8 ways to overcome procrastination for athletes
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"I am a procrastinator" - a client said to me last week. Are you a procrastinator too?
The problem with saying 'I am a procrastinator' is that it's presented as a factual statement about WHO you are. And you have NO other option apart from procrastinating.
But this isn't true.
Procrastination isn't part of your character. It's a thing that you DO.
Here are 8 fail-safe ways to help you stop doing procrastination:
1. Chunk the task down
Big tasks that span more than a week or projects on a subject that we don’t feel very confident in can trigger us to feel overwhelmed, stressed and anxious.
And when we’re feeling these things, often it’s easier and a lot less scary to just put the task off and bury our heads in the sand.
The problem with this strategy is it’s not very helpful. It means that as the deadline approaches we rush to finish the project, feel really stressed and anxious, and don’t do our best work.
When you have a big task or project you’re not totally comfortable with, chunk it down into really small actionable bitesize pieces for small wins.
These actions could be as simple as “Email ‘so and so’ to ask for 20 minutes of their help on this one problem.” Or “Spend 20 minutes breaking down the project into small tasks” or “Schedule each task into google calendar”.
2. Schedule each task into your calendar
Schedule each task you have to do into your calendar (Google, paper or another form), including training, relaxing, seeing friends, working, travel etc.
You can also assign yourself reminders for each task, from 15 minutes to 1+ day before.
This will help you stay organised, keep on track and see how much time you really have.
I also recommend adding on 15% of time estimation to each task and schedule in buffer time, because we’re often optimistic on how long a task will take. These two strategies will help you stay on time and not pack out your schedule, so if a task does run over, you have time to complete it still.
3. The consequences
If you notice you’re procrastinating, or starting to lean into that area, ask yourself:
“What are the consequences if I don't do the task when I’ve scheduled it?”
List all your answers out and let them sink in, you’ll soon be completing your task in record time!
4. The benefits
Sometimes beating the donkey with the stick doesn’t encourage it to move, but dangle a juicy carrot in front of it, and it’s trotting along quite happily.
If you’re procrastinating or starting to procrastinate, ask yourself:
“What are the benefits of doing this task when I’ve scheduled it?”
Again list out your answers so you can see all the benefits, and so you have a list to refer back to.
5. What do I love about doing this task?
Looking for the positive things when doing a boring/tough task is a great practice, as it teaches your brain to spot and highlight to you all the good things going on in your life.
So if you’re procrastinating, or on the verge of procrastinating, ask yourself:
“What are all the things I love about doing this task on time?”
6. Procrastination is something you DO
Recognise you're DOING procrastination and choose what you'd like to feel and do instead using powerful, positive and productive language. It's not part of your identity.
The problem with saying 'I am a procrastinator' is that it's presented as a factual statement about WHO you are. And you have NO other option apart from procrastinating.
But this isn't true.
Procrastination isn't part of your character. It's a thing that you DO.
So a better way of phrasing it would be: " I DO procrastination a lot.” Or “I’m doing procrastination.”
Now you have a choice about doing or not doing procrastination.
Read more about changing your language from passive (“I am a procrastinator”) to active (“I’m doing procrastination.”) here: Struggling to change your feelings in sport? Here's why.
7. LIE!
This strategy is a method used by many athletes. Lying to yourself about how long you have to do the task gets the positive momentum going.
So instead of thinking you have an afternoon ahead of you doing accounting, just say to yourself, I just have to do my accounts for 5 minutes.
Or if you’re dreading your run, just say to yourself “I just have to put on my trainers” and then “I just have to run for 5 minutes”.
And as you hit each mini-goal, set yourself a new one. You’ll have completed your task before you know it!
8. Know your why’s
Pull-on your why's for motivation e.g. to hit £100K income, become the best athlete I can be etc.
The foundation of world-class performance is knowing your why’s and completing your daily tasks to the best of your ability.
It’s REALLY important to have more than one why.
For example:
If you’re an athlete and your only why is to win, but in your race you start thinking, ‘There’s no way I can win now’, you’d stop racing your best, which could have led to a podium finish.
BUT, if you had MORE than why to pull on, for example:
If your why was to race as fast as you can, it wouldn’t matter how your race was going, you'd always be motivated to go as fast as you can.
If your why was to race AND be the best athlete you can be, it wouldn’t matter if you had any races, you would still train every day to the best of your ability.
So know your why’s that are behind each task and you’ll soon be racing toward a record-breaking time for finishing your task!
Learn more here: How to find your Why to stay motivated
Summary
Procrastination isn't part of your character or identity. It's just a thing that you happen to sometimes DO.
If it something you do, you can choose to do something else that’s more life-enhancing by using these 8 fail-safe ways to overcoming doing procrastination.
Need extra help overcoming procrastination or another habit that’s keeping you stuck? Book in a complimentary 20-minute call with me here.
Please share your thoughts below—I’d love to hear.
