Procrastination: is this why you haven’t finished your website yet? 

I know you’ve probably been there too.

Maybe you’re trying to write the content for your home page, or finish off the slides for the workshop that you’re running next week.

It’s taking a lot of brain power, and suddenly your mind starts to wander. You check Instagram to see what your friends are up to. 

Then after spending ten more minutes on your slides, you decide it’s time for a snack. 

On the way back from the kitchen, you realise that you didn’t hang the washing out first thing this morning, so you nip out to do that. 

Sound familiar?

We’ve all experienced it.

It’s the enemy of productivity, and it’s called procrastination.

Procrastination is insanely common. 

One misconception is that procrastination is a time management issue. 

It’s not. It’s a self-management issue. 

Procrastination is about managing our thoughts, feelings and actions.

So if you’re now thinking, that’s me, “I’m a procrastinator,” that’s not actually true. 

You simply have a habit of procrastinating. 

Which by the way, most of the rest of us have too. 

The good news is that because it’s not an intrinsic part of who we are, we can actually break the cycle.

Procrastination for many business owners can feel like a strong and mysterious force that stops them from finishing or even starting important tasks in their business. Tasks such as starting their website or finishing it. 

Sometimes we find ourselves putting off tasks by telling ourselves things like: 

• I am waiting for the right moment
• I need time to think it through a bit more
• Once I’ve finished doing x, then I’ll work on y (the project you’re stalling on…)
• I am not feeling creative at the moment
• I’m not in the mood, but I probably will be later.

By taking the time to understand why we procrastinate it is possible to move our behaviour from stuck to action. 

So let’s see how we can start breaking that cycle. 

Understanding Procrastination

Procrastination can manifest itself in different ways, and it’s important to identify the type of procrastinator you are so that you can address it. 

There are three types of procrastinators: 

• Passive
• Active
• perfectionist.

Passive procrastinators

Passive procrastinators delay tasks because they have trouble making decisions and acting on them. 

Active procrastinators

Active procrastinators, on the other hand, delay tasks on purpose because they like to work under pressure, which helps them feel challenged and motivated.

Perfectionist procrastinators

Perfectionists often delay publishing their work because it never quite feels good enough to show to the world. 

Why Do We Procrastinate about our websites?

1. Perfectionism

One of the main reasons people procrastinate when it comes to completing their website is that they want everything to be perfect before they put it out there into the world. 

Whilst I would never recommend you put out a website that is riddled with spelling mistakes or includes blurred imagery, sometimes, you’ve just got to hit the publish button. 

The honest truth is that we could tinker with our websites forever and never get them finished. 

Trust me, I’ve fallen into that trap before. 

It’s also important to remember that one of the beautiful things about working online and having control over your own website, is that you can change and adapt it as your business grows. 

If you’re at a point when your website is complete, but you’re still holding back on publishing it, you may want to ask yourself if you are becoming stuck in perfectionism for one of the following reasons:

• Fear of being judged by others
• Fear of making mistakes 
• Fear of taking a risk
• Fear of being visible

If any of those strike a nerve, it’s time to do some mindset work around them. 

And I can assure you, that most entrepreneurs have grappled with one of more of those fears at some point. 

2. Lack of clarity

When we don’t have a clear vision or goal for our website, it can be difficult to know what steps to take next and in what order. This lack of clarity can lead to procrastination as we may feel overwhelmed or uncertain about the best course of action.

3. Overwhelm

Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done is another common reason people procrastinate about completing their website. 

They may feel like they have too much to do and not enough time or resources to accomplish everything, leading to avoidance.

4. Distractions

With so many distractions in our life, it can be easy to get sidetracked and lose focus. We may find ourselves spending hours on social media, email, or other non-essential tasks, instead of focusing on the critical work that needs to be done to complete our website. 

This can lead to procrastination and is simply delaying our ability to achieve our business goals.

Hopefully, by now you are beginning to understand some of the reasons why you procrastinate. 

So now It’s time to take the awareness and put strategies in place to change this. 

How to Overcome Procrastination

Let’s look at some of the ways that we can turn things around so we can start getting more done. And specifically, if you’re procrastinating around getting your website finished, let’s see how you can finally check it off your to-do list.

1. Break Tasks into Smaller Chunks: 

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done on your website, breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks can help you make progress and avoid the dreaded procrastination. 

For example: break your website creation process into smaller milestones and set deadlines for each one.

The reason why I deliver small daily tasks with my Rock That Website Express program is for exactly this reason. To break down the process into achievable steps with daily prompts. 

2. Set Clear Goals: 

By defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals, you can create a clear roadmap for your website creation process and avoid feeling lost or uncertain about what to do next.

3. Work With Your Perfectionism: 

This often but not always manifests as a fear of failure and the first step to working with this fear is acknowledging that it exists.

Instead of pushing your fear of failure away or using the old adage of “fake it until you make it”, try to remember that failure is a normal part of life it’s how we learn and grow; 

We all fail at some point, and many people celebrate failure as part of their path to success. 

If you haven’t heard Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, talk about failure, there’s a great interview with Tony Robbins that I’d love you to watch. Scroll to 3.46 minutes if you want to get straight to the bit about failure, but honestly, it’s all worth listening to:

4. Avoid Comparisonitis

Yes, really it’s a thing! 

And it’s so important not to fall into the trap of comparing your website or business with other people’s. 

Everyone is at a different stage in their business. We all have different methods, different undercurrents, different starting points, and different outcomes. Stay in your own lane. 

5. Minimise Distractions: 

To overcome procrastination caused by distractions, you can minimise interruptions and distractions by setting aside dedicated time to build your website. Switch off your notifications and even better, simply remove any distracting devices to another room during that focus time. Because even if it’s on silent, there’s still a temptation to reach for it and check your notifications. 

6. Consider the costs

Procrastinating can have a high price. 

The next time you want to put off writing your lead magnet, finishing your workshop slides, finalising that sales page, putting together your email sequence, getting started with revamping your website, or saving for retirement, or anything else that you should have done like, last year, write down what it may be costing you. 

It could be more than you think.

Don’t let procrastination derail your path to success. 

In summary 

If procrastination is why you haven’t got your website done yet, hopefully, you have found the confidence here to make the changes you need to move from stuck to done. 

Identifying the type of procrastinator you are, working with your perfectionism, setting clear goals, breaking tasks into smaller chunks, and minimizing distractions are all effective ways to overcome procrastination and achieve your business goals. 

Everyone struggles with procrastination from time to time, but understanding that you are not a procrastinator, you just have procrastination tendencies sometimes can be a huge realisation to enable you to move forward and make progress towards building a successful business.

Remember, progress over perfection. 

Ask yourself, “What is one critical task that I’ve been putting off?” 

Then apply these strategies to get your website finished. 

If you make them a habit, you’ll start becoming so much more productive and your business and your income will thank you for it.