Today’s message comes straight from the heart, y’all. 

Procrastination. Sigh. It’s a tough little gremlin that feeds on itself.

I frequently hear folks use really harsh language when talking about their procrastination behaviors. Words like “lazy” come up a lot.

My experience is that very few people struggling with procrastination are lazy people. They are frequently worried or overwhelmed people. Burnt out people.

The problem is, when we use negative self-talk in relationship to our procrastination, it makes it worse. Those negative inner messages fuel the anxious, worried, overwhelmed, burnt out emotions that leads to procrastination in the first place. It becomes a paralyzing cycle.

Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all connected and making a positive change in any one of these areas can have a huge impact on others.

Next time you’re struggling and calling yourself lazy, what if you changed that inner message to “This is tough and I am doing my best?”

Using emotional coping techniques to address challenging emotions, taking smaller, more manageable actions toward completing the task, and telling your inner critic to buzz off are all ways to help overcome procrastination.

Recognize the underlying reasons for procrastination - you are NOT lazy - and use these tips to treat yourself with kindness and self-compassion. You are doing your best! We all are!