Procrastination

"I'll get around to it one day..."

"I know I should, but I just can't get started."

"Every time I think of doing it, I just freeze."

"I find a million other things to do, rather than doing 'it'."

Do any of these statements ring true for you? Procrastination is an all-too-familiar problem for many people.

Procrastination can manifest as
putting off starting an unpleasant task; 
finding yourself unable to complete something even though you're nearly there; 
distracting yourself from what you need to do, by eating, cleaning, talking on the phone, shopping, surfing the 'net.... (believe me, I've heard it all!) 
telling yourself you can't get started until...

Most people assume they just need to try harder, exercise their will-power, and tough it out - just MAKE THEMSELVES do it!

But there's a much better way... and it just happens to be easier, faster, and a lot more fun, too.

Procrastination almost always reveals an inner conflict about whatever it is you're putting off. Part of you wants to get the job done, while another part is hanging back. But why would that be? Here are some common inner conflicts underlying procrastination:
Fear of criticism. Your work might get judged by others once you complete it, but if you don't, you can always fend off criticism by saying, 'Well, it's not actually finished yet.'  
Fear of success - in particular, other people's reactions to your success. If you lose the weight, quit smoking, or go fo that job interview and land the job, it's possible that not everyone you know will be thrilled to bits. 
Fear of failure - what if you try your hardest but still don't succeed?
Belief systems and comfort zones. For example, blocking yourself from getting started might reinforce your belief that you are a procrastinator who never gets anything done! This stops you from even getting started, so you stay in your comfort zone.
Fear of increased expectations - if you succeed at this task, will others expect even more of you?

There are many more sources of internal conflict that contribute to procrastination. My approach to all of them is to use EFT on the underlying feelings driving the conflict: fear, shame, guilt, self-doubt and so on; and the past events in your life that cause these feelings to pop up now.

Isobel's story (at left) illustrates perfectly how our feelings can keep us stuck in a pattern of procrastination, and how targeting EFT at those feelings gets un stuck, quickly and easily.