Stop Procrastinating Do This Instead
First, Understand Your Brain
One of the most important roles of your brain is to keep you safe. It does this by taking in information from your environment and coming up with explanations.
Think, you are crossing the street and suddenly hear an horn. Your brain quickly goes through multiple scenarios as to what is the cause of the honking and prepare your body for “fight or flight” incase you are in danger. This primitive quick reflective part of our brains still functions even in our modern world to try and keep us out of danger. The difference is instead of protecting us from potential animal attacks it is protecting us from anything which may trigger stress. Including waking up early to face a challenging day or taking the stage in front of a large crowd.
The feelings of fear and anxiety can trigger thoughts to urge us away from doing the difficult things.
How does your brain stop you from taking action?
Negative self talk that make you feel inadequate.
Urge to wait until the conditions are perfect.
Reminder of how things didn’t go well in the past.
This is your brain trying to protect you from stress. However, you know that growth is found outside of your comfort zone.
How to overcome procrastination for women ready to take action.
Step 1: Recognize Your Thought Patterns
One of the quickest ways to overcome procrastination is to notice your default thought loops. Procrastination begins in your mind.
The first step is to recognize the usual thought patterns that derail you from action. Label them as such, just thoughts. This awareness alone lowers the intensity of procrastination. When you detach from the thought, you gain room to choose action.
Step 2: Start Before You Feel Ready
Here’s a powerful truth backed by behavioral science, action reduces fear faster than thinking does. The moment you take even the smallest step, your brain receives evidence that you are capable. Remind yourself of the capacity that you have already proven you have. Then decide to just start. Taking the right actions sends positive feedback to your brain. It’s almost like saying “see” I am doing the things and nothing scary has happened. Start, even if you don’t have the entire journey mapped out. Taking action will dampen the negative thoughts and spur on more action. Clarity will come from doing, not from overthinking.
Step 3: Power Plan to Break the Overwhelm Cycle
One of the most transformational productivity tools I’ve adopted is power planning, a technique I learned from samlaurabrown.com. Unlike traditional planning systems, power planning works with your brain’s natural patterns.
Power planning helps you:
Create realistic doable plans
Reduce mental overwhelm
Align task with your natural energy levels
Build trust with yourself through follow-through
Prioritize your goals and values
Creating a plan won’t eliminate the thoughts and feelings but it does give you something more productive to anchor onto. The true beauty of planning is that you can create a plan which is actually workable. Sometimes I find myself unable to act, because the plans I’ve made are unrealistic.
My brain knows there’s no way I am going to accomplish a laundry list of chores in a few short hours, so instead I find ways to procrastinate. Instead of overscheduling maybe I’ve planned something which is daunting and my brain tries to avoid for as long as possible. Instead of falling into procrastination power planning allows you to plan ahead. What is the best time of day for you to perform difficult tasks? Also, what can you do right after to decompress, so that your brain knows: this is hard but there is relief right after.
Step 4: Follow Your Plans, Not Your Feelings
Feelings are terrible predictors of productivity. Sometimes after you start you’ll realize you had more in the tank than you thought.
Your plan, on the other hand, represents your highest self—your goals, your values, your long-term vision. In order to achieve, follow plans not feelings.
Follow through builds self-trust which is vital for consistent productivity.
My Final Thoughts
Your brain’s number one job is to keep you safe. Because your brain associates new, challenging, or uncomfortable with danger procrastination becomes a type of survival tactic.
With self-coaching, power planning, and a willingness to take action before you feel ready, you can create a new pattern.
Try these tools this week and see how your productivity shifts. And if they help you move forward—even in small ways—I’d love to hear about it.