To all my multi-passionate women who can’t bring yourselves to work on your passion, you are not alone. Sometimes, we procrastinate until we wonder “is it too late to get involved with this thing that I love?”
Because let’s face it: when you’re working on more than one thing, you can find more than one reason to avoid it.
In this post, I’m being real and listing some of the reasons why I procrastinate. Read through and see if any of these sound familiar to you. And don’t forget – we’ve got a free Focus Planner to help you stick to what truly matters: your passions.
Reason 1: you truly feel like you don’t have time
I don’t know about you, but I’ve suffered from many-a-case of “I’ll get to it later.” In fact, I really struggled with learning Portuguese even though I’d learned two other languages in adulthood. And it had nothing to do with a lack of resources. I just kept putting it off because I was “too busy.”
Hint: I was not. If I’m honest, I just didn’t want to make the time to learn a new language because I knew that to make progress, I’d have to consistently put in the hours. Language acquisition works best when it’s consistent.
So, I procrastinated the heck out of making time to practice Portuguese… until I joined a small class. It met twice a week for 3 hours each time.
And guess what? I made it to (almost) every class. Even though I’m usually a self-starter, I needed this group to hold me accountable. Yes, it made for very long days when I had to rush to class after work, but it also made for progress.
I love learning languages, and Portuguese was no different. I just didn’t feel like I had the time.
If you feel like this, re-evaluate if it’s true. What can you do differently? Can you make your commute more productive? Can you replace something with time for your passion? (Read: How to Stop Scrolling) Or are you using time as an excuse to put off your passionate work?
Reason 2: it’s hard, dang it!
Now, although I loved learning Portuguese, it wasn’t easy. I was actually shocked at how different it was than Spanish in terms of pronunciation. Words that looked similar were pronounced completely differently.
If I’m honest, part of why I kept procrastinating learning Portuguese was that it was hard. It didn’t come naturally, and I really struggled to even get the words out.
Has this ever happened to you? Where you put off something you’re passionate about just because it’s hard? Listen, I sounded really funny for a while, but now the musical sounds of Portuguese aren’t quite as difficult for me. My lips can move to the rhythm of the language.
And so while I acknowledged that learning Portuguese was hard, I also acknowledged that I was capable of doing it. And you are too. (I’m talking about your passion here, not Portuguese, but you can learn that too if you want!)
If you’re avoiding doing something because you know it’s hard, give yourself the benefit of the doubt that you can get started and you can succeed.
Reason 3: you want to get it done “right”
Now, if you cringed at the idea of just getting started, then you might be a bit of a perfectionist like I was (okay… am). And if we’re not careful, perfectionism will stop us in our tracks. It says that if it’s done not perfectly, it shouldn’t be done at all. It warns you not to start because it’ll never be perfect.
Which is absolutely right. Your work will never be perfect.
And that’s okay. If you’re procrastinating because you’re afraid of producing a less-than-perfect end product, let’s get over that, shall we? I will always have a funny accent – but you know what else I have? The ability to communicate with a whole new group of people. If I’d never started with Portuguese because I was afraid I wouldn’t get it right, then I’d never have learned another language.
And you don’t have to get it perfect; you just have to get it started.
Reason 4: you’re comparing yourself to “the experts”
When we’re using perfectionistic thinking, we’re comparing ourselves to something that doesn’t exist: the perfect. But on the other hand, when we’re comparing ourselves to other people, there is a concrete example of who we think has it going on.
Sometimes, we put off our passions because we’re busy focusing on how well someone else is living out our dreams. And doesn’t that sound sad? The fact that your colleague is doing something that you’d love to do could be an example of what’s possible or it could be your reason to limit your potential.
I strongly encourage you to think of it as a positive example. But, hey, if you’re not there yet, maybe just stop watching that person’s progress. Take a break from watching what’s going on in their world.
Instead of wondering, is it too late for me to do what she’s doing? turn your focus inward. The time you’re spending worrying about them could be time spent on you and what you love.
Reason 5: you’ve judged the value of your passions
This is such a common reason why multi-passionate women put off something they love. For me, I’d judged one of my passions – medicine – as being more important than the other – learning a language. For so long, I thought, Well, clinic is more important than learning Portuguese, so I don’t have time.
To review: this just was not true. I did have time to learn Portuguese, but I’d judged it as being a less-important passion of mine. Let’s not do this, y’all. (Read: 4 Reasons to Make Time for Your Passion Now)
Can we stop holding some things in higher esteem than others? Can we stop saying the arts are less important than the sciences? That money-making passions are more valuable than hobbies? Our passions are valuable because of how they make us feel and how they allow us to serve. They are valuable in and of themselves, so you can go ahead and get started on them.
Reason 6: you don’t know where to start
But maybe this is the problem. If you’re not sure how to get involved or where to start with one of your passions, welcome to the club. Every multi-passionate woman has wondered about how to really get involved in a new and exciting area. But get this: you don’t have to do it the way it’s been done before, and you can start something just for fun.
Read that again. You can do something you love just because you love it. It does not have to be something you do professionally or academically. And it does not have to come with a business plan.
Summary
So, listen. Sometimes, multi-passionate career women procrastinate because:
- We’re pressed for time
- It’s hard
- We want to get it done “right”
- We’re comparing ourselves to “the experts”
- We’ve judged the value of our passions and think one is more legitimate than the other
- We don’t know where to start
These are definitely things I’ve struggled with. When you’re multi-passionate, It’s easy to doubt the legitimacy of your work (Read: How to Work Past Self Doubt When You Have Big Goals). And it’s common to feel overwhelmed because you don’t know where to start.
If that’s you, then this free Focus Planner workbook will help you figure out which passions to work on and what’s been getting in your way. So, if you’re ready to make time for what matters to you, don’t procrastinate; grab the workbook. I’m rooting for you!
