Hi Friends,

Today I told myself I would have this newsletter written and scheduled to send by 2 pm so that I could enjoy a relaxing Sunday evening at home and ease into my week. Then, around lunchtime, I told myself I just needed to close out a few tasks before I started writing. Those tasks? Two unfinished Netflix shows.

Sound familiar? I know I’m not alone in struggling with procrastination - I often take longer thinking about having to do something than it takes to actually do that thing. And every time I realize this (always after doing the thing I had been thinking about for waaay too long), I tell myself I’ll do things differently next time. And, for me, sometimes I do until, well, I don’t.

Tim Urban of my favorite blog ‘Wait but Why?’ is my favorite author and speaker on the subject. He explains that there’s a key difference between the brain of a Non-Procrastinator and a Procrastinator:

Both have rational decision-makers except for one key difference: those of us who tend to procrastinate also have an Instant Gratification Monkey that coexists with our rational decision-maker. The Instant Gratification Monkey thinks only about the present, ignoring lessons from the past and disregarding the future altogether, she only cares about maximizing the ease and pleasure of the current moment.

When the Instant Gratification Monkey is in charge, the Procrastinator spends a lot of time in what Urban calls, “the Dark Playground: where leisure activities happen at times when leisure activities are not supposed to be happening.”

Today, my Instant Gratification Monkey lured me into the Dark Playground of Netflix, and, finishing both the latest season of Selling Sunset and The Fall of The House of Usher, it was both dark and very dramatic.

The only thing that pulls Instant Gratification Monkey away from the captain of your brain is, what Urban calls, The Panic Monster, who wakes up when a deadline gets too close or there’s danger of something very scary or embarrassing happening.

I know what many of you and my younger self are thinking: “But procrastination works for me - I get my best work done right before a deadline.”

Even though I successfully once wrote a 60-page Capstone Thesis in less than a week, I no longer agree with the argument that procrastination is a great motivator and drives the best work.

I disagree because the Panic Monster only comes out of dormancy and incites a strong work ethic when there’s a deadline. And the further we progress in our career, the further we get from traditional deadlines to hold us accountable.

Procrastination in our career development, where there is often no firm deadlines, leads us to be a “spectator in our lives,” full of regret and perceived time wasted.

Whether you’re searching for a new role or looking to move up and grow where you’re planted, I guarantee you’re procrastinating on something - we all are.

So let’s dig into how we can quell the instant gratification monkey from being at the helm of our career and take back control…

Clarify 💡

So, what are you putting off in your career?

Don’t think long about it, whatever just came to mind as soon as you read those words is your answer. And it’s more of a mental burden than you realize.

So name that burden. I recommend grabbing a pen and paper and simply writing to yourself “What am I putting off in my career?” and responding to yourself - write it down.

Connect 🤝

Next - connect whatever you’re procrastinating to one of your lifestyle goals and assess the urgency.

I’ll give you an example: let’s say what immediately comes to mind when you ask yourself what you’re putting off is “update my LinkedIn ”.

Next, you should ask yourself: How does “updating my LinkedIn” map to my lifestyle priorities?

• If you’re in between roles and job searching, updating your LinkedIn to best showcase your experience and your personal brand directly connects to finding a new role - impacting both financial and professional stability. It’s very important.

• If you’re thinking about leaving your role but not actively looking yet, updating your LinkedIn is one of the first steps to navigating a job search and finding a role that is (hopefully) more fulfilling. It’s important but not as urgent.

• If you’re happily employed and plan to stay at your company for some time, updating your LinkedIn maps to less urgent life priorities than financial stability - perhaps building your personal brand and being seen as a thought leader in your industry. It’s something on your to-do list but not as critical.

Next, give yourself a deadline. To take our example a step further:

• If you’re putting off updating your LinkedIn to find a new role and you’re unemployed, your deadline should be aggressive, I would advise today!

• If you’re thinking about making a change and finding a role and you know updating your LinkedIn is an important step in making that change, your deadline should push you to start the process but keep in mind other more urgent priorities.

• If you’re happily employed, your deadline for updating your LinkedIn might extend out and coincide with other professional goals around speaking at a conference or starting a new meetup group.

  The important thing is to give yourself a deadline that matches the urgency of the thing you’re currently putting off.

  As a quick aside…no matter who you are in this example, the ultimate procrastination hack is to not go at it alone and invest in a professional to do the hard work for you. I love partnering with people to polish their personal brand on paper (resume), online (LinkedIn), and in their own spoken narrative (interviews & networking).

  So, I’m curious…

  How LinkedIn savvy are you?

  I'm a LinkedIn pro - my profile & engagement strategy is spot on! I could use some help I have no idea what I'm doing

  Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

  Ok now back to the final tip…

Confidently Communicate 🗣️

So you’ve (1) named what you're putting off in your career and (2) given yourself a deadline that matches the urgency now is the most important step for true procrastinators:

tell your deadline to someone you trust and you know who will hold you accountable.

The accountability effect and positive peer pressure works - according to a study by Dr. Gail Matthews at the Dominican University of California, people who wrote down their goals, shared them with a friend, and sent weekly updates to that friend were on average 33% more successful in accomplishing their stated goals than those who merely formulated goals.

It doesn’t have to be a friend though - I’m often that accountability partner for my clients and I take that role very seriously.

So let’s chat if you’ve been putting off something in your career that you want. The 30-minute (free) intro call I offer may be all you need to vocalize what your next step is and take action on your own (well not entirely on your own - still get an accountability partner!). OR you may require more support and accountability through 1-1 coaching.

Wherever you land, I’d love to help you get out of your Dark Playground and get that Instant Gratification Monkey off your back.

This week…

Until next Sunday,

Jess Storiale