I’m a Recovering Procrastinator. Here’s How I’ve Learned to Crush My Goals.
Hello — my name is Nesha and I’m a recovering procrastinator. Here is how I am actively purging my complacency.
I am distracted, self-judging, and impatient with results. I am constantly trying to avoid refreshing my GMAIL when I am supposed to be focusing. Or resisting the urge to stay in bed and watch YouTube.
I am still in recovery mode. These things are kryptonite for me.
I am susceptible to inspiration, a chaser of lofty challenges, and a rebel. My motivation stems from witnessing transformations, my own fears, or other’s doubt or presumed limitations of me.
Motivation is fleeting.
Waiting to be motivated is a sure way to failure. It is also another way to welcome complacency into your life. It just makes the journey even more difficult.
In my 20s, I taught myself the discipline I needed to become a doer and an achiever. The habits I gained from the service helped me to level up with some dope accomplishments before turning 32.
Ran a few half marathons.
Graduated from college in three years.
Built a brick-and-mortar business from the ground up.
I nursed my babies for 17 months while working.
Broke into a professional industry without any experience. I
Became a top performer within my HR consulting company.
I really forced myself to become bothered by complacency.
None of this was accomplished without its fair share of delayed starts. And I certainly was not relying on motivation alone. I’m creating quality habits and a substantial mental shift.
It was definitely easier before I started a family. So I lean on these tips now more than ever because mom life is real.
Here is how I am learning to combat complacency:
I start with the end in mind.
I think of what areas in my life I want to focus on for the year and the end result that I want to accomplish under those pillars. I consider outcomes that I want to achieve for each. Then I reverse engineer my goals from there.
I try to focus on just a few core pillars so that I will be hyper-focused within them.
I make scary goals.
My dichotomy: I am pragmatic and a dreamer. I believe that most of us only tap into half of our potential because our dreams are not big enough. More often than not, I force my pragmatism to submit to my dreams.
I start each year with the intent to add 10% more to every goal I set for myself to make sure that I am not thinking too small.
I focus on what would happen if I did not meet my goals.
Simon Sinek told us to start with our why in mind. I had to purge myself of complacency because it hindered my ability to reach my potential. My inability to reach my potential hindered my ability to meet my goals. If it hindered my goals then it hindered my family.
So it had to go.
It had no place in my life if I wanted to accomplish anything for any of them.
I am also realistic about my challenges.
I allow my pragmatism to step in on occasion. It’s helpful when navigating my failures or weaknesses. I like to assess my current state before taking on any challenges, mentally, physically, or lifestyle.
If one area limits my ability to achieve my goal, I try to reinforce it in some manner or alter my path. That could be bringing in another person, hiring a coach, outsourcing a task, etc.
I am not above admitting my limitations. This show is a testament to that.
I work in my ideal periods & sprints.
I’m a morning person. Waking up at 5 AM and starting my day is easy for me. On the flip side, I tend to be the least productive between 2–5 PM.
I’m less focused, I don’t want to socialize. My brain is more likely to welcome a distraction.
So I plan as much work as I can from 5–10 AM. I also work best in sprints, meaning head-down grunt work without distractions for planned increments.
I set my alarm or allocate time in my calendar to accomplish a milestone. Once the alarm goes off, whether I am finished or not, I move on. This keeps me focused and ensures that I am not chasing perfection.
I also love working late on weekends after I put my babies to bed. This has added the greatest impact to my goals.
It’s certainly the hardest to sustain because I have a full-time project and four small kids at home.
I don’t chase perfection.
I have an 80/20 rule with decision-making. If something is 80% good enough to be put out there, I execute.
Chasing perfection could potentially delay action. It also leaves little to no room for failure, which is inevitable.
I’ve never been one who felt like I needed to be in control of external factors. I do the absolute best that I can before seeking feedback. This show is a testament to that. Test and pivot.
I welcome failure.
I reprogrammed after hearing Jay-Z’s philosophy on failure (google his OWN Masterclass). I plan to fail at almost everything, especially with my schedule as a working mom and wife.
I try to fail a little better each time by taking inventory of lessons learned, studying those who have achieved similar goals, and also reminding myself that failure is inevitable.
I eliminated a lot of distractions.
By far the hardest part of purging complacency is skimming the fat. Relationships, social media, and poor habits all had to go if they no longer aligned with my goal. More like separation than divorce. I knew that I would allow myself to use them as excuses to not pursue my goals.
I recognize how much control I have to change my life.
Lastly, I recognized a few years ago that I have control of my outcomes. If there is something in my life that does not work, I have the choice to participate in it. Life isn’t happening to me.
Many succumb to complacency when they believe they have no control over the outcomes. I am very mindful of my circle of influence versus control.
I try to avoid getting too consumed by things I have no control over.
Your turn: This list is one that I’ve built over the past ten-plus years. I would love to know what habits or mental shifts you’ve adopted to purge your complacency.
