Are you constantly scrambling to meet deadlines, feeling that rush of adrenaline as the clock ticks down, yet painfully aware that you're capable of so much more? Does this sound all too familiar?
It's a common struggle among high performance procrastinators: the cycle of waiting until the last minute, thriving under the pressure, but secretly knowing that this lifestyle is unsustainable and holding you back from achieving your true potential. It's not just missing out on promotions or damaging relationships that's the issue—it's the chronic stress and the risk of burnout that can completely derail you.
By the time you finish listening, you'll discover:
Don't miss this episode as we dive deep into the world of high performance procrastination and reveal practical solutions for breaking free from this cycle. Listen in now and take the first step toward becoming unshakable.
Love the Podcast?
Rate on Apple Podcast | Rate on Spotify | Rate on PodChaser
Book Your Free RoadMap Call: https://unshakablehabits.com
Liked this episode? Share it and tag me @unshakablehabits
Love the show? Leave a review and let me know!
CONNECT WITH STEPHEN: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn
This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.
Copyright 2023 Unshakable Habits, Stephen Box LLC, all rights reserved
Privacy Policy Disclaimer Terms and Conditions Affiliate Disclosure
On today's episode of Unshakable Habits, we're going
Stephen Box:to identify the five traits of a high performance procrastinator.
Stephen Box:We're going to talk about some of the positives and the negatives of being a
Stephen Box:high performance procrastinator as well.
Stephen Box:And that's coming up next right here on Unshakable Habits.
intro:The right habits can help you have it all.
intro:More time, better health, improved relationships, and less stress.
intro:But most people lack the tools to stick with those habits
intro:long enough to see results.
intro:That is about to change.
intro:Welcome to Unshakable Habits with your host, Stephen Box.
intro:It's time to take your habits from unsustainable to unshakable.
Stephen Box:Welcome back to Unshakable Habits.
Stephen Box:This is episode number 81 and I am your host, Habit Change
Stephen Box:Specialist and Coach Stephen Box.
Stephen Box:And guys, today we are talking all about High Performance Procrastination.
Stephen Box:And I want to just put this out front for you guys.
Stephen Box:There's not going to be any judgment in this today if you see
Stephen Box:yourself in any of these traits.
Stephen Box:Because I, myself, am a recovering high performance procrastinator.
Stephen Box:For pretty much most of my life, I was very good at waiting until
Stephen Box:the last minute to do things.
Stephen Box:Still getting by, still getting praise from people.
Stephen Box:For years, I prided myself on my ability to shoot off the cuff.
Stephen Box:and not have to plan everything out.
Stephen Box:And what I can tell you guys is there was some positives to that, but
Stephen Box:there were also a lot of negatives.
Stephen Box:And in the time that I have been consciously trying to change this and
Stephen Box:become more proactive in my activities, what I've realized is I've been able
Stephen Box:to keep a lot of the positives without having to deal with the negatives.
Stephen Box:So let's jump into some of these traits.
Stephen Box:So number one, you might be a high performance procrastinator
Stephen Box:if you thrive under pressure.
Stephen Box:for a lot of us, and I'm going to say us since I, for most of my life,
Stephen Box:was a high performance procrastinator as well, most of us believe that
Stephen Box:we perform our best under pressure when there's a looming deadline.
Stephen Box:Now I say believe because it's not always true and we'll get
Stephen Box:to that here in a little bit.
Stephen Box:But here's the thing, we tend to be naturally talented enough to get by, even
Stephen Box:when we wait to the last minute, which really just reinforces the pattern, right?
Stephen Box:The second thing is, high performance procrastinators,
Stephen Box:they want that urgency, right?
Stephen Box:It's like an adrenaline rush.
Stephen Box:And there's just something about when you know you have a short period of
Stephen Box:time left and you are grinding it out and you finish something just in
Stephen Box:time and then you get praise on it.
Stephen Box:It's a dopamine hit.
Stephen Box:It's a high.
Stephen Box:It really is.
Stephen Box:It can be exhilarating.
Stephen Box:I'm not gonna lie to you guys.
Stephen Box:Something else that tends to happen here is there is a overestimation,
Stephen Box:of how long something's going to take.
Stephen Box:Or I'm sorry, there's an underestimation of how long something's going
Stephen Box:to take and an overestimation of our ability to get it done.
Stephen Box:And what this leads to a lot of times is we end up putting things
Stephen Box:off to the last minute, obviously.
Stephen Box:But that also means skipping breaks, extending work hours, neglecting
Stephen Box:personal goals, neglecting relationships, family, health, things like that.
Stephen Box:That's another trait.
Stephen Box:So we don't really have great work life balance because we're always
Stephen Box:pushing something to the last minute.
Stephen Box:And if we do have good work life balance, it's usually because We've put
Stephen Box:everything else in front of doing what we need to do, but then when we need
Stephen Box:to do it, we block everything else out.
Stephen Box:And at the end of the day, it doesn't actually create that positive
Stephen Box:environment that we think it will.
Stephen Box:Another common trait is that high performance procrastinators tend to
Stephen Box:jump from idea to idea very quickly.
Stephen Box:If they're not happy with the current path, so if they're not getting that
Stephen Box:instant gratification, because remember I talked about before, one of the things
Stephen Box:is when we're doing it, we get that adrenaline rush, that dopamine hit.
Stephen Box:So when we're not seeing results.
Stephen Box:It's so easy to just be like, I'm to something else.
Stephen Box:I'm going to go to something that's hitting for me, right?
Stephen Box:And we're also more likely to make last minute changes or
Stephen Box:take risks that might fail.
Stephen Box:I remember being in Toastmasters and I would, it would be my turn to speak.
Stephen Box:And we had to do five to seven minutes.
Stephen Box:5 to 7 minute presentations in Toastmasters.
Stephen Box:And I had about a 25 minute drive to my meeting.
Stephen Box:And this was for an advanced club.
Stephen Box:This wasn't even a regular club.
Stephen Box:This was an advanced club.
Stephen Box:These were like the best of the best.
Stephen Box:And we get evaluated and everything.
Stephen Box:And I was literally writing my speech in the car on the drive.
Stephen Box:I'm not talking about refining it.
Stephen Box:I'm talking about writing the speech.
Stephen Box:And then even after doing that, is that weren't last minute enough, as
Stephen Box:I'm listening to the speaker before me, and I'm getting ready to go up, I'm in
Stephen Box:my head making changes to my speech.
Stephen Box:And sometimes I would even make changes in the middle of my speech.
Stephen Box:And yes, that takes an immense amount of talent.
Stephen Box:But I also recognize in hindsight I could have been so much better
Stephen Box:had I not done it that way.
Stephen Box:Had I actually prepared ahead of time.
Stephen Box:Another thing, and this goes along with what I just said, is high performance
Stephen Box:procrastinators love to have the freedom to be able to change things.
Stephen Box:at the last minute.
Stephen Box:And for that reason, they often think that a set routine will
Stephen Box:be boring or too limiting.
Stephen Box:So you tell me guys, can you relate to those five traits?
Stephen Box:Do those sound familiar to you?
Stephen Box:If so, you might also be a high performance procrastinator.
Stephen Box:So let's talk about some of the problems that come along with this.
Stephen Box:Number one, despite the dopamine rush that you get from waiting until
Stephen Box:last minute, you do realize that it often leads to chronic periods
Stephen Box:of high stress and anxiety, right?
Stephen Box:it's just something that comes with the territory.
Stephen Box:And yes, for a little bit, it's exciting, but when it's
Stephen Box:too often, it's overwhelming.
Stephen Box:And although you often do enough to get by, And you might even get praise for it.
Stephen Box:You know you're doing less than your best, And when we're doing less than
Stephen Box:our best, it holds us back, Maybe you got passed over for that promotion
Stephen Box:even though you're really good at what you do, because your boss knows
Stephen Box:you're not really that reliable, right?
Stephen Box:They know you're good, but they don't think you're reliable, right?
Stephen Box:Or maybe Your spouse has lost faith and asked you to do things because
Stephen Box:they know that you're going to put them off into the last minute that
Stephen Box:you're going to do them halfway.
Stephen Box:Hurts a little bit, right?
Stephen Box:And listen, again, no judgment.
Stephen Box:This was me, guys.
Stephen Box:I would also be willing to bet that at least once in the last few months,
Stephen Box:you found yourself on the verge of burnout due to the constant cycle of
Stephen Box:procrastination and high pressure work.
Stephen Box:That was me, multiple times.
Stephen Box:I've been there.
Stephen Box:Others may see you as unreliable like I was just talking about,
Stephen Box:which can stream both your personal and professional relationships.
Stephen Box:And then the other thing is, a lot of high performance procrastinators, they do
Stephen Box:tend to focus their efforts in one place.
Stephen Box:a lot of them may be successful in their careers.
Stephen Box:For a lot of high performance procrastinators, that's
Stephen Box:our areas of focus.
Stephen Box:It's work.
Stephen Box:we're successful in careers, but we also, we often struggle with
Stephen Box:our personal and health goals.
Stephen Box:Now, let's talk about some things that maybe you've tried here.
Stephen Box:number one is creating fake deadlines, but let's be honest,
Stephen Box:they're easy to push back.
Stephen Box:You've probably tried different time management tools and systems.
Stephen Box:But they feel too restrictive, because remember, high performance procrastinators
Stephen Box:love flexibility and freedom.
Stephen Box:you probably try breaking tasks into smaller steps, but you struggle
Stephen Box:with the consistency required.
Stephen Box:Because the reality is, as a high performance procrastinator, you are
Stephen Box:accustomed to taking large pieces of work, doing them in a shortened period
Stephen Box:of time at an extremely fast pace.
Stephen Box:when you are given small tasks, it feels way too easy and it will enhance
Stephen Box:the procrastination, not eliminate it.
Stephen Box:And then finally, you've probably tried managing your stress using
Stephen Box:mindfulness or meditation or things like that, but you find it very difficult
Stephen Box:to quiet your mind because you're busy thinking about all this stuff.
Stephen Box:That you need to do.
Stephen Box:And it feels like you always have a never ending to do list.
Stephen Box:Now, if this is you, don't worry, because the good news is
Stephen Box:I've been there and I can help.
Stephen Box:For years, I was a high performance procrastinator.
Stephen Box:And it wasn't until I discovered the power of creating structured
Stephen Box:flexibility that I began to create balance and success in my own life.
Stephen Box:And when we, when I talk about structured flexibility, it's
Stephen Box:really the best of both worlds.
Stephen Box:It allows me to have structure in my day, but it still allows me to
Stephen Box:have that flexibility that I crave.
Stephen Box:And listen, I've been coaching people since 2010.
Stephen Box:And I've helped a lot of people in that time learn to stop procrastinating.
Stephen Box:And build daily habits and routines to create lasting changes
Stephen Box:in the areas that matter most.
Stephen Box:And that is our physical health, our mindset, our relationships,
Stephen Box:our faith, and professional growth.
Stephen Box:So if you're ready to get off the high stress procrastination
Stephen Box:rollercoaster, guys, I want to invite you to go to unshakablehabits.
Stephen Box:com and book a free roadmap call with me today.
Stephen Box:There's no obligation.
Stephen Box:It will not cost you a single penny.
Stephen Box:It's not going to be a high pressure thing here.
Stephen Box:Yeah, I'm going to tell you right now.
Stephen Box:We're going to talk about my coaching.
Stephen Box:We're going to talk about it, okay?
Stephen Box:I'm not going to sit here and tell you.
Stephen Box:I'm not going to bring it up at all.
Stephen Box:But what I will promise you is I'm not going to hard pitch you.
Stephen Box:That's not the whole point of this thing, right?
Stephen Box:I spent most of my life suffering as a high performance procrastinator and you
Stephen Box:know what there was a point in my life if you use that word suffering along
Stephen Box:with it I would have looked at you crazy because I didn't think I was suffering
Stephen Box:but I've realized in looking at it and I hope going through that list of problems
Stephen Box:that you can see it too you That it is a problem and it's not the best way to live.
Stephen Box:I can help you to figure out how do you get more done, reduce your stress,
Stephen Box:but still keep that flexibility.
Stephen Box:And, look, I promise you, we'll find some ways for you
Stephen Box:to feel the excitement, right?
Stephen Box:You don't have to wait to the last minute to feel excited.
Stephen Box:We can find some other things for you to be excited about.
Stephen Box:So if that sounds like a plane to you guys, I want to encourage you to head
Stephen Box:on over again to unshakeablehabits.
Stephen Box:com.
Stephen Box:There's also a link down in the show notes, where you can book
Stephen Box:a free roadmap call with me.
Stephen Box:So either go to the website or go down the show notes and book
Stephen Box:that free call with me today.
Stephen Box:It doesn't cost you guys anything at all.
Stephen Box:This is just 100 percent of value add, something that I'm willing to do for you.
Stephen Box:But I am going to tell you, slots are limited.
Stephen Box:I can only do so many calls.
Stephen Box:So don't wait, because you might miss the opportunity to get one of the few
Stephen Box:slots that are actually available.
Stephen Box:And guys, with that I'm going to remind you as always, that while
Stephen Box:none of us are born unshakable, we can all become unshakable.