Latest / The Talent Brief / You're Not Avoiding the Task
Transcript
- Jeff Ganter: I've been thinking a lot about procrastination lately, mostly because I'm really good at it. And for years I treated it like a behavior problem. Just start. Stop screwing around. Get focused. Be more disciplined. You know the script. But lately, I've started wondering if I've been trying to solve the wrong problem because there are things I know I need to do. Things that matter to me. Things I actually want to do. And somehow, right before I start, seventeen other things suddenly become incredibly important. Check emails, walk the dogs, research something I absolutely do not need to know right now. And of course, there's always scrolling. Anything except starting the thing I said mattered. And recently I caught myself doing it. But instead of asking, why am I procrastinating again? I asked myself something different. What am I feeling right before I decide not to start? That question stopped me. I'm Jeff Gantor, and thanks for listening to the Talent Brief. Last week, in Busy Isn't a Feeling, I talked about how good we've become at describing what's happening around us without necessarily describing what's happening inside us. And I think we may do the same thing with procrastination. We name the behavior I'm procrastinating. Then we immediately try to correct it. And we rarely get curious about what happened right before it. Because maybe the task isn't what we're avoiding. Maybe it's the feeling waiting for us when we start. Uncertainty, pressure, overwhelm. Boredom. The possibility that I won't know what I'm doing. The possibility that I'll get it wrong. And here's one I wasn't expecting. The possibility that I'll get it right. Because then what? If I start the thing I've been talking about, if I send the application, if I make the call. If I finally put the idea into the world, something might actually happen. And now procrastination starts looking a little different. Maybe some of what I've been calling procrastination has actually been resistance. And resistance is information. It doesn't automatically mean don't do this. Sometimes it might mean I don't know where to begin. I'm afraid I won't be good at this. This feels bigger than I expected. I don't know what happens after this. Or maybe. I just don't want to feel uncomfortable. And if that's true, telling myself to just get it done completely misses a conversation. Because I'm trying to fix a behavior without understanding what's underneath it. And trust me, I've tried the protec productivity stuff. AI, calendars, lists, timers, accountability. All of those things can help. But AI and a better calendar can't answer a question you haven't asked. What happens inside me right before I decide not to start? That's the question I'm sitting with. Because why am I procrastinating already feels a little like accusation? But what am I experiencing right now? That feels like curiosity, and curiosity gives me somewhere to go. Notice it, name it, question the script attached to it, then choose what happens next. Maybe the goal is isn't to eliminate resistance. Maybe it's learning how to recognize it without immediately obeying it. So here's a challenge for you this week. Think about one thing you've been putting off. And before you turn this into another productivity exercise, don't do it yet. Seriously. Just notice what happens when you think about starting. What shows up? Pressure, fear, confusion, boredom, perfectionism, maybe something you can't quite name yet. Stay there for a minute. Because the task might not be what you're avoiding. The feeling awaiting for you when you start might be the signal. Trust the signal. question the script. Thanks for listening and see you soon. Bye.