Procrastination - Sean Mic

The speaker discusses the issue of procrastination, particularly in relation to studying for tests. They share their personal experience of procrastinating and the negative effects it had on their stress levels and quality of life. They also mention that procrastination can occur in various areas of life, not just in academics. The speaker and their friend discuss their different approaches to studying and how their motivations and fear of failure influenced their behavior. They highlight the importance of having a strong reason or purpose behind tasks to overcome procrastination. The friend, who is a coach, suggests that overwhelm and lack of emotional connection to goals are common reasons for procrastination. They emphasize the need for self-reflection and deep digging to uncover the true motivations behind goals. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the importance of planning and taking action steps to achieve desired outcomes. So the professor says, in 6 weeks you're going to have this test, and here's the study guide, we're going to be studying these things, doesn't matter what subject it is, you've got 6 whole weeks, you've got plenty of time, kick back and relax. You look up, your test is the next day and you have not studied, and it's cram time. What happens? Why does that happen? Maybe some of you are listening to this and that's not you. That was me. I did not prepare well, my brain would not switch on, it would be the last thing I wanted to do, that test was coming, whatever it was, and I would just wait and wait, maybe I'd pick up the book at some point, flip through a page or two, put it right back down, it just did not engage with me. But that is the simplest form of procrastination that I could think of. Like when I just procrastinated, it was when I had some kind of thing coming up, normally an important thing, it doesn't have to be important, but it would be important, and not wanting to do it, not interested at all, had to do it, and I would just put it off and put it off and put it off, and there would be so much stress involved, a day or two days before just cramming, and it feels miserable. Like the amount of cortisol, the negative thoughts, the lack of sleep, it all impacts you, and it does not produce a quality of life that feels good, it's not one you would opt in for, and I'm talking about some class here in high school or college, it could be your work, you've got a deadline and you procrastinate, but it happens everywhere. This is just one example, and if there's one person I know that does not procrastinate, it's like the anti-procrastinator, and I'm sure there is some areas in your life that you might, but for the most part, you don't like anything in your plate, and you give it up immediately, and I love, and I start to adopt this, I just like fast decisions, which I've had all kinds of episodes on that before, but Sean, how, and I'm curious, in school, how was it for you, was it like out of tent at all? Because I know everything else that I know you as of now, you don't do that, like you just jump on it, but yeah, how do you procrastination, what do you do when you feel those feelings of I don't want to do this right now, and what are the outcomes in your experience in the past compared to now? I think I noticed at an early age, where even in school, like I was that guy that I could not wait until one or two days before the test. You had to study early. I had to, because if I didn't, I would fail, right, and then I would be a failure, and then I wouldn't graduate, right, and so I had to forethink backwards plan, and at a young age, even through middle school, high school, and I remember very specifically in college, I had to start studying two weeks out. Did that help you? No, I just, it was more of like, I feel like I was really self-aware, and I learned that at an early age, like if I didn't, then I would end up not getting to the result that I wanted to get to, subconsciously, like, which is passing a class. Well, if I don't pass the class, then I'll get to play baseball, and if I don't get to play baseball, then what's everybody going to think about me? So I had to forethink backwards plan. Because you didn't like school. No, not at all. I just know this innately about you and myself. We did not like school. It's a subject I absolutely love, which is really interesting to me, because I hated school. It was not my jam, but there was people there, I enjoyed people, being around them, that was fun, but the school was awful, and I knew that about you, and so with me, school being, doing a test or whatever, I was like, I'm putting that off for the last minute, so I just assumed, like, you didn't like school, and you would have done the same thing, so it's really interesting for me to hear that you would plan ahead. I mean, because I know that's how you are now, I honestly thought you were going to say something like, well, I did that, but I didn't like it, and I had to change. Yeah. But we've been that way. Always been that way, man. And so, for me, it was that fear of failure, so I was like, okay, well, I don't like this feeling, what can I do to overcome that? And one of the things that worked for me was, forethinking is backwards planning, so I had to study, and I had to break it down into manageable tasks, and just talking about it on the podcast, like, I'm breaking it down, and so that was one of the things we've learned with how to overcome procrastination, what we're going to be talking about on the podcast today, is why don't we procrastinate, right? For me, and for other people that I've helped along the way, and coach, and stuff like that, it's either fear of failure, and mostly, it's overwhelming, right? And so, why do we procrastinate? Because it's overwhelming. And so, just like the same thing with a test is, for me, it was like, well, one of the things is like, okay, I can either overwhelm, get overwhelmed with this, and I can have a fear of failure, or I can plan for it, and wipe both of those out, right? And so, what I mean by that is like, if I'm forethinking, it's backwards planning, and I'm actually studying, breaking it down to manageable tasks, then the outcome is passing the test, and getting to where I want to go. And so, I, yeah. So, it wasn't about passing the test for you, it was about passing the test to play baseball. So, you had a bigger why behind it. Exactly, yeah. Which is really interesting, yeah, because I think about like, a lot of the times that I procrastinate, there's nothing behind it. Yeah. There's no reason. So, I'm just going to put this thing off, because it's pain. For me, it's uncomfortable, and there's so much to do, or maybe I don't even know what to do. Yeah. So, I don't put it off, I'm going to do something that my brain enjoys. The dopamine kicks in, you can get distracted. And I know this about myself, so I have protocols in place to effectively manage it, but it still shows up. You know, my ADHD, clinically diagnosed, makes it quite difficult, and so I have to plan for things, but like we talked about earlier, you put a deadline in a place for me, I never miss a deadline. Yeah. I always hit a deadline, because, maybe not because of the deadline, but because of the why behind it. If I don't hit that deadline, what's my outcome? I can't handle that outcome of not doing what I said I would do on time. Right? But if there's no deadline, it will continue to go on. Like my laundry thing in my existence, sometimes I'll be really good with putting it away, and then other times, if I don't do it in the scheduled time, it will just kind of meander. Right? Because I've got way more important things to do. But then it pulls my piece, because I know that needs to be done, and I'm not doing it, and it just, that's one thing that drives me nuts. Yeah. So you've coached a lot of people in procrastination, what are some of the things that you see in those coachings, or, not in coachings, but just people you see and talk to? I think the biggest thing is, the first thing that pops into my mind is overwhelm. Like it's easy to get overwhelmed, right? It's like, okay, I want to do this, this is my goal, right? I want to lose weight, I want to lose 100 pounds, like we talked about before the podcast, or I want one Bitcoin, or I want to run a marathon, or I want to do this, whatever X is. And so, then it's like, okay, the second step, right, is tying that emotional, making sure that you have that Y behind it, because if not, it's just not sustainable, and you will procrastinate. If it's not important to you, then you're going to give up in a week, two weeks, three weeks, right? So making sure you tie that Y behind it will allow you to push through when the time comes. How do you tie that in? Because people say, well, I want to lose weight because I want to feel good, want to look good, but then that's not good enough. No. If you cannot come out and say, I want to look good and feel good, and if you can't feel that within your mind, body, and soul, then you're not emotionally tied to it, right? And so it's like, there has to be some kind of deep digging, self-reflection on what it is and why you want to do it, right? Because if you don't, then you will procrastinate. You'll get overwhelmed. There will be some kind of fear, and then you just won't use your resources. You won't take the necessary action steps to keep moving the needle, keep pushing forward, right? And so I think a lot of times we, as human beings, like, we look at everybody on social media. We look at what everybody else is doing. Oh, you know, just like we ran a recent marathon, right? It's like, oh, man, we make it look so easy, right? You've got all these pictures, and we're smiling. We're high-fiving. You've got the medals. And then what are people scrolling, sitting on the couch, eating Cheetos, right? And they're like, I'm going to go run a marathon. Why? What are your next steps, right? What do you think they end up doing, right? They're inspired to go run the marathon. They're inspired to do these things. But then 24 hours rolls around, 48 hours rolls around. They procrastinate, right? And so I think it's just really getting really honest with yourself and just addressing the, like, what it is, I want to run a marathon. Okay, well, why do you want to run a marathon, right? And you can, to me, like, if you're surface level and you don't really, like, deep down inside go, this is why I want to run a freaking marathon is because, you know. Have some kind of vision. Yeah. Like, whatever that why is. Right. You're going to see yourself doing that. Because the forward thinking has to be that attractive to push through, to do those steps. But then, like you said, you have to backwards plan and take those steps. And it has to be a big enough reason to push through all those things. Because it's not easy. It's difficult. Waking up early, early, running long distance, pain, the transition periods, you know, just the mental anguish, preparation, all that. It has to be, that vision, that goal has to be worth it. Yeah. Right? The more I think about it, like, there's fear of failure. Yeah. That's one of the main reasons for me. Or not knowing what steps to take, so there's indecision. Right. And so that leads to this kind of swirling, like, of no action. Yeah. Because what action do you take because there's no steps? Well, let's break this down, right? So, three months ago, you stepped up and said, in 2023, you said, I'm going to run a marathon February 18th, 2024. We're like, cool. We got your back. We'll support you. Right? And it was an accountability. You had set it in the maps of my group. So, I'm curious, you knew the deadline was February 18th. Right? So, that was the what? I'm going to run a marathon February 18th. If you're listening to this, stay with me here. So, February 18th, that was the deadline. Why did you want to run a marathon? That was the next steps. I had eased into running with you guys and I was enjoying it. And I thought to myself, where could I take this? I think in the back of my mind, I was like, what would I have to do to continue what I'm doing and not fade off? Man, you know what it was? It was a deadline. By signing up, putting my money down, I was like, once I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it. And I was committed at that moment. So, what I'm hearing you say is that you were committed. There was a deadline. So, we're talking values here. Yeah. Right? Honor. Yeah, which is big for me. Huge for you. That's what I... You say you're going to do something. Yeah. There's a deadline. You're going to do it. Yeah. Let's go even deeper. Yeah. Then you stepped up and said, I'm going to do a sub-four hour marathon. Yeah. That's what made it really interesting. That's what I was like, I don't know if I can do that. In fact, that's a stupid goal. But I knew somewhere deep inside, I was like, okay, there's this amount of time. If I do this, this, and this, there's a chance. So, what did you just do there? You broke it down. Broke it down. Manageable task. Yes. And I did. By the day, honestly. I mean, by the... It was weeks of, I need to run this much each day. Did you forward think? Backwards plan? 100% I did. Yeah. And I have it written down in multiple places on paper and my phone. Okay, this mileage, this day, this day, this day. And I was increasing each time. Speed work on these days. Nutrition. Everything. Everything revolved around it. And what allowed you to show up every single day and do that, even when you didn't feel like it? Why did you show up? Why did you do the early mornings? I think, well, I knew if I didn't, I wasn't going to hit my goal. And that was unacceptable. Because I said I was going to do it. So that was discipline. You know, I needed to... If I miss this workout, it's going to impact the result. And I want this result. Because I want to know what this feels like to do it. And so it just... To me, it was very intriguing. That was my why. You know, and I feel... And it's interesting because I made sure I enjoyed the journey. It wasn't like I'll shut down and once I get there, I'll look up and be like, now what? It's like, no, I enjoyed the whole time and got the goal. And it's not one of those, like, oh, no, I'm kind of depressed. You know, it's over. It's like, no, I enjoyed the entire experience. It's like a little bit of art in my life. And, of course, now we're doing IROCs. And so now I have that to train for, which actually really kind of... It seems like I'm jumping to the next thing. But I'm just going to enjoy the whole process of that, too, you know? So I need to take what I'm learning out of this into other areas. Because these things are enjoyable. Staying fit is not... It's in my wheelhouse, you know? There's other things, you know, having difficult conversations, doing big deals. Yes. Staying focused on the prize. Those things can be difficult. When there's a rejection involved, that's much easier to procrastinate on for me. You know, like, especially when there's no deadline. Yeah. Like, I'm just trying to figure out what's my next step? What's the angle of me going in to talk to this customer or this account? Or I can put that off. Yeah. Until I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of that feeling. And that's normally when I make a move. Yeah. But you said that a lot, too. Yeah. You know, it's like, one time, so... Because I think of myself, because of a lot of big deals, how do those things happen? A lot of it, I put it off, put it off, until I just was so sick of putting it off. Then I take action. Because it was miserable. And you heard that a lot. Yeah. So, why did you find... So, what's the difference between the marathon prep, the marathon journey... And by the way, he hits up four, which was his goal, which is... He's being super humble. It is incredible! He just started running 12 months ago. So, which is just a huge, huge accomplishment. But I'm curious on... What a beautiful way of not procrastinating. Not procrastinating. Because it would have been easy for you to do. You know, it's because I knew what I had to do. I knew what needed to happen. And it was all planned out, laid out. When it's uncertain, it's a whole different ball game. I don't know how this is going to end up. I'm not in control of this outcome. I'm in control of the marathon outcome, no matter what, that I put in my best effort. But when there's someone else's decision involved, or someone else's response and rejection involved, that freaks me out. Yeah. And, you know, I'm pretty sure of that. Like, I know this about myself. And so I figure out ways to manage that. But it's always there. Always shows up. And sometimes I do procrastinate still. And I'll... I normally... I've condensed the time frame. But the more sick and tired I feel of like... Because it's not honorable. You know, I know what I need to do, but I'm not doing it. Here's the thing with procrastination. You didn't run a marathon on flat ground around a track. You ran it in the Texas Hill Country of Austin, Texas. Right? 400, 500, 600 feet of elevation and grade. Right? Hills. You had to adapt and adjust, is my point. With procrastination, with procrastination, you will go through the process. You will have your what. You will have your why. You will have all this that we're talking about. But you will have to adapt. You will hit a wall. You will get stuck. But that is the point. That is the place where you have to adapt and dig deep. Yes. That's exactly what it is. 100%. Right. Yes. And what gets you through that? Yes. That's right. Double black. I was struggling on that one. Yep. Yep. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.