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How To Help Clients Struggling With Procrastination

Forbes Coaches Council

Deborah Krevalin, LPC, LMHC is a Psychotherapist, Business Performance Coach & Relationship Expert. Deborah Krevalin Counseling & Coaching.

We all procrastinate every once in a while—delaying a task that has a specific deadline or putting off making an important decision. Sometimes we just don't want to deal with the issue, so we put it off until tomorrow or the next day. This makes us feel a little less overwhelmed by giving ourselves a grace period, waiting until we have a bit more stamina to tackle it. However, many executives find that they continually put off these tasks and never get to them "later." This type of pattern often happens in people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Many founders, CEOs and other successful visionaries have struggled with ADHD-type symptoms since childhood but have never been formally tested or diagnosed. Not only do these symptoms impact their ability to meet deadlines, impress investors and make confident decisions, but they also diminish their self-esteem and trigger fear and self-doubt. These feelings impact people's ability to be successful in both their business and personal lives.

How To Combat Procrastination

As both a psychotherapist and a business performance coach, I have found that the best way to combat chronic procrastination and being mentally scattered—whether ADHD-related or not—is to go back to basics. I ask my clients to break down the work that needs to get accomplished into multiple steps, each of which has a deadline. I help clients create a “self-syllabus” that they can refer to on a daily (or even hourly) basis. This consists of objectives and small, specific, attainable goals that hold them accountable. After creating and working off of their self-syllabus, clients come to realize that they can be self-reliant, in control and, most importantly, successful. This a great example of stepping into one’s personal power.

Our job as coaches is to offer emotional support and help foster clients’ innate strengths and talents. We do this by identifying what may be holding them back from achieving their highest level of performance. Often, work habits like procrastinating, being forgetful and lacking attention to detail are those very things. Coaches need to understand how and why these habits developed in the first place, and then figure out what’s needed to help clients flourish. We should be guiding clients away from the idea of instant success in their careers—and rather aiming for career growth.

People who are disorganized and procrastinate inevitably struggle with periods of self-doubt and need help letting go of the shame it causes. It’s our job to help these clients build emotional tolerance so they can better manage the stress or anxiety that often accompanies a lack of self-confidence. When we help them build their emotional stamina, they become better equipped to make sound decisions and find calm in the face of uncertainty. It’s our job to help them feel powerful and embrace their uniqueness and authenticity.

Final Thoughts

Not all procrastinators have ADHD, but as a psychotherapist, I am keenly aware that there can be a distinct correlation between the two. We all have fragilities, areas in our work and personal lives where we lack confidence and strength. It is the job of a coach to empower clients to see beyond their current problems and find resiliency and success.


Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?


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