Productive Procrastination: Pause, Not Panic

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:00:00]: Well, hello there. Welcome back to the Happy Healthy Hustle podcast. I am your host, Dr. Christiane, and I’m really excited that you’re here today. This is going to be a juicy podcast because I’m going to share some behind the scenes and some flashbacks about what’s really going on here. So stay tuned. You’re going to love this episode here today. This is the podcast for ambitious entrepreneurs who are ready to grow their business with clarity and confidence so you can show up, speak up, and sell with intention.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:00:36]: Success doesn’t come from just pushing harder. It comes from small strategic action that lead to real growth personally and professionally. So today’s episode is a perfect example of that. Because if you’ve ever found yourself deep cleaning something totally unrelated right before a big moment in your business, you are not alone. Let me take you back to when I was writing my PhD dissertation. I was in our shared community kitchen, standing in front of the freezer, and I was actually defrosting the freezer. Yep. And I mean really defrosting it.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:01:15]: I had already pulled out everything, chipping away at the ice, organizing mystery leftovers like they were the key ingredients to my research. And one of my roommates, he was actually one of my close friends, he just stood there and watched me and then eventually said, big exam coming up. And we both just kind of like started laughing because, yes, we all had those moments, but that particular moment was mine. And now I can spot that particular pattern every single time. So fast forward to today. I’m prepping for my TEDx talk, which might be arguably one of my biggest opportunities of my careers. And what am I thinking about? I’m not just thinking about my talk. I’m not just thinking about what I’m going to wear on stage and how I’m prepping for all this.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:02:10]: I’m debating whether this is the perfect time to reorganize my entire home office. Do I need to do that? Probably absolutely not. But the thought of neatly labeled folders, freshly cleaned desk, suddenly sounds really, really urgent. Yes, it actually really does sound super urgent. So let’s talk about what’s really going on here. This is something called productive procrastination. Yes, productive procrastination. It’s when your brain avoids a big, emotionally charged or high stakes task by focusing on a smaller one that still feels really useful.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:02:51]: It’s not like you’re doing nothing like cleaning the kitchen, sorting files, reorganizing the junk drawer. It’s all good things, but they are kind of like stand ins for the real thing. That matters. And for entrepreneurs, it’s incredibly common. For instance, here’s how it shows up, right? Instead of filming a video that you want to put on your website, talking about your offers, you all of a sudden have to clean your closet. Or instead of writing that important sales email, you just need to quickly redo your dashboard in your trello. Instead of pitching yourself for a podcast, you decide now is the perfect time to switch all the fonts on your website. It sounds familiar, right? And it’s not about being disorganized.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:03:38]: It’s not even about avoiding in the traditional sense of procrastinating. It’s just that you need control. Because when something feels really big, whether that’s visibility, launching, selling, speaking, your brain kind of scrambles to find a win. It kind of like is a quick hit. And that quick hit is needing like something for moving on, for progress. So here is what I want you to remember. Clarity doesn’t come after you feel ready. Clarity comes when you take action.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:04:16]: So if you are stuck in this productive spiral that’s not actually moving the needle, this is what can help, right? I call it the pause method. Yes. And actually going to use this myself when I get ready for the TEDx talk. Next time you find yourself reaching for the label maker instead of your launch checklist, remember this pause stands for P Pattern check. Ask yourself, is this what I do when something big is coming up? Just noticing already gives you power. So P for pattern. Is this something I do when something big comes up? A for acknowledge the task. What’s the real thing? I’m avoiding.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:05:04]: Say it out loud. I’m avoiding my pitch email, I’m avoiding sending the invoice because this awareness already creates momentum. You for use a timer, set a 10 minute time limit, organize, just do it, sort, clean, whatever. But you need to do it within boundaries and then you need to move on or move back to the real big thing you actually need to work on. S stands for start small. One sentence, one slide, one sticky note with the headline of your talk and action leads to clarity, not the other way around. And finally, E. Exhale and enter.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:05:42]: Take a breath, literally, and then enter the task as if you’ve been preparing for it. Because you have. You took that big exhale. So this isn’t about shaming yourself. It’s about learning to catch the pattern and shift with intention. Because you don’t need a productivity overhaul. You need a moment of pause. Literally speaking, the pause and a reset that can actually work for your brain.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:06:09]: So here is your petite practice for today. Next time you find yourself wanting to refold your laundry, instead of sharing your message, pause. Use the pause method and see how that works for you. Check the pattern, acknowledge the task, set the timer, start small, and finally exhale and enter. So that’s how confidence builds and that’s how clarity grows, and that’s how sales will follow one clear step at a time. So if this episode hits home today, send it to a friend who’s maybe just quickly sorting their files instead of doing the big thing they really care about. And if you want more support with this kind of clarity for a strategy, you can find tools resources at my website, drcristiana.com where you can also find the previous podcast episodes as well as blog posts that might help you. Thanks for being here.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:07:12]: I’m your host, Dr. Christiane. I will see you on the next episode of the Happy Healthy Hustle.