The Day I Stopped Procrastinating (and what I do now instead)

I used to be the Queen-Bee procrastinator. I “tried” to get a successful online coaching business up and running so I could quit my day job for years. I took all the courses, followed all the gurus, started all the free trials of software, and wrote all the business plans following everyone else’s methods. I thought if I learned more I would eventually get it.

The real problem was, that whenever it came time to put myself in front of people I was scared to death. My mind would buzz about all the snide things my coworkers might comment on my social media posts. I imagined successful coaches balking at my pathetic attempts to sound like an authority. And I most certainly did not want anybody from high school gossiping about what a joke I was. 

This is the place where I froze, time and time again. I’d set myself up with a system and follow it right to the point where other people would see it (ahem, see me) and I’d stop. Close my laptop. Get up to get some food. Turn on the TV. Pick up my phone. Clean the toilet. Anything to not have to face humiliation and being outcast from society. (dramatic much?)

Until one day I came across the “Cure for Procrastination” and everything changed. 

I learned that people who procrastinate focus on the pain associated with doing a task and that people who get stuff done focus on the pleasure of having the task done.

What? Could it be that simple? Why didn’t anybody ever share this with me? Is this why my sister is such a doer and I’m such a loser? What the hell was wrong with me that I didn’t get this until I was almost 40? I should have learned this in elementary school.

I felt jipped. I was actually angry at first that I had struggled doing it the wrong way for so long. 

But as I started to “rewire” my brain and take a moment and imagine having a task done while tuning into the pleasure of having it checked off my list, my whole world started to change. 

I got outside to walk and jog more often by thinking about how good it feels AFTER a run instead of dreading the discomfort my chest and legs would feel while I was running. Over time, I became a runner.

I used this to organize my drawers, cupboards, and refrigerator by envisioning myself opening one of them up, being able to see everything straight and orderly and knowing exactly where everything is rather than feeling overwhelmed by the messes inside of them and making up stories about what a shitty housekeeper I was. Over time, I became an organizer.

AND… I was able to finally put myself out there and really own my role as a coach by tuning into how good it will feel when someone sees my post and reaches out for a call or comments that my words were exactly what they needed to hear today instead of the paralyzing fear of ridicule. Over time, I became a virtual coach and entrepreneur and quit my day job.

As it turned out, nobody made fun of me. Nobody debunked my methods or called me out as a fraud. Nobody actually cared that much. They were all so busy dealing with their own self-sabotage, they were certainly not waiting in the wings to make fun of me for doing something I was passionate about.

In fact, now, I am able to inspire people daily by living into my calling, not just as a coach, but as a coach trainer, a program developer, and a champion of people getting over themselves and getting out there to help raise the vibration of the planet.

If you’d like to learn more from me and my amazing sister, Jamie Dooley, our SisterCoach^TM Collective is open for enrollment and looking for women who want to make a real impact in the world by supporting each other like we do, exchanging a blend of high-level coaching & healing techniques without fees in a peer-to-peer, on-demand format. We believe ANY woman can and should learn these techniques as basic life skills. No previous experience is required. It's the next big wave of personal development for women. See you there!

About the Author

Lisa Freitag is a Master Coach and Healer with over a decade of experience helping people STOP self-sabotage so they can live a life of ease, enjoyment and alignment with their gifts and purpose. As a highly empathic and intuitive healer, she is committed to helping sensitive souls master their emotional and energetic states so they can do their unique work in the world. Lisa is the co-creator of The Expansion Method (ADOR'EM) and SisterCoaching^TM, along with her sister, Jamie Dooley. Connect with her at [email protected].