1435: Getting curious about procrastination

We can take so much of our own power back by recognising our own patterns. Today we’re doing just that through the lens of procrastination, with a big dose of curiosity!

Episode transcript:

Good morning Daily Peppers, and a very happy Monday to you. Now, if you've been around here a while, it will come as no surprise to you that I am somebody who generally has hundreds of tabs open on my phone. The downloads folder on my laptop is complete chaos and while on the outside looking in, it may seem like I've got zero systems, there are many systems on the go, it's just that many of them only make sense to me. And that is all okay until I get to something I am procrastinating on. Suddenly I am coming up with complete brand new systems that, let's face it, if the past is anything to go by, I will spend hours, if not days, setting up and then completely forget they exist. And sorting out the tabs on my phone suddenly becomes a really urgent and important task. Now, today isn't about me beating myself up about this. I'm sharing what I've noticed about my own patterns as a bit of a prompt for you to think about your own what are the things that you generally don't really give a shit about but suddenly become a huge priority when you've got a deadline or when you're avoiding something or someone, or when you're procrastinating? Now, this isn't about coming up with different strategies to avoid procrastination because that also can be a wonderful procrastination technique.

But the important thing here and I'm going to roll my eyes as I say it. So if you're rolling your eyes as you listen, I get you. Awareness is key. When we can start to recognize our patterns, it's a bit like starting to learn a new language. We can start seeing what our dream shitter is really doing and we can make more intentional decisions about whether we want to be doing them and a friendly reminder that you get to give yourself full permission to carry on doing it Anyway. I know for me that there are some times where actually going through and starting to close some of the tabs gives me a bit of a break and some space away from a creative problem that's really needed. Sometimes it's a massive dopamine boost, and sometimes it can just be quite enjoyable, but other times it can just be more stressful because I end up feeling like I've got even more to do than I originally thought and we tend to know the difference. And I think it all comes down to this.

What if procrastination wasn't necessarily a problem to be solved but really, really helpful information to you? And what if you got curious about your behaviours and the things you do rather than being really judgy, that might be something to experiment with. So here's to the start of a new week. Here's to finding many unexpected joys along the way, and here's to recognizing your own patterns. We all have them. You're not doing anything wrong. Being a human can be fucking hard, and I think if you were given feedback to yourself from the perspective of a dear friend rather than yourself, you might be pleasantly surprised at how you're doing. Have a wonderful start to your week and I'll see you tomorrow.

Transcription automatically produced by Castmagic.io

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A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!

The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.

Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines.

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