A Blessing or a Curse?…
…The Strengths & Challenges of a Powerful Mind
Have you been told to “Stop Overthinking” or “Stop Procrastinating?”
As Solopreneurs, we juggle lots of different pieces and hold them in our minds.
A powerful mind capable of dissecting, analyzing, and ruminating (often called out as “overthinking“) is NOT A FLAW – it’s all in how we use that energy.
Similarly, “procrastination” is often frowned upon as a character flaw. But it’s really divided desire, not having honored pieces of ourselves that need a break, need FUN, need rest.
And while terms like Overthinking or Over-Analyzing get thrown around a lot as a criticism, it’s really a description of the enormous capacity you have to create so much, to accomplish so much and achieve so much.
So let’s break this all down a little!
#1 – What is “Procrastination” Reeeeeally About?
When you hear the word procrastinate, it can bring up a lot of feelings of embarrassment or feeling like you’re doing something wrong.
- I’m scrolling on Facebook, instead of accomplishing a task.
- I’m cleaning out my closet instead of doing my content.
- I meant to make a phone call, but instead I’m checking email.
Actually, there’s a lot more to procrastination.
We often think it’s like a character flaw or a weakness acknowledging that we were sucked into something when we really have other priorities and goals.
But many times, procrastination is actually tied to a desire that we have been potentially ignoring – to relax, to have fun, to do something that’s soothing, to do something that gives us a break.
And so we end up getting pulled into things seemingly unintentionally, or avoiding something we really wanted to accomplish.
It’s more layered than that.
Procrastination can be triggered by a variety of Desires.
For example, the Desire for a project to be perfect and therefore delaying the inevitable imperfections as it moves from our fantasy mind into the tangible world. Artists and creators are very familiar with this, and often the creation never comes to pass because the fear between the gap of the mind’s eye and bringing it to fruition is too great.
There may also be a Desire for Safety, paired with a lack of clarity on the actual next steps of the task. The latter often occurs when projects aren’t broken into small enough pieces to feel achievable. And asking for help doesn’t feel within grasp, so postponing the feelings of inadequacy about how to proceed occurs instead.
There’s also a tendency in our workaholic society to ignore very real needs and desires for FUN, relaxation, and a quite crucial need that our brains have for Brain Breaks.
There are parts of us that have needs and desires to relax, take breaks, have fun.
And when we override those, by being constantly on the go, constantly trying to achieve, constantly trying to tick things off of our task list, we can end up suppressing those other desires to relax and take breaks.
As a result they pop their heads up at inopportune moments. Your body or your mind will kind of just override the system and take the break seemingly without consent.
Fortunately we can honor that divided desire, and the need being suppressed, so that it doesn’t derail us entirely.
#2 – Procrastination Isn’t Always Bad
Sometimes so-called Procrastination isn’t so terrible – particularly when things don’t feel in Flow, or when we’re missing a piece of the puzzle needed to move forward. Instead of labeling our delayed action as Procrastination, we also reframe it:
- Maybe the project needs more time to simmer…
- Maybe it’s altogether not the right time…
- Maybe the work doesn’t feel in Flow…
We may make matters worse if we try to push through with incomplete information, poor energy, feelings of frustration or lack of inspired momentum.
While there is something to be said – at times – for “just getting it done” or “done being better than perfect,” some actions really do require Quality, and NOT just powering through whilst exhausted.
Otherwise, we may be looking at a bad result derived from ignoring our own capacity.
Additionally, if our brain is clearly sending the signal that a break is needed by our attention span drifting off repeatedly, we may ultimately waste more time trying to keep going.
The reality is, 1 focused, concentrated and dedicated hour in which we are well rested and inspired can often yield much higher productivity than 5 hours of distracted and disengaged “fake” work.
#3 – Procrastinate on Purpose
So I encourage deliberate breaks, or as I like to call it, “procrastinating on purpose.”
When you are working on something, and you’re feeling yourself running out of steam, step away for at least a few minutes.
Neuroscience loves to quantify things, suggesting maybe about every 15-20 minutes we need a brain break. Actually this is a great reason to keep your content under that amount unless you incorporate a break!
While following a set amount of time is totally valid, I prefer to pay close attention to FLOW, and intuitively notice when my eyes start wandering. I’ll work until I feel a sense of satisfaction, or waning in my energy – like I’m checking out.
I don’t think it’s necessary to Force-Quit, anymore than I would encourage to Force-Push-Through. There is a natural ebb and flow to project energy that if we follow, we can maximize our time.
Achieving things in segments helps too (some entrepreneurs love and swear by pomodoros), but you must find your own unique and perfect rhythm.
When you’re feeling really excited and energized, and you’re really into a project, it can feel like you can just keep going.
That is FLOW, or a flow state.
And doing that is very different than when you hit that point where you’re noticeably tired, drained, things are just not working, there’s a problem, and it’s just not flowing for you.
When we hit that point of being drained, that is when our attention will be distracted. All of a sudden, we decide to check email, or we decide to pop on Facebook and start scrolling.
Listen to your intuition, that powerful force that you have, to notice that the energy is coming down, and things are just not working, not flowing, not lining up.
It’s a great moment to just step back, go make a cup of tea, go take a walk, go have a nap, go listen to a hypnosis, go do something to break that chain of energy that’s not flowing.
We can “Procrastinate on Purpose” – taking intentional breaks at opportune times when the “energy dips” and things aren’t in “FLOW.”
Otherwise when we “push through,” that is frequently the moment attention drifts, and we suddenly find we’ve been scrolling FB for 10 minutes, or checking email mindlessly.
YOUR BRAIN NEEDS BREAKS.
Especially when things aren’t working, aren’t In Flow, aren’t jiving, it’s a great time to procrastinate on purpose, with parameters.
And it’ll then be a lot easier for you to resist the temptation to do some of the other things that maybe don’t feel constructive or don’t feel like you’re using your time well.
Often our procrastination choices don’t even TRULY allow for relaxation – We’d be better off genuinely stepping away for a 10-min nap or Hypnosis than we would scrolling on socials accidentally.
Remember, a relaxed mind is more creative mind – more capable of conjuring ideas and solving problems. Tools like Hypnosis, Yoga Nidra, walking, exercising, or time in nature are fabulous ways to get brain breaks.
Allow yourself to take an intentional break, doing something healthy, constructive, something that you really want to do – rather than feeling as though you’ve been held hostage by an unintended action.
#4 – “Overthinking” Isn’t a Character Flaw
Have you called yourself an “overthinker,” or worse, been accused by someone else of “over analyzing?”
“Overthinking and Over-Analyzing” take a lot of flack.
We are really talking about a mind that is highly active, very versatile, and capable of dissecting, analyzing and taking things apart for review.
In any other application, this would be considered a skill.
So let’s be mindful about how we describe our traits and tendencies.
I’d encourage you to use that exact analytical skill you have to dissect what is happening there – and avoid being gaslit into believing your powerful mind is flawed and needs to be fixed.
What is the benefit to someone else if you stop overthinking?
- Is it because you are asking for something they don’t want to do?
- Is it because you’ve caught on to something you weren’t supposed to know?
- Is there a benefit for that judgy someone if you stop using your critical mind to review details?
It’s certainly true that “overthinking” can FEEL harmful to us, make us feel anxious or frustrated.
But part of that frustration derives solely from “beating up on yourself” for a behavior that you perceive as flawed or problematic.
It can actually be a gift.
And it’s a matter of being intentional with it, being intentional about that trait or desire, and using it in ways that actually serve you.
It’s not a negative trait. It’s not a personality flaw that you are capable of dissecting and taking things apart and reviewing information and analyzing all of those pieces.
And it is a very powerful energy that we possess, that other people may even be envious of how much we can actually do when they see us in motion.
But when we don’t have a constructive project going on – something that’s really capable of consuming that energy – then it can turn itself into something that feels bad to us or it feels problematic.
It really comes down to how it gets applied.
We can make intentional choices to channel that power to CREATE.
#5 – Overthinker or Powerful Solopreneur?
Being a solopreneur means you don’t have other people doing things for you.
You are doing “all of the things” by yourself.
As a solopreneur, there are a lot of different hats we have to wear.
You are the content creator, the accountant, the marketer, the CEO as well as the person doing the grunt work – the big picture person and the little details person – all in one.
You are taking on all of the different components that go into each project, each social media piece, each marketing tool, each client conversation, each finance tracking record, each content schedule.
Even simple projects involve multiple types of work – there are the creation sides of coming up with ideas, there are often editing components, and there is also scheduling and planning and deciding when it’s appropriate to share content that you’ve created.
I’ve talked previously about some strategies for juggling these competing types of creation energies (Creator, Editor, Planner), but the key here is that being a Solopreneur does require a pretty powerful brain.
Therefore it isn’t shocking that the very people capable of juggling all those balls and completing all those projects single-handedly as a 1-woman-show, mayyyy also have the brain capacity to end up in that bucket of “overthinker.”
It’s relevant to observe, to honor and appreciate the value in being capable of doing projects that involve all those different pieces.
Maybe it sometimes feels like a double sided sword. On one side, you can accomplish so much because your brain has the capacity to hold all of those moving pieces, and on the other, it can feel like that same skill works against you when it comes to maybe ruminating over something negative that’s happened in your life.
But what I’m here to tell you is to stop beating up on yourself, because it’s not a bad thing that you have that capacity.
It really comes down to viewing your skill set in a positive light, recognizing and honoring that it’s a skill, a gift.
It’s not a flaw, and making sure that you feel good about how you’re using it is important.
Ensure you’re using it to your advantage – using it constructively – and that you’re never beating yourself up for when it DOES rear its head in a way that doesn’t feel good or that other people are criticizing you for.
Empower yourself to understand the distinction between flaw and gift – and to recognize how special and unique it makes you, rather than thinking of yourself as flawed or needing repair.
It’s something you can constructively use on your behalf to your benefit in your business, and everywhere else.
Quickie Take-Away
Less than 5 minutes.
Quickly jot down 1-2 ways you can Procrastinate on Purpose or use your Powerful Mind constructively.
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