Break Free from Procrastination: 11 Steps to Being Simply Productive

Dr. Christine Li [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to the Make Time for Success podcast. This is episode number 221. When you think about it, when we are feeling blocked from better productivity, we are oftentimes grappling with some of life's most negative forces. We're grappling with self criticism, lack of self trust, fear. We're dealing with all the things. And I've spent the past twenty five years obsessed with the concept of being able to figure our better way through to greater productivity, to get rid of those negative elements that are blocking our attention, blocking our focus, blocking our motivation, blocking our creativity, so that we can actually express ourselves in the fullest, most fun, most liberated way. And I've compiled some of my ideas of the past twenty five years inside this episode. I'm gonna be sharing 11 core principles for how to be simply productive.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:06]:
I can't wait to share this material with you. I really love this stuff. Thanks for being here, and let's go to the episode.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:18]:
Hi. I'm Dr. Christine Li and I'm a psychologist and a procrastination coach. I've helped thousands of people move past procrastination and overwhelm so they could begin working to their potential. In this podcast, you're going to learn powerful strategies for getting your mind, body, and energy to work together so that you can focus on what's really important and accomplish the goals you want to achieve. When you start living within your full power, you're going to see how being productive can be easy and how you can create success on demand. Welcome to the make time for success podcast.

Dr. Christine Li [00:02:01]:
If you've known me for a minute or if you've listened to any of my podcast episodes from the past, then you must know that a big thing that I'm always focusing on is how to make productivity feel really empowering instead of really exhausting. It's really just the thing that I think about all day long. And that's the whole reason why I started this podcast in the first place. And I have spent the past twenty five years thinking about this very topic. I have found that many people really push themselves way too hard, and they avoid what is absolutely doable because they're feeling uncomfortable, or they're worried about things outside of themselves, like people's judgment, or consequences, or poor results, all the things that we worry about. I know and understand that these are things that can really interrupt our good functioning and they can really depress our productivity. They can suppress our productivity and make us depress. So I have found and developed many strategies over the years for helping people and myself to, again, feel more empowered while working, and to protect our energy while working as well.

Dr. Christine Li [00:03:28]:
So we're not ending up feeling totally exhausted after doing some work because I think part of the fun of life is being productive. I think Freud said, you know, there's work and then there's play and both are meaningful. And we wanna be sure that we know how to work well so that we can also enjoy the playing well as well. So in today's episode, I'm going to talk about 11 principles that I tend to live by and I tend to teach, especially in my signature program called Simply Productive. I think you've heard me talk about the program in the last couple of episodes. And I'm just gonna be mentioning it more and more because I think you should know about it. And because I love the program and the people who've gone through it. And because the week that this episode drops is actually an enrollment period for Simply Productive.

Dr. Christine Li [00:04:25]:
So I just wanted to make sure you knew that there was a program like this in existence and to know that you are welcome to ask me about it, to read about it and of course to join. So let's get on to the 11 principles inside Simply Productive. And I think there are more than 11, but these are the ones that I put together for this episode. So the first one is you need to stop yelling at yourself and avoiding your work. And that's just a simple rule for beating procrastination or stopping procrastination. You need to chill out so that you can actually focus. And I have found that when we have an old habit or a long standing habit of criticizing ourselves harshly, especially when we are trying to motivate ourselves to get some work done, I found that that's actually not the best way to get yourself in the mood or ready or at the starting line for getting something done. Oftentimes, the self criticism, instead of motivating us, it makes us in the wrong mood for getting something good done.

Dr. Christine Li [00:05:33]:
It creates resistance. It creates this mucky, yucky, sucky feeling inside of ourselves. And then we decide, you know what? I better keep procrastinating because this mood of mine doesn't seem to be cooperating with my brain. The self criticism really splits our focus in two. Part of you wants to get something done and the other part of you is busy yelling at yourself. And when you think about it, if you're yelling at yourself, you're really not focusing on your work. It's just not possible to be yelling at yourself and focusing at the same time. So, just know that there's a principle that you can stop yelling at yourself and you can start focusing after you've dropped that nasty voice of yours, that mean that mean voice of the past, that mean voice of the authoritarian or authoritative figure of your past that you might have been scared of in the past.

Dr. Christine Li [00:06:27]:
You're an adult now. You're good. You're good to go, you take responsibility, and you make that simply productive shift into self compassion, and you choose momentum over perfection. So that's the first principle. The second principle is you start aiming for goals instead of external approval. This is a big one because we think that we're chasing goals or pursuing goals or working towards our goals. But so often, we're really just bracing for what somebody else is gonna think about us. Or we're bracing for, are my performance results going to be acceptable to this person or that corporation or that faculty member? Whatever you're worried about on the outside, you can let that go now because I believe the best way to be simply productive is to have your focus be really on your goal and not on what's gonna happen or who's gonna think about it when you're through with the goal.

Dr. Christine Li [00:07:29]:
Don't hinder yourself by thinking about all those external factors because your main job is to just get to the goal. That's hard enough. So why burden yourself a little bit more by worrying about all the things that might happen when most of those things are never gonna happen? So, you know, that's like the people pleasing and the perfectionism, those factors that can clutter our focus when we are trying to get things done. So instead of waiting for permission or waiting for when you feel in the right zone and safe enough, you're just gonna make the simply productive shift. And you're going to clarify what your goal is, clarify what you want, and then you're going to move straight forward boldly as if nobody was watching and as if nobody cared in a good way. All right, third principle, you're gonna build self trust and take aligned action. Now, what is aligned action? That is when I think your thoughts and your beliefs and your feelings and your actions are all headed in the same direction, hopefully towards your goals, ideally towards your goals. And of course, there are lots of times when we are not in alignment with ourselves.

Dr. Christine Li [00:08:43]:
Like we're thinking three different things and we have one goal. Our bodies aren't ready to focus yet, and yet we're demanding our bodies to focus. Those are examples of states of misalignment or unalignment. But when we trust ourselves and when we understand because of our experiences with ourselves in the past, that we are reliable in our word and in our actions, then we can say, I'm gonna make this decision. I'm going to trust myself that this is the right decision for me for now. And I'm going to accept any outcome that comes from my actions and from my decisions. When you have that path set, when you trust yourself, you make solid decisions and then you take responsibility for the the outcomes that you generate, then you really build self trust and you get a lot of results. You actually take action more confidently because your confidence goes up when you are not violating your own words and your own promises to yourselves.

Dr. Christine Li [00:09:50]:
So this is a gentle and beautiful cycle of building self trust, building alignment, and getting results. So the simply productive shift here is that you're gonna stop overthinking, you're gonna stop worrying about everything and you're gonna start experimenting instead. You're going to challenge yourself. You're gonna take on what you need to take on, and you're gonna start to learn how to trust yourself more often, more deeply, and in a really joyful way. Because self trust is a really beautiful thing to possess. All right. Principle number four, you are gonna work with your energy, not against it. This is huge because over the past decade, I would say, I have understood that we are all just balls of energy.

Dr. Christine Li [00:10:42]:
And when we are working against our own energy, when we're acting as our own worst enemies, like when we're yelling at ourselves, then we're really depressing, suppressing the potential that we really have as balls of energy. Right? Energy is really, really powerful and expansive and amazing. So why not use it all? So just check with yourself as you're listening to this podcast and me explaining these principles. What habit do you have that you know is just really killing your energy or it's not doing you any favors when it comes to your energy? Is it staying up too late at night? Is it not exercising? Is it criticizing yourself too much? Is it worrying about what everybody else is saying about you? There's so many different things that could suck your energy out of your system. So decide for yourself and for the benefit of your healthy nervous system that you are gonna pay attention to what is going on so that you can nurture your energy, protect your energy, and increase your supply of energy whenever you can. And of course, we can do that in any number of ways. We can increase our energy by listening to podcasts, by doing stuff with other people that can be really supportive of your energy. We can put something out into the world and get feedback from the world.

Dr. Christine Li [00:12:04]:
That can be a real boost in energy as well. So the simply productive shift here is that we're gonna work in flow instead of through force. We're no longer gonna demand stuff from ourselves. We're gonna decide I create easily, I create naturally, I expand with my energy, and I make beautiful impact in the world. And you're gonna listen to your body and your energy supply as you go. So you're gonna work with your energy, not against it. The fifth principle here inside simply productive is, we're not gonna feel betrayed by our bodies anymore. I think this is a really big and important principle too, because, you know, stress and overwhelm and burnout and fatigue, they are not accidental signals that our body sends us.

Dr. Christine Li [00:12:54]:
And they don't just happen in an instant. They kind of are the result of patterns of not taking care of yourself, not paying attention to how your energy is running or what your nervous system is telling you. And when you completely decide to consistently bypass signals that your body is giving you to take a break, get some more rest, get some more sleep, feed yourself, then we're really working against our bodies instead of with our bodies. So understand how your nervous system runs. When are you feeling at your peak? When are you feeling a little more depleted? Just be aware of those two different states because they're very different states. And of course, all the states in between. And I hope, of course, that you have more states of feeling vital, and fewer and fewer states where you're feeling more, like, exhausted or burned out. So the simply productive shift here is that you're gonna trust your body at a really deep level, and you're gonna trust that your body is working with you, not against it.

Dr. Christine Li [00:14:02]:
And once you understand that, you will understand the importance of supporting your own wellness and your body. And when you do, it's gonna support you even better than it has been in the past. Principle number six. We're going to focus on a vision outside of ourselves, maybe for other people even, and not just on ourselves. So basically this principle means we're gonna get over over focusing on ourselves because I believe that when we focus on our anxieties, on what makes us feel small, what makes us play small, we're just oftentimes wasting our time and energy. We can be converting that energy when we're really just naval gazing, I think that's what they call it, and worrying about stuff. We can use that and shift that energy to focus on a much bigger vision. And you get to decide what your vision is.

Dr. Christine Li [00:15:00]:
It can be anything you want, but let it be something that is thrilling to you, that really motivates you, that gets you up in the morning, that makes you proud of yourself at the end of the day. I think that's a really wonderful path to take if I may so say so. And of course, it's my podcast, so I may say so. Alright. And we call this simply productive shift, playing bigger and having more impact, which makes things easier on you, not harder. I think some of the times we scare ourselves by thinking like, if I improve my life and if I go for that bigger goal, things are gonna get harder for me. But it's kind of like most things. We realize that once we do them, we know ourselves better and our lives get better.

Dr. Christine Li [00:15:46]:
And really the anxieties that we had about those actions beforehand were really overblown. Those anxieties were just our big imagination, getting the best of us to keep us playing safe so that we stay safe. But it's okay to play bigger because you're the boss, you can make an impact, and you can enjoy a really rich life in this way. Principle number seven, wellness is the foundation of good performance. I've always said that until we feel well, we're not gonna perform well. Of course, sometimes we get away with it. But if you want to have high, consistent, wonderful performance throughout your life, you need to keep your body and your brain and your energy really well at a very high level. You want to make sure that you're focusing on your mental, physical, and emotional well-being because our wellness really does have an effect on our productivity.

Dr. Christine Li [00:16:45]:
So the simply productive shift here is that we wanna prioritize feeling well to perform well. I promise you this rule holds up. Alright. Principle number eight, live clutter free as best as you can for mental and energetic clarity. Like I just said in principle number seven, we really wanna nurture our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Well, clutter is kind of an attacking foe when it comes to our energetic health. It confuses us. It drains us.

Dr. Christine Li [00:17:19]:
It makes us frustrated with ourselves. It blocks our roadways sometimes. So we wanna get to a point where where we have minimal clutter or no clutter because minimal clutter means maximum clarity and maximum ease. It really works out that way. You know it in your heart of hearts. I know it in mine. So the simply productive shift here is that you wanna create real space, actual space to think, breathe, and take aligned action. And so we wanna get rid of your clutter.

Dr. Christine Li [00:17:52]:
The ninth principle is you wanna strengthen your focus, even if you feel you've been really distracted in the past. Focus, I believe, is not something that is static or stable, or you have just one quantity of it. It is something that really fluctuates, right? Under stress, you might have sharper focus and sometimes you have less focus or duller focus, I guess you would say. But I also believe that focus is something that we build over time, like a muscle, we can strengthen our muscle of focus. And that is always something that I'm thinking about. I'm always trying to think, how can I focus a little better? How can I decide I'm focusing on this and not on that? Right. Really clarifying where I want my attention to be. And there are simple ways to train your attention and reduce your focus on distraction so that you can have better focus and you can conserve your energy by using that better focus.

Dr. Christine Li [00:18:54]:
These are the things that I teach in Simply Productive. And they take small they're small strategies, but they have big impact because we know that focus is such an integral, important, and essential component of productivity, of doing anything well. We need focus. So the simply productive shift here is you can rewire your focus, and you can rewire yourself for better focus no matter what your past patterns have been. Alright. Tenth principle, you wanna live full out. And when I was preparing for this episode, I wrote that it's not a risk to play full out. Like sometimes we might trick ourselves into thinking.

Dr. Christine Li [00:19:39]:
I believe that it's truly a privilege to live your life without constraints and to your potential as best as you can. Think about it. I think that's just a natural drive. Like we all come to this planet with different needs and different preferences and different privileges and different potentials. We're all so unique in those ways. And the privilege of being able to see where you can take yourself is just amazing. It lights me up every single day and is why I'm obsessed with the topic of productivity and potential human potential. And I understand though that it also can be a very scary topic at the same time, because it's really daunting to say, wow, where can I get myself to? What can I do with this brain and body? And our brains are oftentimes telling us it's not safe to do those funky, funny, gigantic things that you're thinking about, those creative endeavors, those entrepreneurial endeavors, whatever, and those relationship endeavors.

Dr. Christine Li [00:20:48]:
Right? Those are sometimes the scariest. But I want you to know that you can play this way. You can play towards your life being lived full out because why wouldn't you? Our time is limited here. Your potential is never fulfillable, really. I believe that that no matter how hard you tried, no matter how much time you devoted to fulfilling your full potential, you would never actually get there. That's good news. And that's exciting news because you can play in the field that is your potential then. So the simply productive shift here is that playing small is the real risk, expanding yourself and becoming in alignment with yourself and your skills and your potential is a wonderful way to get more productive and to get more of what you want out of this life.

Dr. Christine Li [00:21:43]:
So live full out because again, it's a privilege. The last principle that I have to share with you is number 11, fun, and expansion and great decision making are yours and your tools to use. So often we think that personal growth involves toil and trouble. Right? Everything feels so hard. Hard is probably the single most frequently used word that my clients use when they're talking with me initially. They feel that everything is so hard. Thinking about things is hard. Doing things is hard.

Dr. Christine Li [00:22:18]:
Finding time is hard, but I have found that when we try to operate with words that are different than hard, when we try to use concepts like fun and curiosity and playfulness and expansiveness, then we end up feeling more inspired. We end up feeling we can breathe. We end up feeling that we are free to make the best decisions that we can and to take the best action steps and attempts at making something great in our own lives. So the simply productive shift here is when you operate from the principles of expansion, great decision making and fun, working and getting productive feels more effortless. And that of course is that virtuous virtuous cycle again. It's thinking that everything becomes more easy the more we invest in this system of productivity. Right? We understand that we're the decision maker. We are the person responsible for being in alignment.

Dr. Christine Li [00:23:28]:
We're the person responsible for setting the big vision for ourselves. And we're also the one who benefits. Right? We benefit from the pride we feel in ourselves, the self trust, the resilience that we get to build. We get to enjoy the benefits of our labor and our impact in the world, and perhaps positive attention from other people. Instead of all the negativity that we're worrying about, we're actually receiving praise and the trust of other people. It's a wonderful place to be. So thank you for listening to this substantial list of principles that are covered in the Simply Productive program that I run. They are, I think, principles for living a good life and for working with yourself, not against yourself, working in a way that feels right for you and actually gets you results.

Dr. Christine Li [00:24:26]:
If you're interested in finding out more about this program, I invite you to sign up for the wait list for the simply productive program. And that is at maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/SP for simplyproductive. Again, it's maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/SP. I look forward to any and all responses to that call. And I will see you next week for another session of the Make Time for Success podcast. I have a special treat for you next week. My good friend and really expert colleague, Amy Lang, will be here with us to talk all about sleep and more about wellness. Take care.

Dr. Christine Li [00:25:12]:
Have a great week. Bye.

Dr. Christine Li [00:25:16]:
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Make Time for Success podcast. If you enjoyed what you've heard, you can subscribe to make sure you get notified of upcoming episodes. You can also visit our website, maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com, for past episodes, show notes, and all the resources we mentioned on the show. Feel free to connect with me over on Instagram too. You can find me there under the name, procrastination coach. Send me a DM and let me know what your thoughts are about the episodes you've been listening to. And let me know any topics that you might like me to talk about on the show. I'd love to hear all about how you're making time for success.

Dr. Christine Li [00:25:56]:
Talk to you soon.