The procrastination cure may not be what you think….

It may require soul searching and evening therapy to root out what may be blocking your progress rather than yet another self help book or career coach.

I’ve struggled with procrastination my whole life. I’m only now learning that I’m not lazy or inefficient or a whole slew of other things I may call myself.

This journey is different for everyone, but it was a drilldown to a root of shame that is setting me on a journey toward freedom from procrastination. In my childhood, most attempts at participation in anything – from playground games (I was small and awkward) to simply speaking to classmates (I had a severe speech impediment) were met with ridicule and shame.

Fast forward several decades….. Even though I’ve long outgrown my skinny awkwardness and I even do public speaking now, I often find myself putting off the most simple of tasks. You see, certain responses were burned into my brain during my formative years (and, unfortunately, reinforced by some destructive relationships in my adulthood). To avoid the pain of relentless bullying on the playground at recess or lunch, I would simply avoid the pain of participation by hiding out in the library or the bathroom. So even in adulthood when faced with something to do, my first response is to dodge.

That’s when I have to tell that little girl that hid in the library or bathroom that it’s not her show anymore. “Grown Tracy” is taking charge now and realizes that in this present moment, avoidance in the form of procrastination will only bring pain rather than being a rescue from bullies that now exist only in my brain.

So, perhaps…. untangling from shame is the hidden key to unleashing focus and productivity.