It’s a quiet evening, and the task at hand stares back at you. Your deadline looms like a thundercloud on the horizon. Yet here you are—scrolling through social media, rearranging your desk for the third time, or suddenly finding an urgent need to clean out the fridge. Sound familiar?

Procrastination is a story we all know too well. It’s the silent saboteur of dreams, the unseen hand that pulls us away from what truly matters. But why do we do it? Why do we delay when the price of postponement is so steep?

Let me take you back to a moment that hit me hard. It was a Monday morning, one of those mornings where coffee wasn’t just an option but a lifeline. I had a big presentation due by the end of the week, the kind of project that could open doors and cement reputations. Yet, instead of diving in, I found myself circling the task like a wary animal, too paralyzed to begin.

I told myself I was waiting for inspiration and that I needed to “organize my thoughts.” The truth is, I was afraid—afraid it wouldn’t be good enough, afraid I’d fail. Procrastination wasn’t laziness—it was fear wearing a mask.
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Procrastination Knows No Boundaries
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Here’s the thing: procrastination happens to the best of us. To the smartest, most capable people. There’s no correlation between intelligence and procrastination. Whether you’re running multimillion-dollar projects or managing teams with precision, even the simplest personal tasks—like filing tax papers—can feel insurmountable.
Procrastination isn’t about ability; it’s about emotion. And emotions don’t care about how smart or accomplished you are.
Procrastination in High-Stakes Leadership

I’ve seen this firsthand in my work as a coach. Senior leaders—some of the sharpest minds in their fields—have admitted to putting off preparing for critical presentations or delaying tough conversations with their teams. One leader confessed that they avoided planning an important strategy session until the night before, then spent hours second-guessing themselves instead of sleeping.

What we uncovered was that their procrastination wasn’t due to laziness or incompetence but fear of not meeting their own high standards. Once we reframed their mindset—breaking tasks into smaller, achievable steps—they not only completed their work but felt more in control. These moments remind me that even the best among us struggle with procrastination, but with the right strategies, it’s a challenge we can all overcome.

And speaking of procrastination, I’d be lying if I said this blog wasn’t a victim of it too. Let’s just say the coffee machine got cleaned, a playlist got curated, and even my inbox saw some unexpected attention before I finally sat down to write this. But here’s the thing: once I started, the words came. Because that’s the secret—you just have to begin.
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The Writer and the Half-Written Page
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A friend of mine, a writer, shared a strategy that stuck with me. He never finishes a page at the end of the day. He leaves his work half-written, a paragraph dangling, an idea still in motion. Why? Because when he sits down the next morning, he doesn’t face the intimidating blankness of a white page. Instead, he picks up the thread, easing back into the flow.

Procrastination thrives on the blank page, the untouched task, the overwhelming beginning. The trick isn’t to conquer the mountain in one go—it’s to leave yourself a trail of small and manageable breadcrumbs to pick up where you left off.

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The Student and the 500-Page Sprint

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Back in my student days, I was no stranger to the art of procrastination. Exams were looming, and I’d divide the textbook into neat, daily portions. “Read 50 pages a day,” I’d tell myself, “and you’ll be well-prepared by exam day.”
Guess what? It never happened.

I’d find other “urgent” tasks, from organizing my study space to drafting elaborate schedules. The pages piled up, unread. Then, with the exam just 24 hours away, I’d find myself cramming 500 pages in a marathon session, fueled by caffeine and sheer panic.
Looking back, it wasn’t just poor planning—it was avoidance. The enormity of the task made me freeze, even as the countdown ticked louder.
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Turning the Tide
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That Monday, staring at my looming presentation, something shifted. I realized I didn’t need to finish the entire thing that day—I just needed to begin. The first sentence, the first slide, the first step. So, I did. And once I started, momentum became my ally.

Procrastination feeds on inertia, but so does progress. Starting small—whether it’s writing a single paragraph, outlining an idea, or setting a timer for 10 focused minutes—breaks the spell. It’s not about conquering the mountain; it’s about taking the first step up the trail.
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What’s Really Holding You Back?
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Procrastination often points to something deeper. Is it perfectionism? Fear of judgment? A lack of clarity about what success even looks like? When we avoid a task, we avoid confronting our own vulnerabilities.

What helped me that week, and what I hope helps you, is a shift in mindset. Instead of asking, “How do I make this perfect?” I began asking, “How do I make this possible?” Permission to start messy, to get it wrong, to let go of the need for immediate brilliance—that was the key.
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A Challenge for You

‍Think of the one thing you’ve been putting off. It could be an email, a phone call, or a project gathering dust. Set a timer for just five minutes and commit to starting.

You might not finish today, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t completion—it’s initiation.

Procrastination thrives in the shadows, but the moment you shine a light on it, it begins to shrink. By taking action, however small, you remind yourself that you are capable. And that’s how the story changes.

So, what will your first step be? Let’s stop waiting for the perfect moment—it doesn’t exist. The moment you start is the moment you begin to win the waiting game.