7 signs of procrastination in female entrepreneurs
Procrastination is a massive problem when you’re running a business.
It kills your results because you need to focus on bigger and better things.
When you procrastinate, you waste time on low-value tasks, becoming a busy fool ➡️ and that eats away at your self-worth, making you feel unworthy of running your business. This creates a vicious cycle of self-doubt and stagnation.
In this blog, I’m sharing the seven most common signs that you might be a procrastinator.
Watch out for those lightbulb moments 💡, and I’ll also give you three quick, actionable steps to stop procrastinating and start getting more of the important stuff done.
Plus, I’ll help you understand why we do it, because comprehension is key.
1.Doing Low-Value Stuff
This is the classic one—spending time on tasks like tidying your workspace, doing errands, or making spreadsheets. While these tasks can be helpful, they don’t move your business forward. Social media is a huge culprit here, with doom-scrolling and checking likes or inquiries being major time-wasters.
2. Overloading Your To-Do List
You pack your to-do list with so many tasks that you end up with more items at the end of the day than when you started.
This feeds your ego, making you feel important, but it’s not your zone of genius. It’s being a busy fool.
3. Procrastinating with Perfectionism
You spend too much time perfecting details that don’t matter - like font sizes and colours. Yes, professionalism matters, but there’s a strong case for being perfectly imperfect.
Just push the button and do the thing 👊.
4. Focusing on the Wrong High-Value Task
You might start your day with a clear priority but then get distracted by another high-value task that should have been done last week. This is a big distraction from what you should be focusing on right now.
5. Doing the Right Thing with the Wrong Energy
You’re doing the task, but with the wrong energy.
If you’re forcing yourself and it feels horrible, it’s not going to land properly. It’s a subtle form of self-sabotage.
6. Playing to Say You’ve Done Your Best, Not to Win
You do tasks for validation and approval rather than going all in, heart-first…. aiming to win. It’s about getting a pat on the head rather than achieving your true potential.
7. Enjoying the Stress of Being Busy
You secretly revel in the busyness because it makes you feel significant. This is about trading long-term satisfaction for a short-term dopamine hit.
Why Do We Procrastinate?
Avoiding the task at hand often comes down to a fear of failure and rejection.
It's about self-worth and the unknown. Humans will do anything to avoid change, even if they hate their current situation. This avoidance keeps us in our comfort zone and prevents us from growing.
Three Ways to Stop Procrastinating
Mission Over Mindset in the Moment: Make sure your vision is greater than your fear. Spend five minutes each morning dreaming about your future success. This will help you see procrastination as a small bump in the road.
Gamify the Task: Use the Pomodoro Technique. Work for 50 minutes with deep focus, then take a 10-minute break as a reward. This makes tasks more manageable and less daunting.
Celebrate and Bask: When you take action, celebrate your success. This releases feel-good hormones and builds a cycle of evidence that you can do hard things, making it easier to tackle future challenges.
Bonus Tip
I've just launched a new book called "Imposter Syndrome is Killing Your Business."
It’s a practical guide to overcoming impostor syndrome, including procrastination, with actionable steps. It’s free to download right now, so go grab it HERE!
Let me know how this conversation has hit home for you. Share what you’ve stopped procrastinating on and what you’re celebrating.