Is procrastination paralysing you?
Our lives are Now, we are part of a much bigger than us Now and if we have been thinking about making changes, there is no better time to start than NOW!
Michelle Tranter
Doing some research for my “Think yourself to success” Workshop, I came across an old favourite book of mine “365 Inspirations for a Great Life” by Linda Field. An inspirational thought for every day of the year reminding us that our lives are Now, we are part of a much bigger than us Now and if we have been thinking about making changes, there is no better time to start than NOW!
As Linda says: “We can all find plenty of reasons not to take that rather risky and scary step into something new. But the longer we wait to act, the more paralysed we become, until the dream becomes a fantasy and stays one forever.”
3 common forms of procrastination are:
- Motivation Procrastination – I haven’t got the energy. It’s easier to stay where I am.
- Performance Procrastination – What if it all goes wrong? What if I make a mistake?
- Decisional Procrastination – I can’t decide yet because I need more information. What if I make the wrong decision?
Whatever form your procrastination is taking, it’s keeping you stuck! So how do you step out of that paralysis….
The crux is to unearth what is at the bottom of your desire to stay rooted on the spot.
Below are four key coaching questions which I have used with some of my clients that will help you explore this; to understand more about the reasons you are giving yourself for not making change happen so you can live your best NOW.
Ask Yourself:
1. What would happen if I did……(make the change)?
And what else?
2. What would happen if I didn’t….?
And what else?
- What wouldn’t happen if I did…..?
And what else?
- What wouldn’t happen if I didn’t…..?
And what else?
For each “and what else?” question, keep asking it until you stop coming up with anything new. You may think the answers will just be the reverse of eachother, but I think you’ll be surprised at the additional information and insights that surface.
Now step back and reflect on all the information you have in front of you.
What small step can you take right now to either move forward with the change or, is your decision to let go, you actually do not really want the change you thought you did?
Either way you will have moved from paralysis to choice and action and that’s always a good thing.
Michelle Tranter
Career SOS, Work-Life Balance & Professional Development Coach
The World of Work can often be a challenging place to be. Are work worries keeping you awake? Are you facing redundancy? Have you fallen out of love with your career? Do you want life to be different? I'm Michelle Tranter, a qualified Career, Leadership and Life Coach, HR Practitioner and Trainer, with many years' experience of working in the real world - the ups and downs of managing a team, the wrath of autocratic management, being “dumped in at the deep end,” restructures, a crazy busy workload with no let up and often left feeling that I was dancing to someone else’s tune and not living my life. I've supported 100's of professional women, from all sectors, to take positive action and develop flourishing careers. Work and life are intertwined and you, the human behind your job title, are in the driving seat. Why not contact me and we'll have a chat about how I can help: www.achievemorelivemore.com/book-online *Featured Expert for Abintegro - the Career Development Portal *Featured Expert in Psychologies Magazine *Creator of "How to create a happy and productive work from home lifestyle" for Psychologies LifeLabs
