Fear stops me cold in my tracks on most projects. It’s as if I’m driving on the interstate when, as sudden as a bolt of lightning, a family of deer sprint out of the woods onto the road—in single file. I slam on the brakes to avoid hitting any of them. My heart races. My breathing is shallow and loud.
Fear is a major contributor to my procrastination. I say things to myself like:
- I need to wait until I can handle it.
- Take a deep breath before you tackle that.
- You’re not ready.
- I need more research.
- I should delegate part of this, but to whom?
Before too long, the other voices start and the procrastination deepens.
- What if I fail?
- What if I let _________ down?
- What if my work isn’t good enough?
In the ABC television series, Lost, Jack Shepherd faces his fear in the opening moments of the series.
He awakes in the jungle. He’s in pain. He’s disoriented. A dog wanders by. He sits up and the pain explodes through his body. His breathing escalates when he pulls back his suit coat to see the wound. He fights to rise to his feet as another detonation of pain rocks his body and soul. He feels something odd in his coat pocket and pulls out two airline mini bottles of vodka (another demon perhaps).
Then we see Jack pause. Jack gathers himself before sprinting to the beach, the wreckage of flight 815, and the destiny which awaits the survivors.
Why did he pause? What went through his mind? We find out later in that episode… and many more details in the course of the series.
As a woman named Kate sews up his wound, Jack tells her about fear:
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Well, fear’s sort of an odd thing. When I was in residency my first solo procedure was a spinal surgery on a sixteen year old kid, a girl. And at the end, after thirteen hours, I was closing her up and I, I accidentally ripped her dural sac, shredded the base of the spine where all the nerves come together, membrane as thin as tissue. And so it ripped open and the nerves just spilled out of her like angel hair pasta, spinal fluid flowing out of her and I… and the terror was just so crazy. So real. And I knew I had to deal with it. So I just made a choice. I’d let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing, but only for five seconds, that’s all I was going to give it. So I started to count: one, two, three, four, five. Then it was gone. I went back to work, sewed her up and she was fine.
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What is staring you in the face right now? What has stopped you from moving forward? I believe there is some wisdom here in this character’s response.
A. Acknowledge the scope of the problem
Jack faced a fatal error. Our issues may not be life or death, but they feel that way, don’t they?
- How big is the project?
- How big are the consequences?
- How big is your workload?
Feel the weight and importance of it.
B. Tell yourself you have to deal with it
There’s a reason you have the assignment. You are the one in the chair. You have the talent, the skills, the background, the experience, and the creativity to handle it. What you lack, you know how to find. You know how to find the answers, who to ask, and where to look. It’s your responsibility. Nobody else’s.
C. Make the choice
Forget the consequences. Forget the voices. Forget the mind games. Choose to move forward.
D. Use the emotion of fear
Jack “let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing”
E. Count to five
As a fellow master procrastinator I hereby give you permission to let the fear in for five seconds. Count to five.
F. Get back to work
I’ll say it again. Get back to work.
For Jack the super spinal surgeon with screenwriters, directors, producers, and bloggers all shaping who he is, this was easy. For you and me, not so much.
Let’s practice this technique every time procrastination sets in. I may have to practice this method 100 times today.
I know it’s scary. I know you’re scared. But these tasks are yours.
What other ways do you face your procrastination and fear?
Tell us about it in the comments.
Remember, at the end of May, I will choose three commenters at random
to receive a free copy of Wizards, Hobbits, and Harry Potter.
Read my other procrastination posts:
Three Ways a Timer Helps Suffocate Procrastination
Can Procrastination be Good for You?
Five Challenges to My Procrastination
Three Thoughts on Procrastination
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