Episode 61: Overcoming Procrastination With Eric Twiggs

Procrastination is something that EVERYBODY struggles with - and Eric Twiggs, expert in overcoming procrastination, knows that. But is there anything you can do about it? Join Bella & Eric on this episode of Bella In Your Business where they discuss: Why procrastination is something you need to tackle and overcome NOW A few easy steps to overcoming procrastination How to know if you struggle with procrastination Eric Twiggs is an expert in overcoming procrastination and the author of The Discipline Of Now: 12 Practical Principles To Overcome Procrastination.  He has conducted over 28,000 coaching sessions with entrepreneurs, lead organizations of 500 or more people in corporate America, and shared his message with corporations, associations, and congregations across the country. If you have been looking for practical principles to help you maximize your time, minimize your stress, and break the procrastination habit so that you can accomplish your goals and achieve fulfillment. Learn more about Eric Twiggs on his website or Twitter: Website www.ericmtwiggs.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedisciplineofnow Subscribe To The Show: Transcript: This is episode 61 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready, Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome, everybody, to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting, and today I want you to listen up if you’ve been looking for some practical principles to help you maximize your time, minimize your stress, and break that God-forsaken procrastination habit. My guest, Eric Twiggs, has helped over 28,000 people accomplish their goals, fulfill achievement, and stop procrastinating. Bella: Eric, without further ado, welcome to the show. Eric: Hey, Bella, thank you for having me. Glad to be here. Bella: Thank you so much. This is definitely a topic that we haven’t had in our 60-plus episodes, so I’m so excited for you to just rock it on this topic and tell us everything you know and give us some good actionable things that we can just start doing today. Because I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who hasn’t said, “Oh no, I don’t procrastinate at all.” I think we all do, right? Eric: It’s a common thing that we share. Yeah, it’s very common. The studies show 95 percent of the population admits to having some type of issue with procrastination. Bella: I believe it. Before we dive deep into the topic, why don’t we bring it back a little bit and tell our listeners a little bit about you—who you are, where you came from, how you became an expert on this topic. Eric: I became an expert just through my life experiences and research and study. I had an experience that I talk about in the book back when I was in college that really got me motivated to think about how I use my time. I was in college with my friend Donnell. Donnell was the total opposite of me at that particular time—very conscientious, focused, and purpose-driven. His goal was to be a Marine Corps officer, and he was always telling me, “Eric, you need to get serious.” And I was like, “Donnell, when’s the next party?” We were totally different. We were good friends though, and everything changed in one moment when I hadn’t heard from him in a week or so, and I got a phone call from his mother telling me that he had tragically passed away in a car accident. That changed everything for me as far as how I view time, and I really started to become more intentional as far as how I spend my time. Through a lot of my experiences—in the book, I talk about having 28,000 coaching sessions. I’ve had an eight-year span where I did 12 to 15 sessions a day, back-to-back, on the half-hour. That’s how I got to 28,000 coaching sessions. I’ve also been an executive where I’ve had as many as 500 employees working for me at any given time. All of those experiences with different people and personalities—seeing trends and patterns—is how I gained my expertise. I’ve also read tons of books on the topic. Bella: Incredible. So you’ve definitely walked that walk. Let’s talk about it. Why do people need to tackle procrastination? I’m one of those people who says, “I work well under pressure.” I know I have this big TEDx talk coming up, and I can’t prepare five months in advance—I like to wait until four weeks before. I like to procrastinate, but then that inflicts a lot of pressure on myself. So tell us, why do we need to tackle our procrastination? Why can’t we say, “I use it for the good”? Eric: Procrastination has hidden costs. What’s interesting about procrastination is that you get away with it. You think everything’s fine, but everything’s not fine. There’s a proven link between innovation and preparation. The earlier you start, the ideas start to incubate, and your end product is better. So procrastination has hidden costs—you just don’t realize how much you’re costing yourself until one day, maybe there’s a promotion you don’t get, or maybe the presentation you thought went well doesn’t get you invited back. Everyone’s worked with someone who’s always late. If the meeting starts at nine o’clock, they’re there at nine-ten. They’re branded as “the late guy.” It seems funny, but in all my conversations with senior executives, I’ve never heard one say, “Let’s promote the guy who’s always late.” It doesn’t work that way. Bella: So for pet sitters and dog walkers listening—maybe they procrastinate calling clients back, replying to emails, or upgrading their website. What’s going on there? Eric: A lot of procrastination is rooted in fear. Sometimes it’s fear of success. Deep down, you’re afraid of what’s going to happen if you go to the next level. If you update that website and it looks amazing and your phone starts ringing, then you have to hire more people and be away from your family. Believe it or not, fear of success is huge. It’s about becoming aware of what’s causing you to procrastinate. Bella: So procrastination is a secondary reaction to something deeper? Eric: Exactly. Before I got into this, I figured people who procrastinated were just lazy, but it’s more of an anxiety issue. The best way we deal with pain is by putting it off. Let’s say you have a TED Talk coming up. You feel anxiety about it, but then you procrastinate and feel anxiety because you’re procrastinating. It’s a vicious cycle, and you find temporary relief in distractions like checking social media. Bella: That’s fascinating. It’s true for things like working out or eating right too—people procrastinate because of fear or resistance to change. Eric: Exactly. Bella: Let’s take a quick break, and when we come back, I want to talk about simple steps people can take today to start combating procrastination. Commercial break Bella: And we’re back with Eric Twiggs, talking about procrastination. Let’s bring it home with practical steps. Eric: One basic thing you can do is take your smartphone and get rid of all the chimes, notifications, and alerts that distract you. You’ll notice a big difference in productivity when you’re not getting a ding every time you get an email. Another thing—use productivity apps like Hootsuite to schedule social media posts ahead of time so you’re not distracted scrolling your feed. SMS Scheduler lets you send reminder texts to yourself for recurring tasks. RescueTime tracks how much time you spend on social media—it can even cut off your access after a set limit. Another important step is to be aware of your mindset. Don’t label yourself as “a procrastinator.” Just because you procrastinated yesterday doesn’t mean you can’t do something different today. Yesterday ended last night. Have a growth mindset and move forward. Bella: So watch your mindset, use helpful apps, and remove distractions. Can procrastination be chronic? Eric: It affects everyone to some degree, which is why it helps to put disciplines and tools in place. Even I have to be vigilant. Bella: You said a great word—habit. It’s like anything in life—you have to make it a habit. You can’t just say, “On Monday, I’ll stop procrastinating forever.” You have to commit daily. Eric: Exactly. Bella: Tell me about your book. Eric: It’s called The Discipline of Now. I noticed that good performers and great performers often know the same things—the difference is that great performers take action whether they feel like it or not. I wanted to create an easy-to-read, practical tool—only 100 pages on purpose—because someone with procrastination issues probably won’t finish a long book. Bella: Why your book? Eric: Many time management books offer one-size-fits-all solutions like “Don’t check email before noon.” That doesn’t work for everyone. My book tailors tips to your personality and genetics—whether you’re a morning person or a night owl—so you can schedule tasks around when you have the most energy. Bella: That’s awesome. Where can people find it? Eric: You can find The Discipline of Now at ericmtwiggs.com or on Amazon. Bella: Any final takeaways? Eric: Don’t allow perfect to become the enemy of progress. Sometimes done is better than perfect. Perfectionism can be procrastination in disguise—it’s a stalling tactic because we’re afraid to move forward. Bella: I love that. Thank you, Eric. This has been another episode of Bella in Your Business. Remember to like and subscribe on iTunes and Stitcher, and always keep jumping. Thanks for jumping with Bella in Your Business. For more information, free articles, free coaching sessions, and more, go to jumpconsulting.net. And remember—Bella’s got your chute.