Productive Procrastination - Part 2

          Welcome back to the second part of Productive Procrastination. Hopefully, you learned from part 1 that Productive Procrastination is doing all the little things required to prepare yourself for whatever it is that you have to do. When you spend so much time preparing, the actually thing itself suddenly feels small and doable. This strategy can be applied to simple things like working out or cooking.  But because I am a certified life coach, I use it to help my clients make shifts that cause major improvements to their quality of life. What once felt like a daunting task is now an inspired plan. That's the effect Productive Procrastination can have!

          Pay close attention to what it means to be prepared. You should quickly realize that you are not even in a position to achieve your goal if you don't prepare for it first.  Preparation is defined as “the process of making something ready for use”. In other words, it is “a series of actions taken before one is in a suitable state to make a goal accomplished”. 

          If you have ever set out to change or improve something in your life but find yourself feeling discouraged and ultimately quit, it is likely that you have not spent enough...or probably...any...time preparing for it.

          In order to prepare yourself to finally reach your goal, there are 3 major categories that you need to focus on. The first one is...

          Your mind. This is gonna seem so obvious by the time you finish reading this paragraph. Prepare your mind by first deciding THAT you are going to do the thing. This is preliminary! If you haven't first decided that you are going lose 20 pounds, or apply for a promotion, or start a new business, how will you actually ever do it? Ben Horowitz said, “Any decision is better than no decision.” Hurry up and make one already! Of course there are many more things you need to do to prepare your mind but this one is by far the most critical.

          Next, you'll have to prepare your space. Did you know that your brain automatically and subconsciously responds to all the stimuli in a room? If you walk into a chaotic or cluttered space, your brain spends a lot of energy trying to make sense of it all. This automatic response may prevent you from being able to focus or even remember simple things. Have you ever walked into a room to get something? Only to completely forget what it is you went in there for? That's because the brain absorbed all the information from the new environment and temporarily erased that from the previous one. By creating a space that is organized around your goal, you can utilize the natural processes of the brain to support your success!

          And the last category is something I bet you never would have guessed...your social circle. By preparing the people you spend the most time with, your accountability and motivation will soar. This process can be as specific as suggesting certain ways they can help, i.e. weekly check-ins, workout partner, listening ear, or as general as letting your family know the journey you are embarking on. One of my clients made this announcement at dinner one night and she was shocked at her two daughters' excitment and support for her. They came up with their own ideas to help her like writing out an agenda for her and making lunch on Sundays so she could focus on the goal. Before long it was a family affair and this client propelled into action as a result.

          Using Productive Procrastination to prepare your mind, space and social circle will catapult you into your goal. The above suggestions are just a few of the many steps you can take to be completely prepared. I offer many more simple and inspiring ideas in my personal coaching and in The Unstuck System, an online self-paced program to help you finally achieve your goal. You can also stay tuned to my blog for more morsels or find your Productive Procrastination Coach on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/productiveprocrastinationcoach/