Episode 111: The Upside of Procrastination

What if procrastination was a helpful ally...a signal to listen to your gut? In this episode we take a look at how to make better decisions by tapping into your intuition, and how procrastination can help facilitate this process.

We want to thank today's sponsor, Quantum Energy Squares - the tasty snack with protein, complex carbs and 100 mg of natural caffeine, equivalent to an 8 oz. cup of coffee. Visit quantumsquares.com and enter my exclusive discount code PRIOR10 for 20% off your order.

Want to get a snapshot of your own life in just minutes? Take the free Prior 10 Life Assessment at www.prior10.com/assessment.

The information contained and documents referenced in the podcast “Your Priority Centered Life” are for entertainment, educational and informational purposes only, and are not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, professional medical or health treatment, diagnosis, or advice. We strongly encourage listeners to consult with medical providers or qualified mental health providers with issues and questions regarding any physical and/or mental health symptoms or concerns that they may have. Furthermore, the opinions and views expressed by podcast guests, partners and/or affiliates are not necessarily those of the podcast host. Dr. Alise Murray’s opinions and views are expressed in her individual capacity and are not to be construed as those of any of her podcast guests, partners and/or affiliates.

Transcript

(Note: Transcript has been trimmed for clarity and is not an exact, word-for-word document.)

When you think about procrastination, what comes up? Annoyance, hopelessness, frustration, anxiety…But sometimes procrastination is a powerful ally. When you want to get something done and you feel that internal brake, it could be that your intuition is telling you now’s not the time to get it done, if ever. 

Some of us are ready-fire-aim people. We decide too quickly, say “yes” and then sometimes regret it afterward. If this is you, you might want to take some time to slow down and listen to your gut. 

I remember when my kids were little, I would call the consulting nurse sometimes if I wasn’t sure about something. The nurse would ask me questions, and based on the data she heard, she would tell me the facts, but then the call always ended with “listen to your mom gut.” More often than not, I would bring them into the ER or urgent care, but sometimes my gut would tell me that it was best to wait and do home care, and this would work out fine.

So what does that mean to have a gut feeling? This is totally real. Your gut is where 90 to 95% of your serotonin is produced. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is involved in parasympathetic nervous system activity…in other words, the part of your nervous system that helps you calm down. It’s been called the “rest and digest” system. 

Serotonin is what most antidepressants target. Most antidepressants are what are called SSRIs, which stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They help keep serotonin available, which helps you feel calmer and less depressed. 

The vagus nerve, which connects your brain and your gut, is an important nerve to help your nervous system calm down.

Research has found that giving mice probiotics not only improves their gut health, it helps them to be calmer in stressful conditions.

So, your gut works with your brain to help you manage stress. If you manage stress well, you will make better decisions.

So let’s come back to procrastination. Ultimately when we procrastinate we are making a decision not to do something. It may not feel that way, but it is a decision. If you go to bed Friday night and say “I’ll mow the lawn tomorrow morning”, but you end up not feeling the mojo to mow the lawn and watching TV instead, that’s a decision.

So what are some reasons you could be deciding to put things off that could actually be beneficial?

1.     Make sure you’re getting enough rest. If you are pushing yourself all day without intentional breaks that are actually fun and relaxing, you may very well find yourself putting things off. 

 2.     It’s not important to you. Maybe you put it on your list and it seemed like a great idea, but a part of you knows it’s not really important in the grand scheme of things. There’s a mismatch between this task and your core values. 

 In my Prior 10 Life Management course, we discuss how important it is to identify your core values so you know what’s truly important to you. We all encounter things that seem good and important every day, but we only have so much bandwidth. When we feel overwhelmed, it’s because everything seems important.

3.     It doesn’t feel right. Your gut may be picking up on something “off” before your brain does.

 4.     There’s no compelling “why”. Why now? Your gut may know that there’s not enough of a reason to motivate you at this time, and without that you won’t succeed. 

So what can you do if your gut is holding you back?

Write out your “why”. Why do you want to do this? Why now? What is the end result you want? What will happen if you don’t do this now? When you consider other plans and commitments you have going on right now, does that “why” draw you forward? Are you saying “yes” to doing this with enthusiasm, or is it halfhearted?

Ultimately the best decisions are made with your head and your gut. Your head comes into play when you consider the facts. You list pros and cons, look at your budget, look at how much time is involved.

Your gut comes into it when you vividly imagine doing it and you listen to your body. Make it really clear. So if you want to get fit, imagine getting dressed and feeling how easy it is to zip up your pants. Imagine how it feels to walk to your car, to do the activities that are important to you. Also imagine in detail working out, how it’s a regular habit for you. Do you feel excited? Energized? Lighter? Or does your gut clench? Do you feel tired? Now vividly imagine not doing anything at all to get fit. Imagine going through your day, getting dressed, doing your activities. Do this several times, at different times of day. Don’t listen to “shoulds”, listen to your gut. If you don’t feel excited about your goal, maybe the timing’s off, or you need to rethink what you do to move toward your goal. Maybe don’t go to the gym but walk more often. Imagine that and see how you feel.

Now some of you may be thinking, my gut holds me back a lot. Even when I try to narrow it down to the tasks and projects that are most important to me, I get anxious when I listen to my gut. I overthink and I don’t act. Listen to episode 9 to see if there are other reasons you are procrastinating, but if you feel like anxiety is holding you back a lot in life, do yourself a favor and arrange to see a therapist, or discuss your anxiety with your doctor. Some of us have nervous systems that are wired to perceive everything as dangerous, like an overly sensitive car alarm that goes off when you haven’t even touched the car, just from the vibrations of you walking by. Your nervous system may be overly reactive and a mental health professional can help.

So, to sum up, if you find yourself procrastinating, try writing out what you want to accomplish and why. Really flesh out that why and see what happens. And listen to your gut. Your intuition is powerful. Let it work with your logical mind and guide you.