Caught in the Act: Coaching Myself Through Procrastination

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Caught in the act! This episode captures a moment of pure authenticity as I find myself doing the one thing we're all guilty of—procrastinating on an important deadline. Rather than editing testimonials for my upcoming book, I decided to record this podcast about...not doing exactly that. The irony isn't lost on me.

What unfolds is a fascinating real-time self-coaching session where I literally open my own book manuscript to the chapter on motivation and read my own advice back to myself. The insights that emerge reveal something surprising about procrastination: it's not always driven by fear. Sometimes, our hesitation signals a deeper need to reconnect with why a task matters to us in the first place.

Through this vulnerable exploration, I uncover the crucial difference between external and internal motivation, and how shifting from "I should" to "I could" completely transforms our relationship with procrastinated tasks. I also discover how reconnecting with my core values—impact, creativity, connection—helps me find meaning in even the most mundane editing work.

Whether you're putting off a work project, avoiding a difficult conversation, or finding creative ways to escape your own deadlines, this episode offers a refreshingly honest look at the psychology behind procrastination and practical ways to move forward. Listen in as I coach myself from resistance to readiness, and discover how examining your own procrastination patterns might reveal important insights about what truly matters to you.

Will I finally complete my editing task? You'll have to listen to find out—and maybe hold me accountable by sending a message to ask if I've done it! Whatever you're procrastinating on right now, this episode might be just the gentle nudge you need to reconnect with your motivation and get moving again.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, how many of you are procrastinating right now?
It's such an uncomfortablefeeling.
I know paralysis by analysisand that's usually because I'm
so excited to do many things andI don't know which one to do
first.
That is very different fromprocrastination.
There is something I have adeadline for that I am

(00:20):
stretching out.
I keep saying I'm going to doit and I just don't do it.
I know I will, probably at the11th hour, and it's got me
really thinking why am Iavoiding doing it?
There's no fear.
It's not a fear piece.
Sometimes procrastination comeswith fear, fear of failure, fear

(00:41):
of not doing it very well.
In this case it's just anediting thing.
I have a deadline with mypublisher and you know what I'm
discovering.
I don't like to go back andlook at things I've done before
and fine tune them.
I don't mind it once I get in.

(01:02):
But holy cow, holy cow.
This has been a real thing forme.
I find myself wandering around.
Things need doing in the garden.
There's, you know 65 otherthings that are calling my
attention, and yet every time Icome into my office to say I'm

(01:26):
going to do it, I don't do it.
In fact, I'm supposed to bedoing it right now, but instead
I'm talking to you about notdoing it.
Oh, my goodness, wow.
Procrastination is real, but Ijust wanted to check in with you
in this moment, like in realtime.
This is me, this is me.

(01:46):
This is me procrastinating.
Now, as I said, theprocrastination has to do with
my book and this edit that Ineed to do.
I'm adding it's a wonderfulthing actually that I get to do
Practice what you preach, lisa.
I get to add these wonderfultestimonials, one from Susan
Stroman and another rave fromDame Evelyn Glennie, and they're

(02:10):
going to appear on the back ofmy book and that's great.
I mean, that's fantastic.
I mean, what author doesn'twant that?
And yet I hesitate to do thework, to send it to the
designers to put on the book,work, to send it to the
designers to put on the book.
I don't know why, couldn't tellyou.

(02:30):
So what I did today was a fewminutes ago.
I grabbed my book, said book.
I picked up the book and Iopened up to chapter 26, which
is called Our Limitless Capacityto Thrive, and I read my own
words, which I'm going to sharewith you.
Begin like this let's face itFeeling unmotivated feels crappy

(02:51):
, especially in a world thatplaces such high value on
go-getters.
If you are feeling less thaninspired at the moment, I
promise you there's nothingwrong with you.
You aren't broken or weak.
Thank you, lisa, thank you,former self, for telling future
self that I am not broken orweak.
I went on to say lack ofmotivation usually signals a

(03:15):
conditional reason for doingsomething, whether it's money,
praise, success, recognition,control or power.
When something that oncemotivated us stops being an
incentive, it's an opportunityto think again about why we do
what we do.
It's a chance to connect,reconnect or maybe even
disconnect from what doesn'tlight us up anymore.

(03:38):
Yes, but, former Lisa, what doI do about something that used
to light me up but that doesn'tkind of light me up at all,
because it's just a detail, it'snot the creative impulse I had
when I was writing this.
Hmm, interesting, let's seewhat else I have to say to

(03:59):
myself.
I said maybe you've simplygrown tired of chasing after
something and decided to settlefor where you are.
Now I think I'm on to something.
Or maybe when you've beenmotivated enough to go where you
wanted to go when you got there, it didn't make you feel the

(04:20):
way you thought it would.
Now that's interesting, becausewhat's coming up for me now are
some limiting beliefs that whatdifference does it make if I
put the testimonials on the book?
Because I have no proof thatthat will help.
I mean, there are limitingbeliefs in the publishing

(04:42):
ecosystem that it's a good thing, but I don't have any actual
proof.
Well, of course I don't,because I've never written a
book before and I've never hadtestimonials.
Interesting, interesting, soit's not that it doesn't light
me up.
Hmm, let me read further.

(05:06):
I went on to say how many of ushave been motivated by fear, the
mother of all motivators.
When fear is driving us, we'reso focused on what we don't want
to be that we can't even beginto consider where we truly want
to go.
Now, that's interesting,because in this moment I just
want to be done, but obviously Idon't want to be done that much
because I'm not doing it and asthe deadline approaches I will

(05:29):
do it.
And then the fear I'm going touse the fear to drive me and
that's not such a healthy thing.
I mean, we all do it and I'mfeeling kind of cheeky about it.
It's not really bugging me thatmuch, but I could just sit down
and do it before lunch.
Interesting, I'm going to goback to what I wrote.

(05:52):
The key here I said the key hereis to understand whether you're
being motivated externally,which is limited, or internally,
which is limitless.
Unconditional intrinsicmotivation, feels connected.
Okay, I get that.

(06:14):
It doesn't require an outcometo inspire us.
The joy is in the process, notthe results us.
The joy is in the process, notthe results.
The key here is to understandwhether you've been motivated
externally, which is limited, orinternally, which is limitless,
or, in this case, not motivatedat all.
Unconditional intrinsicmotivation, feels connected.

(06:35):
It doesn't require an outcometo inspire us.
The joy is in the process, notthe result.
It doesn't mean you won't getresults.
In fact, in my coachingpractice I said I have witnessed
that they go hand in hand.
As counterintuitive as it mayseem, letting go of the win-lose
, have-not perspective bringsyou even closer to what you want

(06:58):
to achieve.
And then some Interesting.
Now I'm wondering what I wantto achieve.
It's been pretty low frequency,I just wanted to get the
frigging thing done.
I'm starting to recognize thatI'm not assigning anything
valuable to it.
I don't believe that it'sreally going to help.

(07:21):
I'm feeling doubtful that it'llmake a difference.
Interesting, if I was my ownclient, I might say maybe you're
just a little bit burned outand trusting the process might
be a good idea.
Hmm, I'm going to read on.
I'm going to read on.
Teach me, lisa.

(07:43):
Teach me.
Here we go.
The distinction between wantsand needs is vital to understand
our level of engagement andmotivation, or lack thereof, in
everything we do.
Yeah, needs are things that werequire to survive, like food,
water, air and shelter Some ofthe things we most take for
granted.
I'm guessing, if you arereading this, your basic needs

(08:05):
have been met.
Yes, they have.
Then, I add, it wouldn't hurtto take a conscious moment of
gratitude here and put things inperspective.
Good plan, I am grateful thatthis is something I get to do.
I get to make an edit on mybook because I wrote a book and

(08:25):
I get to.
We teach what we most need tolearn.
I get to yes, this is me inreal time coaching myself,
reframe.
I get to add these testimonialsto my book because some people
that I really, really respectgave me testimonials.

(08:49):
I mean, how cool is that, lisa?
What is standing in your way?
Hmm, I'm learning from myself.
This is kind of fun.
Okay, so we talked about needs.
Now I'm talking about wants.
Wants are the things that youcan live without but would
prefer not to.
It is the difference betweennecessity and desire.
Yeah, I go on to say I'm nottalking about greed here.

(09:13):
I'm talking about connecting toyour purpose, to the reason why
you want something.
For instance, if you just wantto be rich because you want
stuff and you become rich andhave stuff, you might find
yourself wondering why thatdidn't satisfy your desire.
It's insatiable.
It is the reason why people cannever have enough of what they
don't really need True treadmill.

(09:41):
When we are motivated byexternal things and don't
consider what's truly importantto us and why, aka what is
motivating us intrinsically,then our motivation will be not
only unsustainable but what weachieve will cease to bring us
joy.
This is so interesting to me mywords to self, in the context of
procrastination.
I suppose it'll bring me joy tohave done it and that there's

(10:03):
maybe some visualization I coulddo to imagine holding it and
seeing it on the back of thebook.
Interesting, you know, on theone hand it's not that important
to me.
I mean it is, but it's not thatimportant to me to say it out
loud, to scream it from therooftops and yet that could help

(10:26):
more people get to my book andhave an impact Interesting.
I'm learning.
I'm learning All right Self.
What can you tell me?
Okay, this is what I said.
It is a valuable exercise torecognize and appreciate that
you already have everything youneed and really take stock of
what you have that you don'treally need.

(10:47):
Then you can get clear onmoving in the direction of what
you really want.
Yeah, do I want to have thetestimonials on the back of my
book?
Do I have to?
No testimonials on the back ofmy book.

(11:09):
Do I have to?
No, is it a need?
No, Should I?
I mean that's where I'm atright now, energetically that I
should do it Because it's goodfor the book.
It's good for all the reasons.
If I lose the shame and I stepinto my capability, I could
instead of I should.
Yes, absolutely, I couldinstead of I should.
Yes, absolutely I could.
And then my brain goes oh, it'son word and you don't like word
and it's tricky and it'sannoying, and blah, blah, blah.

(11:30):
But could I?
Yes?
Now the real question is do Iwant to?
Yes, I want to, I do, my brainsaying so.
Why aren't you doing it.
Well, because I'm busy making avideo about.

(11:51):
Is it making me want to do itmore?
Actually, yeah, actually it is.
Oh my gosh.
Maybe you guys whoever'slistening could hold me
accountable Send me a messagesaying did you do it?
Hmm, interesting, and we allknow what comes after I want to

(12:11):
right, I get to, which is choicewith gratitude.
That's where I want to be.
Let's read the last paragraphfrom this and see if I can get
the final inspiration to do this, as it is to feel uninspired.
I invite you to listen deeplyto what it's really telling you.

(12:35):
Take this moment to slow downand untether your identity from
what you do and connect to whoyou want to be.
I'm kind of feeling that I'mgoing to read that again.
Take this moment to slow downand untether your identity from

(12:58):
what you do and connect to whoyou want to be.
You know what I want to be abest-selling author.
Do I need to be?

(13:24):
No, do I want to be?
Hell yeah.
Is that a worthy goal?
I think so.
Am I on my way?
Absolutely.
Does this help myprocrastination of doing my
edits for the back of my book toput the testimonials?
Hell yeah.
I finished by saying leadingfrom our values and finding

(13:49):
meaning in what we do is whereour limitless capacity to thrive
resides.
The prompt I asked myself was,well, that I asked all of us
reading the book was what trulymotivates you?
What truly motivates you, lisa?
Well, what motivates me isimpact, is honesty, is

(14:19):
creativity, connection.
And, lisa, yes, talk to myselfnow, lisa are any of those
values inherent in finishingyour book edits today, of those

(14:41):
values inherent in finishingyour book edits today?
And the answer, my friends, isyes.
You've just been listening toLisa coaching herself with her
words from her book.
And will I do it?
I don't know.
Will I hold myself accountable?
Yes, I could use your help, soplease send me a message, ask me
if I've done it.
And yeah, thanks, lisa, I feela accountable.
Yes, I could use your help, soplease send me a message, ask me
if I've done it.
And yeah, thanks, lisa, I feela little more connected.

(15:02):
So, if any of you out there areprocrastinating, dig into why
especially if it's not fear butrather something that maybe
doesn't light you up and findwhat lights you up about it.
That's what I just did.
I'm Lisa Hopkins.
Thanks so much for listening.
Stay safe and healthy everyoneand remember to live in the

(15:23):
moment.