It seems that everywhere I go I’m pointed to Simon Sinek’s Start With Why TED talk. It’s occurred to me that his message “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” can just as easily be applied to procrastination.
What if you’re not taking action because you’re not buying why you do it?
One of the first things I do to get past my own procrastination is to know the outcome I want. How often I have struggled with procrastination because someone else said I have to do it! The boss, the deadline, the authorities/experts, the bank. When I’m caught in that space of I have to because someone else said I have to then my why is based on fear (and anger, and often resentment too) – I’ll lose my job or I’ll miss out on that client, I’ll get fined, I’ll let others down, I’ll miss out. Under these conditions, I do not feel inspired. On the contrary, I feel pressured, the stakes are high and so are the expectations. Under these conditions taking action is fraught with stress and fear and ultimately failure.
When I am clear on why I want the outcome, and own it, my buy in is easy. Under these conditions I am inspired to take action and the action to take is clear. There is such a fine line between “because I have to” and “because I want to”. The shift in energy is subtle and it changes everything – how I do it, my attitude, my focus, my excuses and the outcome. When the why is big enough taking action gets a whole lot easier and things seem to flow. In a previous role I remember being surprised by a comment on my professionalism in the face of my stress (who knew I was being watched!). My why kept me focused, it kept me calm and it kept me looking for other answers. My actions were inspired (and inspiring) because I was clear on why I was doing the task.
When you know why you’re doing something your focus shifts, taking action becomes easier and making a start has a whole new meaning. If procrastination is stopping you perhaps the question to ask is – if I’m not buying what I do, could it be because I don’t buy why I’m doing it?
Still stuck? I invite you to contact me and take advantage of a free 30-minute discovery session to move you through procrastination and into inspired action.