You Don't Procrastinate On Things You Want To Do

I used to spend two hours every Sunday dreading the week ahead.

Not because the work was hard. Because I hated half of what was on my calendar.

Client calls I didn't want to take. Admin work I kept putting off. Projects that felt like pulling teeth.

Then I realized something obvious. I never procrastinated on the stuff I actually wanted to do.

You Already Know Why You're Procrastinating

Here's the thing nobody wants to hear.

You don't procrastinate because you're lazy or undisciplined. You procrastinate because you hate what you're supposed to be doing.

Think about it. When was the last time you procrastinated on something fun? You don't put off watching Netflix or scrolling Twitter or talking to friends you actually like.

You procrastinate on the stuff that sucks.

The problem is, some stuff has to get done whether it sucks or not. You need to exercise. You need to handle your finances. You need to do client work if you want to stay in business.

So you have two options.

Stop doing the things you hate. Or figure out how to not hate them.

Option 1: Just Stop Doing It

This sounds impossible but it's not.

Most things you think you "have" to do, you don't actually have to do. You're just doing them because that's what you've always done.

I spent six months doing discovery calls with potential clients who clearly weren't a good fit. I hated those calls. I procrastinated on scheduling them. When I did them, they went nowhere.

Finally I stopped. Changed my intake process so I filtered people out before getting on a call. Suddenly I wasn't procrastinating on client calls anymore.

Because now the calls were only with people I actually wanted to work with.

Same thing with pricing. I used to do hourly billing. Hated it. Every week I'd put off sending invoices because tracking hours felt like homework.

Switched to project-based pricing. No more time tracking. No more procrastinating on invoices.

Look at the things you're procrastinating on. How many of them could you just stop doing entirely?

If you hate your job, save money and find a different one. I know that's not easy. But staying in a job you hate for 10 years isn't easy either. Pick your hard.

If you hate certain clients, fire them. Yes, even if you need the money. Bad clients cost more than they pay you in stress and wasted time.

If you hate certain tasks in your business, hire someone else to do them or change your business model so they're not necessary.

Most people won't do this. They'll keep doing things they hate and wonder why they can't stop procrastinating.

Option 2: Find A Version You Don't Hate

Some things you actually do have to do.

You need to exercise. You need to handle business admin. You need to maintain relationships.

But you probably hate the way you're currently doing them.

I'm supposed to exercise regularly. I know this. For years I tried to make myself go to the gym.

I hated it. I'd pay for a membership, go twice, then procrastinate until the membership expired.

The problem wasn't exercise. The problem was gyms. I don't like being inside staring at a wall while lifting heavy things.

So I stopped trying to make myself like gyms. Started hiking instead. Bought a bike. Sometimes I just go for long walks while listening to podcasts.

Still exercising. Not procrastinating anymore. Because I found a version I don't hate.

Same with business admin. I used to put off bookkeeping for months. It was painful. I'd have receipts piled up, no idea what I spent money on, dreading tax time.

Then I found software that mostly automates it. Takes me 10 minutes a week now instead of hours every quarter.

Still handling finances. Just found a less painful way to do it.

The Part People Miss

Most advice about procrastination is about discipline or time management or breaking tasks into smaller pieces.

That's not the problem.

The problem is you're trying to force yourself to do something you fundamentally don't want to do.

No amount of productivity hacks fixes that.

I had a client who kept procrastinating on their marketing. We'd plan out content, schedule posts, set deadlines. Nothing happened.

Turns out they hated writing. Every marketing strategy we tried required writing. Of course they kept procrastinating.

We switched to video. They liked talking. Suddenly they were making marketing content every week without me nagging them.

Same business need. Different approach. No more procrastination.

What This Actually Looks Like

Here's what I do now.

When I notice I'm procrastinating on something, I ask two questions.

First: Do I actually need to do this? Could I just not do it, delegate it, or change my approach so it's not necessary?

If the answer is yes, I stop doing it. Simple.

Second: If I do need to do it, what version of this would I hate less?

Hate writing proposals? Make a template and fill in the blanks.

Hate bookkeeping? Get software that automates most of it.

Hate networking events? Do coffee meetings with individuals instead.

Hate cold outreach? Build content so people come to you.

There's almost always a version of the necessary task that's less painful than what you're currently doing.

You're Allowed To Not Hate Your Work

I know this sounds obvious but apparently it's not.

People act like hating half your responsibilities is just part of being an adult. It's not.

If you spend most of your time doing things you hate, either change what you're doing or change how you're doing it.

Life's too short to spend it procrastinating on stuff you can't stand.

I'm not saying every task will be fun. Some things are just boring or tedious. That's fine.

But if you're actively dreading something every week, that's a problem you can solve.

Stop doing it. Or find a way to do it that doesn't make you miserable.

Those are your options.

Pick one.