your step-by-step plan to attack this goal. It will probably be a very logical plan of attack:
- Purchase the plugin
- Upload the plugin to website
- Active the plugin
- Add the license key to the plugin
Seems simple enough, right? Now, let’s add in a little chaos and fun.
-
- Remind myself that I’ve already looked at every plugin known to man and gotten a million recommendations so this is the right choice.
- Purchase the plugin
- Scream into a pillow
- Upload the plugin to website
- Active the plugin
- Swear because I can’t locate the dang license key
- Consult YouTube
- Add the license key to the plugin
- Call a friend to brag about how awesome I did
[Meghan] I love that. A little humor goes a long way. Plus, those additional steps are totally what will happen. WordPress plugins always have a little trick up their sleeve! Tech is rarely without issue.
[Theresa] The last strategy I’ll share with you is to use a rewards system. One of the steps in building good habits is to make it satisfying. That means rewarding. You can absolutely use this strategy to help you move forward with reaching your goals as well.
Using a system of rewards has been a lifesaver for me. I’m way more productive because I reward myself. Here’s how I implement this strategy.
Using a system of rewards will help reduce procrastination and increase productivity.
Reward for me comes in the form of doing things that are not a high priority but still need to get done. For example, I’m rebranding right now. The rebrand, while important, isn’t a priority.
However, I love color and typography, so I could easily lose hours looking at palettes and fonts at the expense of the other goals I am trying to achieve.
Instead of forsaking something important like writing blog content to drool over colors and fonts, I complete the writing and reward myself with a time-bound ogle-fest. I find it satisfying.
[Meghan] Plus, when she satisfies that craving, it enables her to refocus her attention completely on the next important task.
And that’s the beauty of rewarding yourself. It’s about being aware of your tendencies and planning in advance.
Don’t Let Procrastination Keep You From Reaching Your Goals
[Theresa] I hope that today’s episode helped you identify why you procrastinate and how you can begin to change that behavior. I think I’ve said enough today. Anything else, Meghan?
[Meghan] I’d like to add that it takes time to change any behavior. It’s no different with procrastination.
So, as always, start small. Choose one strategy from Theresa’s suggestions and get started now. Today! You can do it.
