March 3, 2025 • 26 mins
Tackle That Important Task or Scroll on Social Media?
No shade - we’ve all been there.
The truth about procrastination is that it goes much deeper than laziness or a lack of willpower - it’s a complex mix of fear, perfectionism, and decision fatigue that keeps us stuck.
But the good news? You can break the cycle.
In this episode, I'm sharing my thoughts on why you procrastinate, what it costs you and, more importantly, how to stop.
Here’s what we cover:
✔ The surprising ways perfectionism fuels procrastination
✔ How fear of failure—or even fear of success—keeps us stuck
✔ The role of decision fatigue and how to make choices easier
✔ Simple, effective strategies to beat procrastination and boost productivity
If you’re tired of putting things off and ready to finally make progress, this episode is for you.
Don't wait! Tune in now! (see what I did there??)
Links & References:
- Join us at our next PWR Virtual Speed Networking Event!
- For even deeper connections, check out the Powerful Women Rising Community
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Connect with Your Host!
Melissa Snow is a Business Relationship Strategist dedicated to empowering women in entrepreneurship. She founded the Powerful Women Rising Community, which provides female business owners with essential support and resources for business growth.
Melissa's other mission is to revolutionize networking, promoting authenticity and genuine connections over sleazy sales tactics. She runs an incredible monthly Virtual Speed Networking Event which you can attend once at no cost using the code FIRSTTIME
She lives in Colorado Springs with two girl dogs, two boy cats and any number of foster kittens. She loves iced coffee, Taylor Swift, and Threads.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Powerful Women Rising, a podcast for
female entrepreneurs ready to dobusiness their way.
Grab your coffee and join hostMelissa Snow, business
relationship strategist andfounder of the Powerful Women
Rising community, as sheinterviews industry experts and
shares insights on strategy,marketing, mindset and more.
(00:25):
Here you'll find the tools,strategies and inspiration you
need to feel empowered, takebold action in your business and
keep rising.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode
of the Powerful Women RisingPodcast.
I'm your host, melissa Snow.
If you have a podcast, I highlyrecommend having a friend of
yours record your intro and youroutro, because if you listen to
the podcast, last week I wasinterviewing my friend and an
amazing copywriter, emily Aborn,and that is her voice doing my
(00:59):
intro and it's so fun every timeI go to record a podcast
episode because I'm like oh, hey, hi, and then I realize she's
not actually talking to me, butit's just a recording.
But it's really fun and highlyrecommend 10 out of 10.
How is everyone today?
Are you having a great day?
I am having a great day.
(01:19):
The sun is shining.
It has actually warmed up alittle bit here in Colorado, so
that is very nice.
I got an amazing new review onthe podcast this morning from a
wonderful human, alex Sanfilippo.
If you're in the podcastingworld, you definitely should
know who he is.
I just interviewed him a coupleweeks ago for my podcast.
(01:40):
I can't wait for that episodeto air.
But he left me a review thismorning and he said Melissa is
an amazing podcast host.
She's a brilliantconversationalist who brings the
right amount of humor tointerviews with her guests, so
it stays interesting.
It is rare to meet a podcasterwho can do that.
What a great show.
I just love that so much.
I thought it was so sweet.
So if you love this podcast andyou would like to leave a
(02:03):
review, I would love to read it.
I love to hear from you guys.
It's so fun.
Anytime I get a message fromsomebody that's like, hey, I
just found your podcast, or hey,I just listened to this episode
and it really helped me withthis it's.
I don't know if you guys thinkthat us podcasters over here are
like oh, that's weird.
We are not like, oh, that'sweird.
We're like, oh, my gosh, thatwas the best thing that happened
(02:23):
to me all day.
So whether it's this podcast oranother one that you love,
please do not hesitate to leavea review or just reach out to
the host and tell them how muchyou love their podcast.
Podcasting is not for the faintof heart.
It is a lot of work and not alot of instant gratification
Sometimes not a lot ofgratification a year later.
So you know we'll take what wecan get, all right.
(02:52):
I am talking today about a veryimportant topic procrastination
and it's funny slash not funny,because I was on the Powerful
Women Rising co-working callthis morning.
Our community has a co-workingcall every Monday morning and
often I say that I'm going towork on my podcast episodes or
I'm going to record a podcastepisode.
And sometimes I say that I'mgoing to work on my podcast
episodes or I'm going to recorda podcast episode, and sometimes
I do and sometimes I don't.
Today was one of the days that Ikept saying I was going to and
then I kept not actually doingit.
(03:13):
And they like to do this reallyobnoxious thing where they like
turn things around on me andI'm like listen, I'm the leader
here, people, but they're likewell, let's talk about your
blocks, and I'm like let's nottalk about my blocks.
So we talked a little bit aboutprocrastination and what was
holding me back from recording apodcast episode and, in full
transparency, the biggest issuethat I have is when it is time
(03:36):
for me to record one of thesesolo episodes, because my brain
always comes in with like youdon't even have anything to say
and what are you going to talkabout?
And there's not even anythinggoing on in your brain and
whatever you say is going to bedumb and people are going to be
like, why did I even listen tothis?
Because you don't know anythingthat I don't know.
And I get so caught up in thatand it's so hard sometimes to
(03:59):
move forward and like argue withyourself or argue yourself out
of it.
And the other thing issometimes I will tell myself
like, okay, you just have torecord a five minute episode,
like it doesn't have to be a biglong thing.
And usually when I do that, Iend up recording like a 27
minute episode and then I'm likewhat was I so worried about
that?
I didn't have anything to say.
The other thing that inevitablyhappens is I put the episode out
(04:23):
there and I'm like, eh, itwasn't that great, I didn't say
anything that interesting, buthere it is, it's done, done is
better than perfect.
Here we go, and then I will geta note from somebody that's
like, oh my gosh, I justlistened to that episode.
It was so helpful, it was sogood.
And you know, this is what wedo as humans, right?
I don't know if this is a womanthing or this is just a human
(04:43):
thing, but we will spend so muchtime and energy focusing on the
things that didn't work out thethings that went wrong, the
people who had somethingnegative to say, and then, when
something does work out or doesgo right or someone has
something fabulous to say, we'llspend like a half a second
acknowledging that,acknowledging that.
(05:07):
So I decided to talk aboutprocrastination today because I
know that if I'm struggling withit, I can't possibly be the
only one.
So we are going to talk aboutwhy we do it and what it's
costing us and, most importantly, how to stop.
And I want to start out by justsaying, like, this is not going
to be the same the same.
Just do it.
Make a to-do list, count downto five and then just do it
(05:29):
advice that we hear quite often.
I want to go a little deeperthan that, because the truth is
that procrastination is a lotmore than laziness or lack of
self-discipline, and what worksfor one person won't necessarily
work for another.
So I want to try to break thisdown in a way that helps you,
but also acknowledge I can'tpossibly cover every single
(05:53):
reason that we procrastinate orevery single solution in this
podcast, but hopefully we'regoing to give you some things to
think about as you move forward, to make it a little bit
simpler, all right.
So first thing we want to talkabout is why we procrastinate.
Procrastination is not aboutbeing lazy.
It's not about not wanting todo the thing.
(06:15):
It's not about not havingenough passion or not having
enough self-discipline.
You are not lazy If you are anentrepreneur.
If you started a business, youare not lazy.
If you are an entrepreneur.
If you started a business, youare not lazy.
So why do we find ourselvesscrolling social media instead
of sending an email, recording apodcast, working on our
workshop, whatever it is that weneed to do?
(06:36):
Why do we say today is the daythat I'm going to get that
client proposal done and thenthe next thing you know, you are
reorganizing your whole kitchen?
There are a couple of reasonsthat this happens, most commonly
with women entrepreneurs, andsome of them I already talked
about, but the first one isperfectionism.
We don't want to startsomething unless we know we're
(06:56):
going to do it perfectly and weknow that we're going to get the
results that we want from it.
I see this happen all the timeon the Powerful Women Rising
community co-working calls.
It can take someone the entirethree hours to create three
social media posts, and thereason it takes so long is
because they're so caught up inmaking sure that they're using
(07:17):
the right words that they'retalking about it correctly.
Should I use this emoji orshould I use this emoji?
Should I say it this way orshould I say it this way?
What picture should I use?
Should I use this picture?
Should I make an AI picture?
Should I use a picture of me?
Maybe I'll make something inCanva.
No, that doesn't look right.
That's a little bit off center.
I don't know if I like thesecolors.
(07:46):
This is what holds us back,people, not just from getting
started but from finishing, andwhat's really ironic is that we
think we don't want to put itout into the world unless it's
perfect, because it has to beperfect to get the results that
we want.
So instead, what do we do?
We don't start it, we don'tfinish it, we finish it and we
don't actually put it out in theworld.
And does that get us theresults that we want?
Absolutely not.
So even putting something outthere that is imperfect has a
(08:07):
better chance of getting youresults than not putting
something out there at all.
The second reason that kind ofgoes along with this that we
procrastinate is fear of failureor also sometimes fear of
success, which I used to thinkwas such a ridiculous thing,
like who's actually afraid ofsuccess?
Isn't that what we all want?
Until it happened to me andthen I was like, oh, I get what
(08:29):
that means.
Sometimes we're scared to fail,but other times we're actually
scared of what happens if wesucceed.
Sometimes it gets socomfortable putting things out
into the world and having no onebuy them that when we start
putting things out into theworld and people start buying
them, we're like what ishappening?
I didn't know people were goingto really buy this.
I didn't know I was reallygoing to have to deliver on this
(08:51):
.
It's a whole new mind F that isdifferent than the one is
happening when we're scared tofail.
When we become more visible,when we get more responsibility,
when the expectations becomebigger, it can feel very
overwhelming and there can be alot of thoughts and feelings
that sometimes we don't knowwhat to deal with, and so we
(09:12):
hold ourselves back from thatincreased visibility so that we
don't have to face thosethoughts and feelings.
A third reason thatprocrastination happens is
decision fatigue.
Running a business means makinga lot of decisions and
sometimes our brain just tapsout and we avoid making any
decisions, whether it is whatfont to use or what topic to
(09:37):
record a podcast episode on.
We're just so tired of makingdecisions and trying to think
through what the best, rightnext decision is going to be
that we become somewhatparalyzed by it.
Another reason thatprocrastination happens is task
aversion Right.
Sometimes, if we're beinghonest with ourselves, there are
(09:58):
tasks that just suck.
We just don't want to do them.
I don't know any business ownerwho went into entrepreneurship
because they wanted to do all ofthe things.
I think I'll become anentrepreneur because I want to
be a bookkeeper and do marketingand do sales and also do
product delivery, and if I couldalso do education and client
(10:22):
development and workshops andhost a podcast.
We did not go intoentrepreneurship because we
wanted to do all the things.
We went into entrepreneurshipbecause we wanted to do our
thing.
We wanted to coach people ontheir relationships, we wanted
to build websites, we wanted tobe a financial advisor and there
are inevitably going to beparts of entrepreneurship things
(10:43):
that we have to do as businessowners that we don't want to do.
If you hate tech, setting up afunnel sounds like torture.
If you hate numbers, dealingwith your bookkeeping feels like
it's going to be the absoluteworst thing you've ever done,
and so a lot of times that iswhy we will procrastinate those
tasks.
And then the last, most commonreason is executive dysfunction.
(11:04):
If you, like me, have ADHD orany other neurodivergence,
sometimes your brain justdoesn't cooperate, no matter how
much you want to do the thing,and sometimes there are
solutions for that, andsometimes there is no way to
talk yourself out of it, andcreating that shame spiral is
completely unnecessary.
(11:25):
We're going to talk about thata little bit later.
So let's talk first about whatprocrastination costs us before
we get into how to stopprocrastinating, because one of
the ways that you can stopprocrastinating is to increase
your awareness of what it iscosting you.
Because procrastination?
We like to make jokes about it.
It's funny.
My dad used to always say if itwasn't for the last minute,
(11:47):
you'd never get anything done.
It's not untrue, but it's morethan just a minor inconvenience.
It has actual consequences andeven if you are self-employed,
even if you don't have someoneto answer to in terms of
deadlines or delivery or thingslike that, it still can cost you
(12:07):
.
It can cost you income, it cancost you increased stress and
anxiety.
It can hurt your confidence.
It can hurt your relationships.
So let's talk about some ofthose things real quick.
When we put off sales activities, follow-ups, networking,
launching something new, thingslike that, we're literally
leaving money on the table.
(12:28):
One of the ways that I gotmyself to start networking in
person more because I am anintrovert and I would sign up
for these things and then Iwould go and I would get there
and I would be in the parkinglot and I would be like, why am
I here?
And one of the ways that I gotmyself to start walking into the
room was by asking myself whatif you knew your next client was
(12:49):
in that room?
What if you knew your next salewas gonna come from that room?
Would you go in?
Of course you would, and thesetasks that you're putting off
when you're procrastinatingoften work the same way.
They're a part of the businessprocess.
They're a part of what you haveto do in order to make money,
and so when you areprocrastinating these things,
when you're not doing them, youare essentially robbing people
(13:12):
of the opportunity to give youmoney.
That is the opposite of what wewant to be doing as business
owners Now, when it comes toincreased stress and anxiety,
the thing that you're avoidingdoesn't leave your brain.
It actually just keeps taking upspace and making you feel worse
every day, or sometimes everyhour, that you don't do it and
that increased stress andanxiety has a negative impact on
(13:36):
you, your business, your life,your relationships.
It also has a negative impacton your confidence.
Every time you procrastinateand then end up having to rush
at the last minute or missing anopportunity because you put it
off.
It reinforces the belief thatyou're not disciplined or that
you're not good at business orthat you're never going to be
successful which, by the way, istotal bullshit.
(13:58):
Okay, so now you've thought alittle bit about some of the
reasons that procrastinationhappens.
We've talked a little bit aboutwhat procrastination is costing
you.
How do we solve the problem?
How do we stop procrastinating,or at least start
procrastinating a little bitless?
I want to reiterate that noteverything we talk about is
(14:20):
going to work for you, andthat's okay.
The key here is to experimentwith different things and find
what absolutely helps you getstuff done.
So here are some of theapproaches based on different
types of procrastination.
If you are someone who is beingheld back by perfectionism.
We talked a little bit aboutsetting goals that are good
(14:40):
enough instead of perfect ones.
If you have read Mel Robbins'book, the Five Second Rule
essentially, let me break itdown for you in five seconds.
If something is hard to do oryou don't want to do it, you
count down from five and thenyou make yourself do it.
So you're welcome Now.
You don't have to read the book.
No, I'm just kidding, but thisis helpful when you know that
(15:03):
you're welcome Now.
You don't have to read the book.
No, I'm just kidding, but thisis helpful when you know that
you're in that space ofperfectionism holding you back.
When you have created thesocial media post, you've
written the email, you haverecorded the reel and it's all
ready to go.
All you have to do is push thebutton, but your brain is
getting in the way of actuallydoing it.
It can actually be reallyhelpful to just be like okay on
(15:24):
the count of three.
I'm doing it because done isbetter than perfect.
One, two, three post.
Sometimes it is that simple Notalways, but sometimes it is.
If you think that fear is yourproblem, if fear is one of the
things that is causing you toprocrastinate something that's
really helpful to ask yourselfis what is the worst thing that
(15:44):
could happen?
And could I handle it?
Spoiler alert you probablycould.
What is the worst thing that'sgoing to happen?
And actually, now that I'msaying it, this is really
helpful.
If perfectionism is a problemfor you too, what is the worst
thing that's going to happen?
If you put this thing out thereand it's not perfect, you are
(16:04):
gonna get zero engagement onsocial media.
No one is going to buy it,right?
That's maybe the worst thingthat's going to happen.
And guess what's going tohappen if you don't put it out
in the world?
That exact same thing.
So you're really not savingyourself.
The other thing that helps iffear is part of the problem is
breaking it down into smallersteps and then just doing the
(16:28):
small steps.
A lot of times it can beoverwhelming to feel like you
have to do all of the things atonce, and I often have to be
reminded by my coaches and thepeople in my life that I don't
have to do everything at once,right, like?
Part of the reason Iprocrastinate these podcast
episodes is because in my brain,I think I need to sit down and
(16:48):
churn out at least four of them.
Well, four of them is probablygoing to take me between six and
eight hours, and so in my mindI'm like, well, I don't have six
or eight hours to sit there anddo podcasts.
But the reality is, if I breakit down into a smaller piece and
I just say, okay, I'm justgoing to sit down and write out
my script, I'm just going to sitdown and write out my outline
for this one, I'm just going tosit down and record one episode.
(17:11):
I'll do the editing, theuploading, all the other stuff
later.
It's a lot more likely that I'mgoing to get those four
episodes done in the next weekor so than if I tried to make
myself sit down and do it all atonce.
This is also really helpful ifyou are stuck in decision
fatigue, because it helps youlimit your options, simplify
your choices and avoidoverthinking every single detail
(17:35):
, because you just have one stepto complete right now.
Another thing that helps withdecision fatigue is setting a
timer and deciding in advancethat you are going to make a
decision within that timeframe.
So what I see happen a lot onour coworking calls, or even
something that we talk aboutoften in the Powerful Women
Rising Community Mastermindcalls is someone gets an idea
(17:57):
that they are going to host awebinar about whatever thing.
Let's say it's about gettingyour dogs to stop barking, for
example.
So they go, they do all thethings.
They decide the time theyoutline the webinar.
They figure out who it's for,they figure out how they're
gonna market it, they startcreating content to market it
(18:17):
and then they start overthinking.
Then they start thinking likeis this really what I wanna talk
about?
Is this really what people'smain concern is when it comes to
training their dog?
Are people gonna wanna learnthis online?
Is anyone gonna sign up forthis webinar?
Should it be free?
Am I charging too much?
Am I not charging enough?
(18:40):
And when you get into thatoverthinking space, it makes it
really hard for you to keepmoving forward.
I had a coach once who told medecisions only get made once,
and actually we were talkingabout that in the context of me
trying to decide whether or notto put my cat down, because I
would decide and then I wouldoverthink and then I would make
a different decision and then Iwould overthink and then I would
decide again.
And it really helps me toremember.
Decisions only need to be madeonce, so set a timer and know
(19:04):
that at the end of thattimeframe you're going to make a
decision and that is going tobe the decision.
There's no reason to continuequestioning it, overthinking it,
trying to decide, becauseyou've already made a decision.
And then, of course, somethingthat is very helpful too is if
you can delegate or automatethings that don't actually need
(19:24):
your brainpower.
Let other people make decisionsas much as you can, so that you
can save yourself for thedecisions that only you can make
.
Now, if you are procrastinatingbecause you just hate the task,
it's just something that youdon't want to do.
There's a couple differentthings that you can try.
One of them is co-working orbody doubling or having an
(19:46):
accountability partner.
Doing something like that canmake it a little bit more fun
and less tedious, and it canalso that external
accountability helps ensure thatyou're actually going to do the
thing.
You can also find somethingthat you actually do enjoy to
pair it with.
So maybe you can listen tomusic that you like, maybe you
(20:08):
have a fun drink while you'redoing it, maybe you decide on
some way that you're going toreward yourself when it's done,
or you do it while you're takinga walk or something like that,
right?
So you compare something thatyou don't really want to do with
something that you do want todo and that makes it a lot less
miserable.
It is possible sometimes tooutsource the task if it's not
(20:31):
really in your zone of geniusand you don't want to force
yourself to do it.
And coming back to the timeridea, sometimes you can just set
a five minute timer and say I'mgoing to work on this for five
minutes.
At the end of five minutes, ifI want to stop, I can stop.
And often what happens at theend of that five minutes?
You don't want to stop, youwant to keep going and get it
(20:52):
done, and that five minute thinghelps a lot because a lot of
times just getting started isthe hard part.
I started doing this fiveminute thing a long time ago
with working out, because I justabsolutely hate working out and
I don't care how many of yousay you can find a way to work
out that you actually like.
I don't like, I just don't like.
(21:13):
So one of the things and Ican't remember where I learned
this was I would just tellmyself like okay, all you have
to do is put on the workoutclothes.
That's it.
You don't have to actually workout, just put on the clothes,
right?
Because after I put on theclothes, what am I going to do?
Sit back down on the couch?
No, nine out of 10 times I'mgoing to go work out.
Or I would say you don't haveto do the whole hour, just do
(21:35):
five minutes At the end of fiveminutes.
If you want to stop, then stopAt the end of five minutes.
Nine out of 10 times I didn'twant to stop.
It was just that gettingstarted part that was the
hardest.
And then, finally, if executivedysfunction is part of your
issue, that externalaccountability can be very
helpful.
That co-working body doublingExternal accountability can be
very helpful.
The co-working body doublingoutside accountability partners.
It also really helps to startbecoming more aware of your
(22:00):
energy levels and when they comeand go, when you are able to
focus better than other timesand figure out how to go with
your brain rather than trying tofight against it.
Go with your brain rather thantrying to fight against it.
So stop trying to forceproductivity when your brain
isn't in a space where it'sready to cooperate with that.
(22:21):
Maybe those are the times that,like I, will get up and go clean
the house or walk the dogs or,you know, meal prep or do
something that involves likeit's something that still needs
to be done.
But it doesn't require me tosit at this computer and
concentrate.
Right, if I just keep sittingat this computer and trying to
force myself to concentrate,there are times that is just not
(22:43):
gonna happen and I'm wasting mytime.
So get up and go do somethingelse.
Come back when your brain is ina different space and ready to
be more cooperative, and thenagain breaking tasks into small
steps, sometimes even justridiculously small steps like
step one open your laptop.
Or step one go in your office.
(23:06):
Step two sit down.
Step three turn on the computer.
It sounds silly, but sometimesjust breaking things down into
those really tiny steps can helpyou move forward one step at a
time, if that is something thatyou struggle with in that
executive dysfunction space.
A couple podcasts I want torecommend to you that I listen
(23:27):
to and I absolutely love.
The first is the I have ADHDpodcast with Kristen Carter.
She's been a guest on thispodcast and she is amazing.
The other one that I reallylove is Organizing an ADHD Brain
with Megs Crawford.
She also has been a podcastguest and just recently I was a
guest on her podcast.
(23:47):
That episode has not come outyet, but I will share it with
you when it does.
But her podcast is really,really great.
She's an organizer for peoplewith ADHD and both of these
podcasts, but particularly Meg's, is really helpful for people,
even if ADHD isn't somethingthat you struggle with, even if
you just want to be moreorganized and more productive.
(24:09):
A lot of the things that shetalks about and the tools and
strategies and mindsets that sheposes are really, really
helpful.
So highly recommend both thosepodcasts.
I will link them in the shownotes and hopefully they are
helpful for you.
Final thoughts Procrastinationis not something that you can
magically fix overnight, and ifyou are somebody who struggles
(24:31):
with procrastination, you arenot broken.
There is nothing wrong with you.
These are total, normalresponses to things that are
going on in your brain and inyour life.
Your brain works the way thatit works.
The key is to find strategiesthat work for you rather than
trying to force yourself into asystem that doesn't.
So try some of these techniques.
(24:53):
Think about some of the thingsthat we've talked about.
Experiment with what works.
But the most important thing isto be kind to yourself in the
process, to give yourself grace,to remember that you don't have
to be productive every secondof every day in order to be
successful.
But if procrastination iskeeping you stuck, it's worth
finding ways to work with yourbrain and not against it.
(25:15):
All right, friends, that's itfor today's episode.
If this resonated with youagain, I would love to hear what
strategies you're trying, howthis made you think about
procrastination, maybe adifferent way, who you shared
this episode with.
Maybe you have a friend like mewho would never get anything
done if it weren't for the lastminute.
So come find me on Instagram atPowerful Women Rising, also on
(25:37):
threads loving me, some threadsright now, and let's talk about
it.
Also, if you love this episode,don't forget to leave a review.
And until next time, keepshowing up, keep experimenting,
keep being kind to yourself andkeep rising yourself and keep
(25:59):
rising.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
That's a wrap on this week's episode of Powerful
Women Rising.
Thanks for hanging out with us.
If you love the podcast, makesure to subscribe, share it with
a friend, write a review or buyus a coffee.
Your support helps more womenlike you step into their power
and grow their businesses in away that feels real and true to
them.
Want to keep the party going.
Check out the show notes fordetails on our next virtual
speed networking event or joinus in the powerful Women Rising
(26:21):
community.
Until next time, remember thatbuilding a business your way is
the best way.
Welcome to Powerful Women Rising, a podcast for
female entrepreneurs ready to dobusiness their way.
Grab your coffee and join hostMelissa Snow, business
relationship strategist andfounder of the Powerful Women
Rising community, as sheinterviews industry experts and
shares insights on strategy,marketing, mindset and more.
(00:25):
Here you'll find the tools,strategies and inspiration you
need to feel empowered, takebold action in your business and
keep rising.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode
of the Powerful Women RisingPodcast.
I'm your host, melissa Snow.
If you have a podcast, I highlyrecommend having a friend of
yours record your intro and youroutro, because if you listen to
the podcast, last week I wasinterviewing my friend and an
amazing copywriter, emily Aborn,and that is her voice doing my
(00:59):
intro and it's so fun every timeI go to record a podcast
episode because I'm like oh, hey, hi, and then I realize she's
not actually talking to me, butit's just a recording.
But it's really fun and highlyrecommend 10 out of 10.
How is everyone today?
Are you having a great day?
I am having a great day.
(01:19):
The sun is shining.
It has actually warmed up alittle bit here in Colorado, so
that is very nice.
I got an amazing new review onthe podcast this morning from a
wonderful human, alex Sanfilippo.
If you're in the podcastingworld, you definitely should
know who he is.
I just interviewed him a coupleweeks ago for my podcast.
(01:40):
I can't wait for that episodeto air.
But he left me a review thismorning and he said Melissa is
an amazing podcast host.
She's a brilliantconversationalist who brings the
right amount of humor tointerviews with her guests, so
it stays interesting.
It is rare to meet a podcasterwho can do that.
What a great show.
I just love that so much.
I thought it was so sweet.
So if you love this podcast andyou would like to leave a
(02:03):
review, I would love to read it.
I love to hear from you guys.
It's so fun.
Anytime I get a message fromsomebody that's like, hey, I
just found your podcast, or hey,I just listened to this episode
and it really helped me withthis it's.
I don't know if you guys thinkthat us podcasters over here are
like oh, that's weird.
We are not like, oh, that'sweird.
We're like, oh, my gosh, thatwas the best thing that happened
(02:23):
to me all day.
So whether it's this podcast oranother one that you love,
please do not hesitate to leavea review or just reach out to
the host and tell them how muchyou love their podcast.
Podcasting is not for the faintof heart.
It is a lot of work and not alot of instant gratification
Sometimes not a lot ofgratification a year later.
So you know we'll take what wecan get, all right.
(02:52):
I am talking today about a veryimportant topic procrastination
and it's funny slash not funny,because I was on the Powerful
Women Rising co-working callthis morning.
Our community has a co-workingcall every Monday morning and
often I say that I'm going towork on my podcast episodes or
I'm going to record a podcastepisode.
And sometimes I say that I'mgoing to work on my podcast
episodes or I'm going to recorda podcast episode, and sometimes
I do and sometimes I don't.
Today was one of the days that Ikept saying I was going to and
then I kept not actually doingit.
(03:13):
And they like to do this reallyobnoxious thing where they like
turn things around on me andI'm like listen, I'm the leader
here, people, but they're likewell, let's talk about your
blocks, and I'm like let's nottalk about my blocks.
So we talked a little bit aboutprocrastination and what was
holding me back from recording apodcast episode and, in full
transparency, the biggest issuethat I have is when it is time
(03:36):
for me to record one of thesesolo episodes, because my brain
always comes in with like youdon't even have anything to say
and what are you going to talkabout?
And there's not even anythinggoing on in your brain and
whatever you say is going to bedumb and people are going to be
like, why did I even listen tothis?
Because you don't know anythingthat I don't know.
And I get so caught up in thatand it's so hard sometimes to
(03:59):
move forward and like argue withyourself or argue yourself out
of it.
And the other thing issometimes I will tell myself
like, okay, you just have torecord a five minute episode,
like it doesn't have to be a biglong thing.
And usually when I do that, Iend up recording like a 27
minute episode and then I'm likewhat was I so worried about
that?
I didn't have anything to say.
The other thing that inevitablyhappens is I put the episode out
(04:23):
there and I'm like, eh, itwasn't that great, I didn't say
anything that interesting, buthere it is, it's done, done is
better than perfect.
Here we go, and then I will geta note from somebody that's
like, oh my gosh, I justlistened to that episode.
It was so helpful, it was sogood.
And you know, this is what wedo as humans, right?
I don't know if this is a womanthing or this is just a human
(04:43):
thing, but we will spend so muchtime and energy focusing on the
things that didn't work out thethings that went wrong, the
people who had somethingnegative to say, and then, when
something does work out or doesgo right or someone has
something fabulous to say, we'llspend like a half a second
acknowledging that,acknowledging that.
(05:07):
So I decided to talk aboutprocrastination today because I
know that if I'm struggling withit, I can't possibly be the
only one.
So we are going to talk aboutwhy we do it and what it's
costing us and, most importantly, how to stop.
And I want to start out by justsaying, like, this is not going
to be the same the same.
Just do it.
Make a to-do list, count downto five and then just do it
(05:29):
advice that we hear quite often.
I want to go a little deeperthan that, because the truth is
that procrastination is a lotmore than laziness or lack of
self-discipline, and what worksfor one person won't necessarily
work for another.
So I want to try to break thisdown in a way that helps you,
but also acknowledge I can'tpossibly cover every single
(05:53):
reason that we procrastinate orevery single solution in this
podcast, but hopefully we'regoing to give you some things to
think about as you move forward, to make it a little bit
simpler, all right.
So first thing we want to talkabout is why we procrastinate.
Procrastination is not aboutbeing lazy.
It's not about not wanting todo the thing.
(06:15):
It's not about not havingenough passion or not having
enough self-discipline.
You are not lazy If you are anentrepreneur.
If you started a business, youare not lazy.
If you are an entrepreneur.
If you started a business, youare not lazy.
So why do we find ourselvesscrolling social media instead
of sending an email, recording apodcast, working on our
workshop, whatever it is that weneed to do?
(06:36):
Why do we say today is the daythat I'm going to get that
client proposal done and thenthe next thing you know, you are
reorganizing your whole kitchen?
There are a couple of reasonsthat this happens, most commonly
with women entrepreneurs, andsome of them I already talked
about, but the first one isperfectionism.
We don't want to startsomething unless we know we're
(06:56):
going to do it perfectly and weknow that we're going to get the
results that we want from it.
I see this happen all the timeon the Powerful Women Rising
community co-working calls.
It can take someone the entirethree hours to create three
social media posts, and thereason it takes so long is
because they're so caught up inmaking sure that they're using
(07:17):
the right words that they'retalking about it correctly.
Should I use this emoji orshould I use this emoji?
Should I say it this way orshould I say it this way?
What picture should I use?
Should I use this picture?
Should I make an AI picture?
Should I use a picture of me?
Maybe I'll make something inCanva.
No, that doesn't look right.
That's a little bit off center.
I don't know if I like thesecolors.
(07:46):
This is what holds us back,people, not just from getting
started but from finishing, andwhat's really ironic is that we
think we don't want to put itout into the world unless it's
perfect, because it has to beperfect to get the results that
we want.
So instead, what do we do?
We don't start it, we don'tfinish it, we finish it and we
don't actually put it out in theworld.
And does that get us theresults that we want?
Absolutely not.
So even putting something outthere that is imperfect has a
(08:07):
better chance of getting youresults than not putting
something out there at all.
The second reason that kind ofgoes along with this that we
procrastinate is fear of failureor also sometimes fear of
success, which I used to thinkwas such a ridiculous thing,
like who's actually afraid ofsuccess?
Isn't that what we all want?
Until it happened to me andthen I was like, oh, I get what
(08:29):
that means.
Sometimes we're scared to fail,but other times we're actually
scared of what happens if wesucceed.
Sometimes it gets socomfortable putting things out
into the world and having no onebuy them that when we start
putting things out into theworld and people start buying
them, we're like what ishappening?
I didn't know people were goingto really buy this.
I didn't know I was reallygoing to have to deliver on this
(08:51):
.
It's a whole new mind F that isdifferent than the one is
happening when we're scared tofail.
When we become more visible,when we get more responsibility,
when the expectations becomebigger, it can feel very
overwhelming and there can be alot of thoughts and feelings
that sometimes we don't knowwhat to deal with, and so we
(09:12):
hold ourselves back from thatincreased visibility so that we
don't have to face thosethoughts and feelings.
A third reason thatprocrastination happens is
decision fatigue.
Running a business means makinga lot of decisions and
sometimes our brain just tapsout and we avoid making any
decisions, whether it is whatfont to use or what topic to
(09:37):
record a podcast episode on.
We're just so tired of makingdecisions and trying to think
through what the best, rightnext decision is going to be
that we become somewhatparalyzed by it.
Another reason thatprocrastination happens is task
aversion Right.
Sometimes, if we're beinghonest with ourselves, there are
(09:58):
tasks that just suck.
We just don't want to do them.
I don't know any business ownerwho went into entrepreneurship
because they wanted to do all ofthe things.
I think I'll become anentrepreneur because I want to
be a bookkeeper and do marketingand do sales and also do
product delivery, and if I couldalso do education and client
(10:22):
development and workshops andhost a podcast.
We did not go intoentrepreneurship because we
wanted to do all the things.
We went into entrepreneurshipbecause we wanted to do our
thing.
We wanted to coach people ontheir relationships, we wanted
to build websites, we wanted tobe a financial advisor and there
are inevitably going to beparts of entrepreneurship things
(10:43):
that we have to do as businessowners that we don't want to do.
If you hate tech, setting up afunnel sounds like torture.
If you hate numbers, dealingwith your bookkeeping feels like
it's going to be the absoluteworst thing you've ever done,
and so a lot of times that iswhy we will procrastinate those
tasks.
And then the last, most commonreason is executive dysfunction.
(11:04):
If you, like me, have ADHD orany other neurodivergence,
sometimes your brain justdoesn't cooperate, no matter how
much you want to do the thing,and sometimes there are
solutions for that, andsometimes there is no way to
talk yourself out of it, andcreating that shame spiral is
completely unnecessary.
(11:25):
We're going to talk about thata little bit later.
So let's talk first about whatprocrastination costs us before
we get into how to stopprocrastinating, because one of
the ways that you can stopprocrastinating is to increase
your awareness of what it iscosting you.
Because procrastination?
We like to make jokes about it.
It's funny.
My dad used to always say if itwasn't for the last minute,
(11:47):
you'd never get anything done.
It's not untrue, but it's morethan just a minor inconvenience.
It has actual consequences andeven if you are self-employed,
even if you don't have someoneto answer to in terms of
deadlines or delivery or thingslike that, it still can cost you
(12:07):
.
It can cost you income, it cancost you increased stress and
anxiety.
It can hurt your confidence.
It can hurt your relationships.
So let's talk about some ofthose things real quick.
When we put off sales activities, follow-ups, networking,
launching something new, thingslike that, we're literally
leaving money on the table.
(12:28):
One of the ways that I gotmyself to start networking in
person more because I am anintrovert and I would sign up
for these things and then Iwould go and I would get there
and I would be in the parkinglot and I would be like, why am
I here?
And one of the ways that I gotmyself to start walking into the
room was by asking myself whatif you knew your next client was
(12:49):
in that room?
What if you knew your next salewas gonna come from that room?
Would you go in?
Of course you would, and thesetasks that you're putting off
when you're procrastinatingoften work the same way.
They're a part of the businessprocess.
They're a part of what you haveto do in order to make money,
and so when you areprocrastinating these things,
when you're not doing them, youare essentially robbing people
(13:12):
of the opportunity to give youmoney.
That is the opposite of what wewant to be doing as business
owners Now, when it comes toincreased stress and anxiety,
the thing that you're avoidingdoesn't leave your brain.
It actually just keeps taking upspace and making you feel worse
every day, or sometimes everyhour, that you don't do it and
that increased stress andanxiety has a negative impact on
(13:36):
you, your business, your life,your relationships.
It also has a negative impacton your confidence.
Every time you procrastinateand then end up having to rush
at the last minute or missing anopportunity because you put it
off.
It reinforces the belief thatyou're not disciplined or that
you're not good at business orthat you're never going to be
successful which, by the way, istotal bullshit.
(13:58):
Okay, so now you've thought alittle bit about some of the
reasons that procrastinationhappens.
We've talked a little bit aboutwhat procrastination is costing
you.
How do we solve the problem?
How do we stop procrastinating,or at least start
procrastinating a little bitless?
I want to reiterate that noteverything we talk about is
(14:20):
going to work for you, andthat's okay.
The key here is to experimentwith different things and find
what absolutely helps you getstuff done.
So here are some of theapproaches based on different
types of procrastination.
If you are someone who is beingheld back by perfectionism.
We talked a little bit aboutsetting goals that are good
(14:40):
enough instead of perfect ones.
If you have read Mel Robbins'book, the Five Second Rule
essentially, let me break itdown for you in five seconds.
If something is hard to do oryou don't want to do it, you
count down from five and thenyou make yourself do it.
So you're welcome Now.
You don't have to read the book.
No, I'm just kidding, but thisis helpful when you know that
(15:03):
you're welcome Now.
You don't have to read the book.
No, I'm just kidding, but thisis helpful when you know that
you're in that space ofperfectionism holding you back.
When you have created thesocial media post, you've
written the email, you haverecorded the reel and it's all
ready to go.
All you have to do is push thebutton, but your brain is
getting in the way of actuallydoing it.
It can actually be reallyhelpful to just be like okay on
(15:24):
the count of three.
I'm doing it because done isbetter than perfect.
One, two, three post.
Sometimes it is that simple Notalways, but sometimes it is.
If you think that fear is yourproblem, if fear is one of the
things that is causing you toprocrastinate something that's
really helpful to ask yourselfis what is the worst thing that
(15:44):
could happen?
And could I handle it?
Spoiler alert you probablycould.
What is the worst thing that'sgoing to happen?
And actually, now that I'msaying it, this is really
helpful.
If perfectionism is a problemfor you too, what is the worst
thing that's going to happen?
If you put this thing out thereand it's not perfect, you are
(16:04):
gonna get zero engagement onsocial media.
No one is going to buy it,right?
That's maybe the worst thingthat's going to happen.
And guess what's going tohappen if you don't put it out
in the world?
That exact same thing.
So you're really not savingyourself.
The other thing that helps iffear is part of the problem is
breaking it down into smallersteps and then just doing the
(16:28):
small steps.
A lot of times it can beoverwhelming to feel like you
have to do all of the things atonce, and I often have to be
reminded by my coaches and thepeople in my life that I don't
have to do everything at once,right, like?
Part of the reason Iprocrastinate these podcast
episodes is because in my brain,I think I need to sit down and
(16:48):
churn out at least four of them.
Well, four of them is probablygoing to take me between six and
eight hours, and so in my mindI'm like, well, I don't have six
or eight hours to sit there anddo podcasts.
But the reality is, if I breakit down into a smaller piece and
I just say, okay, I'm justgoing to sit down and write out
my script, I'm just going to sitdown and write out my outline
for this one, I'm just going tosit down and record one episode.
(17:11):
I'll do the editing, theuploading, all the other stuff
later.
It's a lot more likely that I'mgoing to get those four
episodes done in the next weekor so than if I tried to make
myself sit down and do it all atonce.
This is also really helpful ifyou are stuck in decision
fatigue, because it helps youlimit your options, simplify
your choices and avoidoverthinking every single detail
(17:35):
, because you just have one stepto complete right now.
Another thing that helps withdecision fatigue is setting a
timer and deciding in advancethat you are going to make a
decision within that timeframe.
So what I see happen a lot onour coworking calls, or even
something that we talk aboutoften in the Powerful Women
Rising Community Mastermindcalls is someone gets an idea
(17:57):
that they are going to host awebinar about whatever thing.
Let's say it's about gettingyour dogs to stop barking, for
example.
So they go, they do all thethings.
They decide the time theyoutline the webinar.
They figure out who it's for,they figure out how they're
gonna market it, they startcreating content to market it
(18:17):
and then they start overthinking.
Then they start thinking likeis this really what I wanna talk
about?
Is this really what people'smain concern is when it comes to
training their dog?
Are people gonna wanna learnthis online?
Is anyone gonna sign up forthis webinar?
Should it be free?
Am I charging too much?
Am I not charging enough?
(18:40):
And when you get into thatoverthinking space, it makes it
really hard for you to keepmoving forward.
I had a coach once who told medecisions only get made once,
and actually we were talkingabout that in the context of me
trying to decide whether or notto put my cat down, because I
would decide and then I wouldoverthink and then I would make
a different decision and then Iwould overthink and then I would
decide again.
And it really helps me toremember.
Decisions only need to be madeonce, so set a timer and know
(19:04):
that at the end of thattimeframe you're going to make a
decision and that is going tobe the decision.
There's no reason to continuequestioning it, overthinking it,
trying to decide, becauseyou've already made a decision.
And then, of course, somethingthat is very helpful too is if
you can delegate or automatethings that don't actually need
(19:24):
your brainpower.
Let other people make decisionsas much as you can, so that you
can save yourself for thedecisions that only you can make
.
Now, if you are procrastinatingbecause you just hate the task,
it's just something that youdon't want to do.
There's a couple differentthings that you can try.
One of them is co-working orbody doubling or having an
(19:46):
accountability partner.
Doing something like that canmake it a little bit more fun
and less tedious, and it canalso that external
accountability helps ensure thatyou're actually going to do the
thing.
You can also find somethingthat you actually do enjoy to
pair it with.
So maybe you can listen tomusic that you like, maybe you
(20:08):
have a fun drink while you'redoing it, maybe you decide on
some way that you're going toreward yourself when it's done,
or you do it while you're takinga walk or something like that,
right?
So you compare something thatyou don't really want to do with
something that you do want todo and that makes it a lot less
miserable.
It is possible sometimes tooutsource the task if it's not
(20:31):
really in your zone of geniusand you don't want to force
yourself to do it.
And coming back to the timeridea, sometimes you can just set
a five minute timer and say I'mgoing to work on this for five
minutes.
At the end of five minutes, ifI want to stop, I can stop.
And often what happens at theend of that five minutes?
You don't want to stop, youwant to keep going and get it
(20:52):
done, and that five minute thinghelps a lot because a lot of
times just getting started isthe hard part.
I started doing this fiveminute thing a long time ago
with working out, because I justabsolutely hate working out and
I don't care how many of yousay you can find a way to work
out that you actually like.
I don't like, I just don't like.
(21:13):
So one of the things and Ican't remember where I learned
this was I would just tellmyself like okay, all you have
to do is put on the workoutclothes.
That's it.
You don't have to actually workout, just put on the clothes,
right?
Because after I put on theclothes, what am I going to do?
Sit back down on the couch?
No, nine out of 10 times I'mgoing to go work out.
Or I would say you don't haveto do the whole hour, just do
(21:35):
five minutes At the end of fiveminutes.
If you want to stop, then stopAt the end of five minutes.
Nine out of 10 times I didn'twant to stop.
It was just that gettingstarted part that was the
hardest.
And then, finally, if executivedysfunction is part of your
issue, that externalaccountability can be very
helpful.
That co-working body doublingExternal accountability can be
very helpful.
The co-working body doublingoutside accountability partners.
It also really helps to startbecoming more aware of your
(22:00):
energy levels and when they comeand go, when you are able to
focus better than other timesand figure out how to go with
your brain rather than trying tofight against it.
Go with your brain rather thantrying to fight against it.
So stop trying to forceproductivity when your brain
isn't in a space where it'sready to cooperate with that.
(22:21):
Maybe those are the times that,like I, will get up and go clean
the house or walk the dogs or,you know, meal prep or do
something that involves likeit's something that still needs
to be done.
But it doesn't require me tosit at this computer and
concentrate.
Right, if I just keep sittingat this computer and trying to
force myself to concentrate,there are times that is just not
(22:43):
gonna happen and I'm wasting mytime.
So get up and go do somethingelse.
Come back when your brain is ina different space and ready to
be more cooperative, and thenagain breaking tasks into small
steps, sometimes even justridiculously small steps like
step one open your laptop.
Or step one go in your office.
(23:06):
Step two sit down.
Step three turn on the computer.
It sounds silly, but sometimesjust breaking things down into
those really tiny steps can helpyou move forward one step at a
time, if that is something thatyou struggle with in that
executive dysfunction space.
A couple podcasts I want torecommend to you that I listen
(23:27):
to and I absolutely love.
The first is the I have ADHDpodcast with Kristen Carter.
She's been a guest on thispodcast and she is amazing.
The other one that I reallylove is Organizing an ADHD Brain
with Megs Crawford.
She also has been a podcastguest and just recently I was a
guest on her podcast.
(23:47):
That episode has not come outyet, but I will share it with
you when it does.
But her podcast is really,really great.
She's an organizer for peoplewith ADHD and both of these
podcasts, but particularly Meg's, is really helpful for people,
even if ADHD isn't somethingthat you struggle with, even if
you just want to be moreorganized and more productive.
(24:09):
A lot of the things that shetalks about and the tools and
strategies and mindsets that sheposes are really, really
helpful.
So highly recommend both thosepodcasts.
I will link them in the shownotes and hopefully they are
helpful for you.
Final thoughts Procrastinationis not something that you can
magically fix overnight, and ifyou are somebody who struggles
(24:31):
with procrastination, you arenot broken.
There is nothing wrong with you.
These are total, normalresponses to things that are
going on in your brain and inyour life.
Your brain works the way thatit works.
The key is to find strategiesthat work for you rather than
trying to force yourself into asystem that doesn't.
So try some of these techniques.
(24:53):
Think about some of the thingsthat we've talked about.
Experiment with what works.
But the most important thing isto be kind to yourself in the
process, to give yourself grace,to remember that you don't have
to be productive every secondof every day in order to be
successful.
But if procrastination iskeeping you stuck, it's worth
finding ways to work with yourbrain and not against it.
(25:15):
All right, friends, that's itfor today's episode.
If this resonated with youagain, I would love to hear what
strategies you're trying, howthis made you think about
procrastination, maybe adifferent way, who you shared
this episode with.
Maybe you have a friend like mewho would never get anything
done if it weren't for the lastminute.
So come find me on Instagram atPowerful Women Rising, also on
(25:37):
threads loving me, some threadsright now, and let's talk about
it.
Also, if you love this episode,don't forget to leave a review.
And until next time, keepshowing up, keep experimenting,
keep being kind to yourself andkeep rising yourself and keep
(25:59):
rising.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
That's a wrap on this week's episode of Powerful
Women Rising.
Thanks for hanging out with us.
If you love the podcast, makesure to subscribe, share it with
a friend, write a review or buyus a coffee.
Your support helps more womenlike you step into their power
and grow their businesses in away that feels real and true to
them.
Want to keep the party going.
Check out the show notes fordetails on our next virtual
speed networking event or joinus in the powerful Women Rising
(26:21):
community.
Until next time, remember thatbuilding a business your way is
the best way.
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Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.