There’s a fine line between keeping busy and being productive. With our inboxes at our fingertips at all times, it’s tempting to jump on every new email as soon as it comes in. Prioritising what’s new or easy over the lingering tasks you’d prefer to delay.

As good as it feels to look back on your to-do list at the end of the day and see a page full of ticks, if we’re just keeping busy with what is comfortable, we risk not taking any real steps closer towards our goals.

It’s not that the small stuff doesn’t matter. But it can become a problem if we’re treating it as a comfort blanket or a buffer between ourselves and the things we want to avoid. Whether we’re worried about having to try something new, have struggled with it in the past or just the knowledge that it’s a big job that needs all of your brain power to see it through.

So how can we leave the safety of the small stuff behind and start the work on the tasks that take us closer to where we want to be?

The comfort of constant motion

It’s not always easy to notice when we’re procrastinating. We might mistake it for:

• Being easily distracted by what’s new to your inbox
• Constantly reorganising or shifting difficult tasks to the bottom of your priorities
• Spending ages agonising over the tiniest of details before you can move on
• Carrying out extensive, unnecessary research on a project before you feel ‘ready’ to begin
• Looking for any reason to justify why you need to delay getting started

These habits often stem from the same place as self-doubt. Perhaps we’re worried we’re not going to do something well enough or we’re scared of feeling out of our depth with something we’re not an expert in, so we subconsciously put it off for as long as we can and fill the time with little wins that keep the wheels turning. What’s really happening here is a secret internal dialogue that says “If I don’t start, I can’t fail.” It’s not down to laziness, it’s more like self-protection. Unfortunately, this is what tends to hold us back from reaching our potential.

Each time we give ourselves permission to delay what we’re avoiding, we’re reinforcing the false belief that we’re not capable. This feeds into the cycle that stops us stepping out of our comfort zone.

We are all capable of growing to wonderful heights, the main difference between those who do and those who do not is having the courage to take a leap into the unknown.

The second we start to approach the things we’re avoiding (however imperfectly), is the exact moment growth begins. You’ll earn more than just the satisfaction and relief of completing something that’s been hanging over your head, you’ll gain the quiet confidence that you can, in fact, do hard things. That way, the next time you come face-to-face with a task your instinct tells you to run from, you’ve got proof that the only thing stopping you is yourself.

A moment to pause

Now is a good time to think on a question I might ask as a coach:

What is one thing you keep postponing and what story do you tell yourself about why?

Being honest with yourself will help you start to see what your to-do list is actually protecting you from.

Some tips to take away

In an interview with GQ UK, productivity expert Chris Bailey detailed three practices to sharpen focus and avoid procrastination:

1. Start each day by setting three clear intentions before you even open up your computer, then reflect on them at the end of the day.

2. Identify what pulls your attention when you’re low on energy or motivation, those habitual apps or websites reveal where autopilot is hijacking your time.

3. For tasks you’re likely to procrastinate - things that are boring, difficult or unstructured, remove the temptation for distractions. Try leaving your phone in another room. Turn off your notifications or block out your calendar for a few hours to avoid interruptions.

If one task came to mind as you were reading, today might be the day to take that first imperfect step. Your future self will thank you. And, if part of you knows you’re ready for bigger things and you’d like someone in your corner while you step into them, Cashmere can help.