Procrastination
Last week I had a full body check up on my moles. I think this must be in my personal Guiness Book of World Records for "Longest period of procrastination".About five years ago my colleague was diagnosed with skin cancer. At that time I said,
"I should get that checked out."
My colleague told me about the specialist he went. I did a bit of research but you needed a referral from a clinic to get an appointment. I didn't have a dermatologist...And so, I let it go and life, work, and kids took over for a while.Every so often I would notice that my moles were changing, especially after the birth of my son three years ago.I should get checked out.But nothing happened...Fast forward to this summer.A fair skinned friend recommended a clinic she had heard of. But there were some bad reviews about the doc so I let it slide.
I should get checked out.
Fear drives procrastination
The biggest driver of procrastination is fear. Fear takes many forms: fear of failure, fear of lack of perfection, fear of the unknown, fear of challenge.In my case, my worst case scenario was that I had skin cancer and that I would die, leaving my young children without a mother. When you verbalise your fear that you can begin to decide how realistic it is. All too often our fear nags at us, hiding in the shadows. Well, friends, it is time to bring that fear kicking and screaming into the cold light of day! Fear tends to whither under scrutiny. Its power over us begins to falter.During a Lean In Circle this month, a member mentioned that one of her accountability actions was to take better care of herself. She would schedule a mammogram and a mole scan.
I should get checked out.
I heard the familiar refrain. I got her referral but this time something was different. I actually made the call.
So what changed?
It just seemed easy to do. The weight of the fear was less than how difficult the task appeared and how scary my worst case scenario was.I checked the site and made the call straight away.I didn't have to ask permission or help from anyone to make the appointment now I run my own business.I'm competitive! I wanted to be able to say I had done it too (if she can do it so can I!)I wanted to be free of the burden of the unknown more than I wanted to continue to shield myself from the results.
I got checked out and...
I feel a huge sense of release and relief. I can focus on the necessary action of a simple operation in the winter. I've changed my mindset about now annual checks can become a calendar item, a habit rather than a fear.Next time you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself these questions:
Coaching questions for procrastination
- What am I procrastinating over?
- Why am I procrastinating?
- What am I afraid of?
- Why is that fear there?
- How likely is it that my worst case scenario will come true?
- What is the best case scenario if my fear is false?
Would love to hear your stories of how you changed your mindset and overcame procrastination.Write the comments below now - not tomorrow ;-)!