Do you struggle with procrastination?
You’re not alone.
As world reknowned screenwriter Robert McKee said in the forward to Steven Pressfield’s War of Art:
I can procrastinate thinking about my procrastination problem. I can procrastinate dealing with my problem of procrastinating thinking about my procrastination problem.
Plenty of successful people struggle with this issue. And while they fight hard to overcome it, they also know that their victory is temporary. According to Pressfield, the battle must be fought and won each day – the procrastination cure is to sit down and do your work. My interpretation: show up, do your work, reject distractions, and be ready to fight again the next day. Simple, but not easy.
So while I have no quick-fix to offer, I can share with you a tactic I’ve unwittingly tried repeatedly that does not work. I’m hopeful that my sharing it here will allow you to recognize when you unknowingly try the same approach, and can avoid the time and energy loss that it always brings.
It’s called “Making A Dread Sandwich.” I wish I could take credit for naming it, but I must give credit to my friend Lisa Wagner, The Rug Chick.
Step 1: Identify something important that you absolutely don’t want to do. Don’t acknowledge to yourself how important it is – just make a mental note that you’ll get to it….tomorrow.
Step 2: Repeat for the next 5 days.
Step 3: Ignore that uneasy feeling in your gut every time a thought about the task or project creeps up on you. Keep ignoring it until you can officially label that feeling “dread”. Focus on “much more important” and pressing issues for the next few days. Be sure to rationalize to yourself why your time is better spent dealing with that stuff.
Step 4: Finally acknowledge that you’ve GOT to buckle down and tackle the task or project at hand. Overcome whatever barrier was holding you back: fear, lack of knowledge, finances, whatever. Get it done – and feel totally surprised that it wasn’t nearly as difficult or distasteful or scary as you had thought it would be.
Step 5: Realize the agony you put yourself through before taking action and getting it done. Kick your own ass for a few days. Really beat yourself up for not just getting it done in the first place. Keep that up long enough to diminish your motivation for the other stuff that’s on your plate. Doubt yourself, creating more dreadful feelings.
So there you have it: The Dread Sandwich. Dread on top, action in the middle, more dread on the bottom. Not a procrastination cure, but it’s sure to create some heartburn.
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Have you ever made a Dread Sandwich? Of course you have….so please share your story with me by commenting below.
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