I have a theory that a lot of procrastination is actually perfectionism in disguise.
We think procrastination means we’re lazy, unmotivated, or bad at managing our time.
But sometimes, we’re simply waiting until we have enough time to do something right.
You’re sitting in a meeting and someone asks what you think about an issue. You have an instinct. You have experience. You probably have a pretty good idea of what’s going on.
But you don’t have all the information.
So instead of saying what you know, you say: “Let me look into that and get back to you.”
And just like that, you’ve taken the meeting home with you.
You’ve added another item to your to-do list. And now you are procrastinating because you set the expectation what you are returning with a full report, analysis etc.
All because you wanted your answer to be complete.
Instead, you could say:
“Based on what I know right now, I see three things happening…”
Share points one, two and three.
And then ask:
“Would it be helpful for me to dig into this further?”
Now your boss gets to decide whether this actually needs more work of if your boss was just picking your brain.
Perfectionism has a sneaky way of creating more work for us.
And I think we do something very similar in our lives. Especially this time of year.
We tell ourselves:
- Once the kids are settled back into school…
- Once I have the soccer schedule…
- Once we get into a fall rhythm…
- Once work settles down…
THEN I’ll start working out again.
Then I’ll make plans with my friends.
Then I will have enough whitespace to map out my end of year goals.
Here is something I have learned as I’ve gotten older:
There is no wide-open space coming.
There probably isn’t going to be a magical Tuesday when the work is finished, everyone in your family is exactly where they need to be, the house is clean, no one needs anything from you, and you suddenly have four uninterrupted hours to contemplate your deepest desires.
The answer isn’t "finding more time."
It’s learning how to honor yourself inside the life you already have.
You on’t need to overhaul your entire workout routine. MYu mcan ove your body for 20 minutes today.
You don’t need a perfectly articulated five-year vision. You can ask, "what is most important right now?"
That is why I created Remembrance, a 90-minute women's workshop on the first official day of Fall.
Because Fall can feel like someone suddenly turned the speed of life up three notches.
School. Sports. Activities. Work. Travel. Meetings. Goals. Dinner. Laundry. Repeat.
And before we know it, we’re racing straight into the holidays and the end of the year...
And uddenly it’s December and we’re wondering:
Wait. What happened to the things that mattered to me?
Remembrance is a chance to interrupt that pattern and create a little space inside the life you’re actually living.
You decide what deserves your attention in this season.
Always in your corner,
Megan
