Procrastination Journal Prompts To Get You Unstuck FAST
Are you in this tweet and don't like it?
”Being unproductive because you're depressed and being depressed because you've been unproductive is a special kind of hell cycle I wish for no person.”
If so, you're not alone. Procrastination can feel like an endless cycle. It can worsen existing depression and, if left to fester for too long, can create depression on its own.
So what do you do about it?
By the end of this video you'll know three targeted journaling prompts you can use to get you unstuck in the moment so you can actually get started on the things you've been procrastinating on.
Watch the video below, or read on for the full transcript.
If you struggle with chronic or mental illness and are tired of feeling alone, this is the place to be. You're not alone anymore. Subscribe to my channel and hit the bell to be notified when I post a new video every Tuesday.
Procrastination and resistance is the topic I coach my clients on the most. It's a huge passion of mine because I, myself, was in that depressed cycle for almost a decade, and figuring out how to escape that cycle on my own was so, so hard.
If you want to hear that story you can go and watch this video next.
But now it's your turn to learn from my experience. Let's dive into the three journal prompts you can use to stop procrastination and get unstuck
Prompt #1: Why can't I start now?
This is a really powerful question to consider. It's so powerful that you may immediately know the answer and not need to journal on it at all.
Why?
Because often we're unable to start something because our minds are jumping several steps ahead in the process, but that step we're jumping to is dependent on other steps happening before it. Or we're not breaking our project down into steps at all and just envisioning it as this one great big thing we need to do, which is both overwhelming and impossible.
Everything has steps.
And once you figure out what your actual next step is, the one that you already know and have everything you need to do it, often the urge to procrastinate falls away.
When we ask ourselves, "Why can't I start now?" we're also asking ourselves:
What do I not know that I need to know in order to start?
What do I not have that I need to have in order to start?
What circumstances need to be in place that aren't in place right now in order for me to start?
Whose support do I not have that I need to have in order to start?
Here's an example.
Let's say you have a paper to write. You've known about it all term, but now it's due in a few days and you haven't even started yet.
Why did you procrastinate on it that long?
It's likely in part due to the fact that you unconsciously thought the first step was to sit down and write the darn thing, when that's *not* actually the first step.
The first step is to wrap your head around the assignment. What is your teacher or professor actually asking you to accomplish in with this paper?
The next step is to gather resources and references for your paper.
The step after that is to use those resources and references to perform research.
The next step is to review your research and outline your paper.
Then the next step is to get the tools you need to write the first draft of your paper (i.e. pen and paper, or a computer).
Then, and only then, do you actually start writing the paper.
Prompt #2: Is my procrastination actually a sign that I need rest?
I've talked about the myth of laziness a lot on this channel. And yes, laziness is a myth. It's a symptom of our capitalist productivity-driven culture and is the reason why so many of us constantly overwork ourselves.
If you want to hear me talk more about that, you can check out these two videos next.
But back to the journal prompt.
By journaling on the question, "Is my procrastination actually a sign that I need rest?" you may discover that you've been pushing yourself too hard.
You may discover you're well beyond overworked and have landed in actual burnout.
Which means that your next step is to rest, and is not to work on the thing you've been procrastinating on.
This does not mean you're procrastinating more by resting first.
Let me repeat that, because it's important.
This does not mean you're procrastinating more by resting first.
Because remember: when you need it, whenever you need it, rest is productive.
Which brings me to my next point.
If you discover that you genuinely do need rest, you need to allow yourself to rest.
Because if you're beating yourself up for not doing anything "productive" while you're trying to rest, you're not resting.
You're just beating yourself up.
And that's counterproductive.
Comment below and tell me about your relationship with rest. Do you find it easy to rest? Or do you struggle to rest because you have a tendency to beat yourself up for needing to rest at all, and then never actually feel rested?
Now let's move onto the last journal prompt.
Prompt #3: What am I afraid will happen if I start and finish what I've been procrastinating on?
This is an interesting question to explore because sometimes what we're procrastinating on is not the task or project itself, but instead the potential outcome from finishing that task or project.
Are you procrastinating on studying for your upcoming exam because you're afraid you'll fail anyway? So why put in the work?
Are you avoiding building a social media presence for your business because you're afraid no one will like or engage with your content, let alone follow you?
Are you procrastinating on writing that paper because you're afraid you'll do a really bad job?
Are you avoiding doing one chore because if you do one chore it means you have to do all of them right afterward?
These types of questions are important to engage with and answer because they will often lead to a limiting belief. (Here's a hint: the thing you're afraid of is the thing you believe is likely to happen.)
I believe I will fail the exam, so why study?
I believe no one will like my content or follow me, so why get on social media with my business?
I believe I'll write a terrible paper, so why start?
I believe doing chores is only worth it if I do all of them in one go, so I can't do just one right now.
Most of these beliefs distill down to this formula:
I believe I will feel bad if I do this thing, so I will not do it in order to avoid feeling bad.
Are many things worth doing difficult and/or challenging?
Yes.
Does that mean it can feel bad to be doing them?
Yes, it can.
But you know what is also true?
Doing difficult and/or challenging things can feel engaging, and are more likely to put us into flow or "the zone."
Doing difficult and/or challenging things can be fun, meaningful, and fulfilling.
We know this, and yet that limiting belief, "I believe I will feel bad if I do this thing," still holds us captive.
So what do we do about it?
We challenge that limiting belief.
It's possible you won't fail the test.
It's possible your social media will go viral.
It's possible you'll write the best paper you've ever written.
It's a certainty that doing only one chore today, is not only okay, it's enough.
You can use journaling to challenge these limiting beliefs until you feel them lose power over you.
And then, if it was indeed a limiting belief causing your procrastination, you'll discover the urge to procrastinate lessen, if not disappear altogether.
Anytime Pages
Finally, if you're curious about the journaling technique I use to ensure I have an aha moment every time, check out this video I did on what I call Anytime Pages.
There you have it. Three powerful journal prompts to help you get to the root of your procrastination so you can get unstuck fast.
And if you're interested in yet more tools to help you overcome procrastination, I highly recommend checking out my free Masterclass.
In it I share with you three powerful mindset shifts, along with one simple three-step system, to help you overcome procrastination and start being productive consistently, so achieving your goals becomes inevitable.
To get access to the Masterclass, all you have to do is go to this link and sign up.
If you liked this video, hit that like button and subscribe, and be sure to share it with your friends.
I'll be back next week with another video.
See you then.
Bye.
So here's an extra tip for those of you who are still around and wanting to listen to me. If you have discovered that the reason why you're procrastinating is because you have to contact someone in order to get either a question answered, or they need to help you with the next step - like you just, you have to TALK to another human being... And that's what's holding you up. Or you just have to go outside. Like maybe you have to walk to the library. [GENUINE GASP OF TERROR] If your next step involves something that produces a lot of anxiety in you, you're not alone. And what I want to tell you is that you are WORTH the effort to move through that anxiety.
Please, be kind to yourself. Know that it is hard and it's okay. You've got this.