Podcast Launch & 7 Simple Ways I’m Overcoming Procrastination and Becoming a More Productive Mom

7 WAYS I’M OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION

1. Changing my mindset and identity
2. Setting up accountability
3. Eliminating distractions
4. Delegating and setting up automation
5. Celebrating my wins
6. Just starting something
7. Surrounding myself with non-procrastinators

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION

0:07
Hi, and welcome to the Habits and Home Show. I’m your host, Lisa Lizotte, and I help busy moms bring order to their homes by downsizing and decluttering and ditching old habits in exchange for systems that bring peace and more enjoyment to their lives. We have too much stuff, not enough space or time, and lacked the motivation to get our life together. We need simplified solution to tame the chaos around us and be available both mind and body to experience all the joy that life has to offer. Are you ready, friend? Let’s get started.

0:43
It’s our very first episode and I’m diving right in on a topic that a lot of us probably struggle with – procrastination. Okay, full transparency here on the Habits and Home Show. I have been procrastinating starting this podcast for over six months. And I’m finally diving in making myself do it and recording this very first episode. I almost made another excuse because it started raining. And I’m recording this episode in my boys closet upstairs and we have a tin roof and you know how rain sounds on a tin roof. So I almost made another excuse not to do this. But I knew I just had to dive in and eat that frog.

1:38
Okay, what do I mean by eating that frog. A couple of years ago, I read a book by Brian Tracy called Eat That Frog 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. It was an amazing book, and I highly recommend it. In his book. He says if it’s your job to eat a frog, like if that’s your main job for the day, then it’s best to do it in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to start with the biggest frog. Basically, take your biggest ugliest task, the one you’re dreading to do, and go ahead and do it and get it out of the way.

2:22
So here I am tackling my procrastination, recording this podcast I really, really deeply desire to do, but I keep making excuses. I’m going to share with you some of the excuses that we can come up with for procrastination.

2:38
Okay, here we go. Number one is probably the one that I have been struggling with the most perfectionism. This is exactly what has held me back from launching this podcast sooner. I put so much pressure on myself to get great at podcasting right out of the gate. But that’s just not reasonable or expected. You guys don’t expect that from me. Where’s the growth that’s going to happen if I just start messing, no one expects my podcast to be perfect. And the truth of the matter is that people are turned off by perfection. The messy and the raw is what people are eager to see nowadays. We’re tired of the over edited and scripted social media posts and we’re looking for people just like us. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking for people who are just like me, who don’t have it all figured out and who are able to share with me what they’re doing to make themselves better. People are trying to figure things out. Trying to be perfect is unrealistic, because nothing can nor ever will be perfect. perfectionism cripples us from taking action, because we have fantasize and imaginary definition of what success looks like friends. This right here. What I’m doing right now is success. Just recording this is my success. No matter how it turns out, doing the action towards the goal that you need to accomplish is success. So we need to start seeing as our seeing our growth, our continual growth as successful.

4:26
Number two, fear of the unknown. I see this tripping people up a lot. They hold back from moving forward because they don’t have all the answers ahead of time. I know that scary not to have the answers. But it also can be exhilarating. I mean, imagine living your entire life only doing what you know, and what is comfortable. BORING. Doing that you never reap the rewards that comes with taking risk.

4:59
Number three for why we procrastinate, thinking you’ll do it later. Let’s be honest here, our lives are busy. And if we don’t do something right now, we’re likely not to do it later. You can’t expect to have time later. I don’t know about you, but I am a busy mom. And my kids need me all the time. You may think you have time right now. But if you don’t take some sort of action on the task right now, right at this very minute, even if it’s just a small little action, you will find another excuse later on not to do it.

5:38
Number four, we lack motivation. You want to know why we’re not motivated to get things done right now. Because the payoff is kind of small, or it’s not immediate. We don’t have much at stake or the consequences aren’t as severe. Friends, here’s the thing, small actions over a long period of time adds up to a great amount. And if you want a big payoff, you have to start chipping away at the small and the mundane tasks. You can’t depend on motivation because we won’t always feel like doing things. You can’t depend on your feelings because they change based on a lot of different factors. I know sleep, food, hormones, seasonal changes. I tell you what, I was very unmotivated during the winter season. All these things can affect our mood and our feelings. We have to complete tasks based on truth and facts, and not our feelings.

6:41
Number five, you really just don’t know how to get started. Been there done that! I had no clue how to start a podcast. And boy did I use this as an excuse for quite a long time. Here we are six months later after I first had the idea of doing a podcast. But guess what, we have this handy dandy thing called the internet nowadays, and everything is figured out edible. So there goes that excuse for just about anything you need, or want to do.

7:14
Alright, number six, you get distracted. Any ADHD moms out there, girlfriend, I’m right there with you. I am easily distracted. My brother came to visit recently. And he watched me flutter around the house from one task to another task without really completing anything. And he swears that I have ADHD. You know what? Well, I probably do. And I’m taking some extra steps to help me become more productive. But truly us mamas, we have a lot on our plates, and we get distracted. And the noise. Oh my goodness, let’s not even talk about the noise that we hear all the time. It’s no wonder we can’t think clearly. So yes, distractions caused a lot of our procrastination.

8:03
Number seven, but probably not the last cause you can find for procrastination. You know that it’s going to take a lot of work if you get started on that task. Y’all I have always told my kids a chore isn’t worth doing unless you do it well. So being a hard worker, it’s part of my identity. To do a task a really, really well. And sometimes it’s just draining. So instead of tackling the task right then or doing a little effort towards it, I’ll end up putting it off altogether because I know how much is going to require of me.

8:38
Now procrastination doesn’t come without negative side effects. I’m here to share with you some of my personal life experiences and how my procrastinating has affected my life.

8:51
So first of all wasted time. What if I had started this podcast five months ago, shortly after I had the idea? I would be five months ahead on this journey and five months of experience under my belt. Now I’m not saying there isn’t value to be learned in waiting but it does make you wonder where you’d be had you started a project sooner.

9:11
The next one missed opportunities. I have missed many social gatherings because I procrastinated adding the event to my calendar. You’re probably nodding your head right now, because you’re terrible at keeping up with the calendar to how does missing those events make you feel, especially if those events were important. I know it makes me beat myself up for not putting the date in my calendar in the first place, and keeping up with things going around me. Come on friends, we have to start adulting and keeping a big grown up date book is a part of our motherhood.

9:46
Poor performance, stress and anxiety. Waiting until the last minute usually means we aren’t giving it our best. And we’re finally completing the task just because we’ve reached a deadline.

10:00
I was always a procrastinator in high school and in college, and would find myself staying up late to get my project completed. Jered, on the other hand, would take his syllabus on the first day of class and map out a workflow on his calendar in order to complete the assignments at least two to three weeks in advance. He always said this gave him enough time to edit his papers and allowed for emergencies.

10:27
Our personalities are very different and I’m not a very stressed person but I always found myself frantic the day before assignments were due. Jered, on the other hand, was mindful all along and actually handed his papers in early. He is still that person that shows up 15 minutes early to places while I’m rolling in on two wheels. Maybe one day he’ll rub off on me.

10:52
Self deprecation. That’s just a big fancy word that means you’re putting yourself down. Procrastination leads to putting yourself down and thinking that you aren’t capable. Friends, I have felt like an imposter starting this podcast. I almost talked myself out of it many times. I have felt under qualified, unpolished and incapable of taking this next step. All that stinking thinking without action just leads to more stinking thinking without action, and the best way to combat those thoughts is to take action. If you need someone to tell you to get off your button, get going, I’m here for it! Girlfriend, get up and start doing! I probably needed a friend to tell me that a long time ago.

11:42
Last one, negative outcomes. Guess what happens when you procrastinate, important obligations. You get outcomes that you really don’t want. Let me tell you about something I procrastinated last year that really bit me in the butt. My kitten was now at the age that I needed to call and make an appointment for him to get neutered. Well, I kept putting it off, and then Jered and I went on a trip to Colorado for our 15 year anniversary. I was having someone come by the house and take care of the animals but when we got home, our kitty was gone. His natural drive led him away from us and he never came back. Y’all my heart was broken. I love that cat so much. And I blame myself for not making his appointment when I should have. But I learned my lesson and our new kitty that we got this year, I recently got him neutered, which led me to doing this podcast topic.

12:41
Friends, I don’t want to be a procrastinator anymore. I want to be somebody who is dependable and gets tasks done on time. So I’m going to share with you what I’m doing to become a more productive person and maybe my sharing will help you too. And we can hold each other accountable.

12:59
First of all, I’m no longer identifying as a person who procrastinates. I am identifying as a productive individual. So when I’m presented with a task, I’m going to start working on it right away even if it’s just a small action towards completing the entire task.

13:18
Second thing I’m doing is I’m setting up accountability. I’m creating small to do list every single day instead of a long to do list. And I’m finding an accountability partner to share that list with so that they can hold me accountable. This person right now is my husband. I send him a text message with three items that I want to accomplish that day. And then I asked him if there’s anything else that he would like to add to that list. Now if your husband isn’t available, you can also ask your kids or even a friend to do this for you. And as a last resort, if you just need that extra accountability, you could hire a life coach or a business coach.

13:58
Number three that I’m doing is I’m eliminating distractions. Put your phone down friend. My phone is the biggest distraction that I have. So what I’m doing is I’m leaving my phone in my bedroom, and only allowing myself to check it when I have designated certain times to do so.

14:18
Number four, I am delegating and automating as many tasks as I can. We can’t do everything. We can’t remember to make dental appointments and medical appointments. So when I’m at the dentist and getting my teeth cleaned, I go ahead and schedule my next appointment. I don’t know if I’m going to be available when I’ve scheduled the appointment but when they call me because I’ve delegated that responsibility over to them, then I can look at my calendar and reschedule if needed. Automation is also great for automatic bill pay mileage tracking apps, online automated subscriptions, and delegating chores to your kids. Habit training for your kids is a must to delegate some of those responsibilities over to somebody else because Mama, you just can’t do it all. You need the help, and asking for help is okay.

15:18
Number five, that helps me accomplish my tasks and helps me put off procrastination, I celebrate my accomplishments. I brag on myself, y’all. This is just something that helps me. So brag on yourself to your accountability partner. If you’ve sent a checklist to your husband, send another checklist and say, yay, I’ve completed these tasks. Also make social media posts if you’re on social media. Use it to your advantage and take a picture of yourself and say, “Finally, tackling that task I’ve been putting off!” Celebrate yourself then also reward yourself with screen time. You’ve been putting it away so you can be more productive. Well then reward yourself once you’ve completed the tasks that are on your list.

16:03
Number six, and probably the easiest, is to just start doing something. Once you start your brain remains that alert until you finish it. This is called the Zeigarnik Effect. No matter what the task is just start doing it and then let your brain do the rest for you.

16:22
Lastly, number seven what I’m doing to help me not procrastinate anymore, influencers. I am using peer pressure to my advantage, and I’m getting myself around people who aren’t procrastinators. This is why buddying up with someone as an accountability partner can be extremely helpful. However, it doesn’t help if you’re both recovering procrastinators. So seek out someone who’s a little stronger than you in this area.

16:49
Okay, friends, what tasks have you been putting off that you need to finish and stop procrastinating? Remember, the weight of those tasks never gets any lighter, the longer you carry them around. So go ahead and take them off of you and finish the task. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to shed that weight and feel a lot lighter. Let’s make a deal together right now to stop procrastinating and eat the frog right in front of us right away.

17:25
Hey, friend, are you ready to dive in, start decluttering and become more productive in life and in business. Well, I have the solution for you. Head on over to habits and home.com slash freebies to grab my three step guide for downsizing and decluttering any room in your home. This is the tried and true methods I use with every client in our professional organizing business. And I know it will help you to also I’d love to connect with you. You can find me hanging out with my family and renovating our farmhouse over on Instagram or Facebook. Until next time, I’m Lisa at the Habits and Home Show.