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Episode Transcription

Dr Marisa Lee Naismith  00:02

It’s Marissa Lee here. And I’m so excited to be sharing today solo round episode with you. Whether you’re a member of the voice community, or beyond your voice is your unique gift. And my mission, which has been inspired by my own personal and professional journey is to empower you to share your gift with others. Now is the time for you to discover your voice in life, develop a positive mindset, and become the best and most authentic version of yourself to create greater impact. Ultimately, you can take charge, and you can become the director of your own life. It’s time for you to live your best ally. It’s time now, for a voice and beyond. So, without further ado, let’s go to today’s episode.

Dr Marisa Lee Naismith  01:10

How often do you begin an important task and then you suddenly find yourself standing in front of the coffee machine just five minutes later? Ask yourself, do you feel as though you are going nowhere fast? Instead of moving forward? It feels like you’re stagnating and could be doing so much more with your life. Be honest here. Are you guilty of procrastination? If your answer is yes, don’t be hard on yourself. Procrastination is something we’re all challenged with at one time or another in our lives. We all go through periods where we feel like we might be stuck or we might be in a rut, then there are days we feel like we’re just going through the motions, we’re simply treading water. These feelings can be so frustrating. But for as long as humans have been around, we have all struggled with things like delaying, avoiding being stuck and procrastinating on the things that really matter to us. Let’s be clear, if you’re a procrastinator, it doesn’t mean to say you’re lazy because when someone is lazy, they have an unwillingness to do something. So an example of procrastinating would be you have to do some prepping for your teaching day or rehearsing for a gig. But instead you end up being suckered into scrolling through your social media or end up doing a binge of your favourite Netflix show. So what you end up doing is totally wasting that time. You aren’t being lazy. In that moment, your focus has shifted into doing something important to doing something that is unimportant, there is a difference. The problem is that when you procrastinate, you waste time and when you spend or waste something, you can never get it back. But when you invest something it creates future value. So by procrastinating you’re wasting time spent in something you will never get back and you will never get a return on it in the future. We only get one shot at this life. And we are here for a short time and we want to make it the most fulfilling time and not a waste of time. In today’s episode, we are going to figure out why you may be procrastinating and I will share some simple ideas that you can use to manage your day have you feeling more motivated, more productive, creative and inspired to get you started on that very thing you have been putting off.

04:16

Procrastination can come about because we don’t have a high enough necessity to get something done. Because we haven’t told people in our lives about our goals, our desires, our dreams, our ambitions, and we don’t have people keeping us accountable. So if you’re struggling with being held accountable, you need to surround yourself with people who are driven or who are experts at what you want to do and will give you a roadmap. You may need to get a life or a business coach if that’s necessary for you. I have a life coach and she has been a life changer for me. She is an ex law enforcement officer who takes no hostages, I can assure you, she holds me accountable, there is no mamby pamby talk, there is no woowoo stuff going on, there is no beating around the bush and procrastinating is absolutely not acceptable. You need to have someone in your life who knows you well and who knows what you’re wanting to achieve. And then you must continue sharing your dreams, your goals and your aspirations with that person. And if you don’t have anybody to report to start by reporting to your spouse, or your partner, your friend, your neighbour, but somebody needs to know what you’re trying to get done, there is stagnation and suffering in silence. When we are not communicating what’s important to us, procrastination can set in because our reputation isn’t on the line. No one wants their reputation tarnished. So start spreading the word today.

06:12

Your environment has an impact on your productivity. You cannot underestimate the power of your surroundings. This has been proven to be a cause of procrastination and time wasting your work environment that is your workspace or your work location, including the commute really does impact on how much you procrastinate. Some of you may think this is a cop out. And you don’t believe that external factors should be used as an excuse for procrastination. He may believe that in life, you have to be self motivated. Yes, that is true to a certain extent. But I truly believe that no matter wherever we’re at, we have to find great engagement and joy in our surroundings, we all need to find a place where we can go to to get the job done. No matter where this space is, inside or outside your home. You need to show up there on a regular basis and work otherwise you will keep procrastinating. You need to schedule to go into that workplace and be proactive in achieving those things that need to get done. So if you’re still struggling with procrastination, be sure to check out your environment. Ask yourself, is this a place that is set up for me to get on with all the tasks that I need to achieve? Do I enjoy going there? And do I have a schedule for going into that space? If not, this could well be the very reason why you’re procrastinating.

Dr Marisa Lee Naismith  08:03

As I said earlier, the problem with procrastination is usually focused around starting something. It’s great to have these big dreams and aspirations and goals to aim for both within your professional and in your personal life. But if the distance between where you are right now and your goals is far too great, you might just be setting yourself up for procrastination, you find yourself stuck because it’s all too much and you don’t even know where to begin. This is why we need to look at our goals and break them down into smaller more manageable bits, especially if we’re feeling in overwhelm because if we believe that our goals are achievable, it’s so much easier to get started, then we will be less likely to procrastinate. ambitious goals can be inspiring and motivating at first, but they can also be intimidating if we don’t have those smaller steps to make them achievable. However, before breaking down your goals into smaller steps you need to define your goals properly. This means that your goals should be as precise as they can be and should not just be kept in your head. You must write them down and put them somewhere where you can see them often. I’ll share a little secret with you here. I keep mine in the bathroom and I have no choice but to look at them. Yeah. Okay, sorry for sharing that one but I think you get the picture. Aside from that, be sure to make a list of specific tasks that are necessary for you to achieve your weekly or your monthly milestones and write these in your weekly planner and get into a routine with them and be sure to prepare everything you need. The key to success is good preparation, preparing adequately for each task and getting the necessary support will help you save time because you will be ready to roll up your sleeves and get started right away. Once you are prepared this will stop you from spiralling into procrastination.

Dr Marisa Lee Naismith  10:29

From now on, no more excuses and no more procrastination. You have one life and you have the potential for greatness. Use your time to become the CEO of your family, your business but most importantly your life. Stop procrastinating and start focusing on leading the life you dreamed of being the person you imagined to be and accomplishing your life’s mission. Life is short and there is no time for regret. 

Dr Marisa Lee Naismith  11:07

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of a voice and beyond. I hope you enjoyed it as now is an important time for you to invest in your own self care, personal growth and education. Use every day as an opportunity to learn and to grow so you can show up feeling empowered and ready to live your best life. If you know someone who will also be inspired by this episode, please be sure to copy and paste the link and share it with them. Or share it on social media and use the hashtag a voice and beyond. I promise you I am committed to bringing you more inspiration and conversations just like this one every week. And if you would like to help me please rate and review this podcast and cheer me on by clicking the subscribe button on Apple podcast right now. I would also love to know what it is that you most enjoyed about this episode and what was your biggest takeaway? Please take care and I look forward to your company next time on the next episode have a voice and beyond