Execution over Excuses
Hi, my name is Samantha, and I am a chronic productive-procrastinator 👋🏻.
On Tuesday, I was folding laundry and fretting about all of the things I should be doing: getting the sales page ready for my upcoming workshop series, sending a scary-big email to a potential client for my biggest proposal yet, writing a blog post 😉. So I told myself that as soon as I was done folding, I would sit down and DO IT. But then, I realized there were a few dishes in the sink and also, the bathroom looked a little grubby. May as well vacuum while I’m cleaning and make the house look fresh!
You guessed it, I fell into bed that night and not ONE thing that would actually move the needle got done. Keep in mind that while I was doing these things, I was thinking about what I would say in the email, the subject of the blog post and the layout of my sales page for the workshop series… but thinking is just that. It’s not executing.
On Wednesday I felt glum about it. WHY WHY WHY do I keep doing this!? In 2 weeks, would it matter if I gave my bathroom a quick wipe down? It wasn’t like I did a big clean in there. I’m not saying that cleanliness isn’t important, but I do have time set aside for that on Sundays. The real reason is this: I’m afraid to finish said tasks. They seem too big, too scary, and when they’re done it means I have to put them out into the world. Then, who knows? They flop. I get rejected. No one signs up for the workshop series… 🤯
Here's the part nobody really wants to say out loud: most of us aren't stuck because we're too busy. We're stuck because we're scared. Scared of rejection. Scared of being judged. Scared of putting something out there and watching it go absolutely nowhere, which would force us to sit with the very uncomfortable question of what now?
And look, knowing you're not alone in this is genuinely nice. It's validating! It's comforting! But let's be real: community doesn't make the call, comfortable feelings don’t send the email. You do (I do 😊). So let's talk about how to actually get unstuck.
The Mental Shift: Ask Yourself The 2-Week Question
The “2 week” thing really stuck with me and it’s working! Next time you find yourself deep in a round of "productive procrastination", before you redesign your logo for the fourth time or alphabetize your digital files, stop and ask yourself:
In two weeks, will this even matter?
If the answer is no, you've caught yourself. Admin tasks aren't bad - they have to get done eventually! But they become a problem when we use them as a very convincing shield against the work that actually scares us. The moment you notice you're doing it, you've already broken the spell.
Call it what it is: "I'm avoiding the hard thing right now."
That's step one. Now let's do something with it 🙌🏻.
Tactical Fix #1: Do The Money Thing First
Every single day, before you open your inbox, before you touch Canva, before you do literally anything else: identify the one task most likely to bring in revenue or move a prospect forward. Then do that first.
Not second. Not "after I get a few things out of the way." *cough, SAM* First.
📍Revenue-generating activity is survival. Everything else is maintenance. Treat it that way and watch how fast your days start to feel different.
Tactical Fix #2: Make It Embarrassingly Small
➡️ Then Put It On Your Calendar
Here's why big tasks don't get done: they live in your head as one giant, vague, overwhelming blob. "Launch the workshop series." "Fix my marketing." "Reach out to potential clients." Those aren't tasks, those are themes. No wonder you're frozen!
Here's the fix: break the scary thing down into its three smallest possible first steps. And I mean SMALL. Like, embarrassingly small.
Not "write the email sequence." More like:
Open a blank doc and write the subject line
Jot down two bullet points of what you want to say
Set a 20-minute timer and write the first draft without editing it (I used to poo-poo the timer thing, but damn, it actually works!)
Then put those three steps on your calendar. With an actual day and time. Not on a sticky note. Not on a mental note. On your calendar, like a meeting with a client you absolutely cannot cancel.
When the thing has a time, it becomes real. When it's real, it gets done. It's seriously simple and it works!
Resources: When You Need Someone To Tell You To Go Do The Thing
Sometimes we just need a permission slip, a gut punch of inspiration or a framework/ outline that makes everything click.
Ask AI: Head over to your friend Claude, ChatGPT or whatever other AI you use and do a loooong braindump of all of the things in your head. Ask it: If my ultimate goal is to ___, what should I work on first, which of these things is the money-engine and what are my 3 smallest possible steps that I can do in the next 30 minutes? *Just don’t get sucked into the endless AI conversation - that’s productive procrastination!
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - Names the resistance we feel and drags it into the light. Short, direct, will make you feel deeply called out in the best way 🙌🏻.
Best Laid Plans by Sarah Hart-Unger - Sometimes it’s the way we use our time that’s all over the place. This book has helped me make time for the important stuff, the not-so important/ boring stuff and everything in-between.
FINAL THOUGHT
I won’t say that I’ve been healed overnight. Just last night I got sucked into a very long AI conversation that probably wasn’t necessary, even though it was about one of my big-things. But knowing the problem is half the battle and so I will continue to work on it.
The thing is: we’re afraid… of what?! Who’s permission are we waiting for? Who are we afraid of being seen by? If we can answer those questions, we’ll probably find that those people/ things probably aren’t our ideal customers anyway. So let’s do the scary things for them, our people - the people that need us! That want to hear what we have to say! That will purchase from us or promote us!
I’m here for you, friend 🙌🏻 I’m rooting for you and your small business dreams!
One More Thing: You Don't Have To White-Knuckle This Alone
📣 I built The Hub, North community for exactly this reason. Because knowing you're not alone is nice, but having actual people in your corner: checking in, cheering you on, and holding you accountable when you're about to spend another afternoon "reorganizing" is a different thing entirely.
If you're ready to stop avoiding the hard thing and actually do it with some people alongside you, come find your people.