My name is Yvette and I'm a meditation teacher here on Insight Timer.
And I've talked about procrastination for many years already here on this app.
I used to be a former procrastinator myself.
So I know how hard it is to break this habit.
There are multiple things I can give you as tips.
But one of the main things I find important is to ground.
To do a bit of an emotional check-in and to go from there.
So if you would like to join me,
Stay seated with a straight spine.
Feet firmly on the floor.
Hands on your lap.
And you can close your eyes for a minute.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and then out through pursed lips.
We're going to breathe in for four seconds and breathe out for six.
So you can join me by breathing in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Breathe in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Deep breath in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
And just say hello to your body.
Welcome back.
And try to notice if there are any emotions which need attention.
We're not going to think why we have these emotions,
We're just going to label them.
And you can do that by stating out loud,
For example.
I feel anxious,
But that's okay.
Maybe you want to give that emotion a number on a scale from 1 to 10.
For example.
.
.
I feel anxiety.
And it's a seven.
Now keep this in mind,
The more often you practice,
The easier it will become.
And you might notice.
Certain emotions are always a high number when you procrastinate.
But please bring your mind to a recent situation where you felt you procrastinated.
And try to notice any feelings of judgment.
Frustration or disappointment.
What if a friend would describe to you the same situation?
They are procrastinating.
How would you respond to them?
Would you respond with kindness or understanding?
And maybe this is something you can say to yourself.
So if you can join me by giving yourself a hug.
And saying out loud.
It's okay to feel this way.
I am human.
And it's natural to procrastinate sometimes.
I forgive myself and I allow myself to move forward.
Let's say it one more time.
It's okay to feel this way.
I am human after all.
And it's natural to procrastinate sometimes.
I forgive myself.
And I allow myself to move forward.
Hmm.
Now you can open your eyes if you haven't done so already.
And one of the biggest tips I give my students who I work with when they are procrastinating is to find your intrinsic motivation.
So think about the task you have been procrastinating on.
Is there something else you can do to boost your routine?
Can you break this task into smaller tasks?
And instead of focusing on external pressures or rewards,
Can you connect it to your personal values?
And ask yourself,
Why is it important that I finish this task?
How does it align with my goals and my vision?
I am someone who procrastinated a lot on doing my taxes and I really couldn't find an intrinsic motivation for that.
Until I thought of something that was in the line of I value myself.
And I allow myself to finish stupid tasks.
So not all tasks are easy to find an intrinsic motivation for.
But sometimes it's really helpful to connect it to your personal values.
And.
Do you reward yourself when you stop procrastinating?
I usually give this tip because this was something I didn't do.
For example,
When I was publishing academic articles.
I would immediately push myself into publishing the next one.
But I didn't celebrate my wins.
And I don't mean that you always have to buy a chocolate cake each time you do something.
But do you value yourself enough to give yourself a reward now and then?
Now,
What can also help are positive affirmations.
And gratitude.
So I would like to end.
This talk.
Bye-see you!
A few more affirmations.
So you can join me by placing your hands on your heart.
And say out loud.
I am doing my best.
I am doing my best.
I am capable of achieving my goals.
I am capable of achieving my goals.
I am focused.
I am focused.
I am motivated.
I am motivated.
And successful.
And successful.
Now maybe you would like to end with listing three things you're grateful for.
I'm grateful that you are here.
I'm grateful that I can share something about my previous procrastinating behaviour.
And I'm grateful I can choose something different today.
What are three things you're grateful for today?
And I want to thank you.
I'm going to invite you to give yourself one more big hug.
And try to join me maybe in one of my live events about dealing with procrastinating behavior.
I would love to see you there!
But until then,
Thank you for being here.
