procrastination isn't the problem

gm june bugs,

raise your hand if you’ve ever procrastinated for 12 hours over something that literally takes 3 minutes?

safe to say, we've all been there—more often than we'd like to admit.

today i want to let you on a little secret to why you do this & how to fix it.

it has nothing to do with you being lazy or bad at managing time.

nope, it’s way deeper than that.

unpacking procrastination

procrastination isn’t about the thing that needs to get done. it’s about the emotional baggage that comes with it.

procrastination is a symptom of avoiding deep, uncomfy emotions.

you turn to procrastination subconsciously as a way to feel good right now in the present moment.

the irony is that the more you avoid these negative, icky emotions, the more they build up like a growing snowball.

you reading this email is the first step to breaking this cycle. because when you realize it’s about the touchy-feely & not the tasks, you can address the real underlying issues at hand.

ditch the band-aids

the usual advice to “fight” procrastination —to ramp up discipline, stick to stricter schedules, & be harder on yourself—only treats the symptoms.

your personal check engine light is on

& covering it with a band-aid doesn’t turn off the light.

you’ve only temporarily “fixed” it this way. but long-term? you’ve actually created more stress & feelings inadequacy because you're not addressing the heart of the issue.

feel more, do less

let’s change this narrative!

instead of beating yourself up for not being productive, let’s get curious about what's really holding you back. fear? insecurity? perfectionism? boredom? exhaustion?

shift from doing more to feeling better.

which as an added benefit often results in doing less.

you can’t avoid stress. it’s an inevitable aspect of life, but you can learn how to better handle how you face the icky emotions that come with stress, which will likely reduce your stress.

5 feeling flips

over the years, i’ve discovered that when i procrastinate, i’m usually feeling 1 of the 5 emotions i previously mentioned: fear, perfectionism, insecurity, boredom, or exhaustion.

i’ve learned how to handle each of these feeling by flipping my approach:

1. when i feel fear → i make it a fun

   • i habit stack the scary task with a treat like doing it with a buddy, to a song, or for a treat :)

2. when i feel perfectionism → i focus on progress

   • i redefine success with the task to be starting the task. time to fully accept & practice that done really is better than perfect.

3. when i feel spent → i sleep

   • when i’m burnt out, what usually takes me 1 hour will take me 5 hours. i’d rather spend that time getting extra z’s.

4. when i feel insecure → i get interested

   • when i learn more about the task at hand, i usually discover that i am more capable of doing it than i originally believed.

5. when i feel bored → i break it up

   • big boring projects feel much more manageable in bite sized snacks. plus i’m way more likely to start the small task.

leaning into these feeling-flipping strategies has seriously changed the game for me. not only am i procrastinating way less, but i’m also just feeling a whole lot better about my grind. vibes are high, productivity’s up—what’s not to love?

that’s that me, espresso,

p.s. i always love learning more about you so i’m ofc curious to know the root feeling behind your procrastination, please let me know 👇️