May Busch* lists three success factors that can help people get over the paralysis of procrastination when they are faced with crucial career decisions.
Despite my reputation for getting things done, I can also procrastinate with the best of them.
I’m not just talking about the usual suspects like putting off a difficult conversation or waiting until the night before the assignment is due to work on it.
This is about the big important projects, and I recently experienced a perfect example.
When I said I wanted to redecorate my home office, my family assumed it would be transformed in a few weeks.
Three years later, it’s still cluttered with papers with no window treatments and the same rickety conference table we’ve had since we first got married.
In contrast, from the moment I said I would set up a home gym, it took less than four weeks to have it up and running.
Clearly, when it comes to getting things done, the same person can have different outcomes in different situations.
I’ve realised there’s a special kind of procrastination that often applies to things that require a lot more investment in time, effort, money or risk.
So if you’re procrastinating about bigger things like remodelling the kitchen, finding a new job or changing careers altogether, you are not alone.
I’ll share three success factors you need to have in place in order to move forward:
Find your source of motivation
I had thought about converting part of our garage into a home gym a while ago.
I rejected it since it was an added expense on top of my CrossFit gym membership.
When all the gyms closed in lockdown, the professional basketball team members staying with us needed a place to exercise. That’s when I leapt into action.
Having four other people using the home gym meant I was doing it for others and not just me.
Professional athletes need to keep in top physical condition so this was not just important, it was also urgent.
Finding that source of motivation was what I needed to get the job done in record time.
If you’re lacking the sense of urgency, think about how you can create it.
For example, if someone told me that a film crew was coming to do a photo shoot next week, I’d make sure to have my office in shape.
When you have clarity, it’s easy to take action
When you’re not sure what the right way is to do something or how to do it, it’s hard to get into action mode.
Take job hunting for example.
Sometimes the lack of clarity can show up as analysis paralysis, like doing a ton of research about the job market but not making any calls or sending emails.
In contrast, the advantage I had in putting together the home gym is that I had a very clear idea of what it should look like.
The role model was my CrossFit gym, which eliminated the need for time-consuming research.
That level of clarity made the project simple to execute.
Renovating my office, on the other hand, was an opportunity to take a blank canvas and start fresh. The only problem was that I had no idea what I wanted.
So think about what isn’t yet clear and see if you can fill in the gaps — and don’t feel like you need to figure this out on your own.
There are definitely people who can help you gain clarity where you’re stuck.
It helps to have support
My husband and I discuss significant investments before making a decision.
So before I started on the home gym, I knew I had to have the conversation.
I was afraid he might say that we wouldn’t be in lockdown forever or point out that we were still paying for my CrossFit membership.
In fact, he was excited about it and even suggested we put it in our family room which is warmer and has higher ceilings than the garage.
When I talked to the players living with us, their enthusiasm gave me more motivation to get this done quickly.
Without motivation, clarity or support you’ll continue to struggle to move your project forward.
In fact, it’s a sign that you may need to revisit the project and perhaps decide it isn’t for you right now.
Making the decision to take something off your to do list can be hugely freeing because you’ll no longer be procrastinating.
That ultimately frees your energy and time to pursue the things you do have motivation, clarity and support for.
Just don’t make the mistake of defaulting to the expectations of others.
The weight of expectations is a heavy load to bear, especially when those expectations go against your grain.
So if your hesitation to get started is because you really don’t want to manage people or transfer to a new location or whatever the expectation is at the next level, then get clear about what you do want.
Remember, your apparent procrastination may be your inner compass trying to guide you toward a better path.
Listen for that quiet voice inside you that knows what you really want to do.
*May Busch works with smart entrepreneurs and top managements to build their businesses. She can be contacted at [email protected].
This article first appeared at maybusch.com.
