Hey everybody, how's it going? My name is Mayuko. And welcome back to my channel.
So ever since I made the switch from being a software engineer to a content creator,
I realized my life kind of revolves around different deadlines. And that's because as a content creator,
most of the time, I'm working on different projects with different companies and different people.
And we're working on building something towards a specific date. So naturally, this has really tested my procrastination.
Also, just to be like completely honest with you, I just kind of feel like these last two months, I've been procrastinating a lot.
So as usual, in Mayuko form, I kind of take the time to just think about that. Where is this procrastination coming from?
Am I okay to be procrastinating? What really is procrastination? And what are different ways that I can think about it?
I mean, the moral of the story is that I realize that it's totally okay to procrastinate,
but let me kind of walk you through how I got there. Before we get started.
I wanted to say thank you to Helix for sponsoring today's video. So if you clicked on this video,
I'm guessing that maybe you're procrastinating right now. And you actually just want to lay down,
like Ellie and have a nice little nap in bed, which is where I want to talk to you about the Helix mattress.
I've said this in many videos before but sleep is so important to me.
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So visit the link below or go to helixsleep.com/mayuko for up to $200 off your mattress and two free pillows.
Thank you to Helix for sponsoring this video and my sleep. And now let's get back to the video.
So I think the story really starts at school like everybody else. I was kind of a master procrastinator,
especially in college between midterms and essays and programming assignments and other quizzes and finals and stuff.
I really only did things until I absolutely had to. And I used to really beat myself up about this
because like most students, I kind of was just like dreaming that I could be this really studious version of myself,
where I would do things as soon as things are assigned or tasks were given.
And not like the night before or a couple hours before it was due. So yeah, that dream of becoming a very studious person,
I feel like came and went sort of, you know, there are some folks who can actually do this, like do things as soon as they're assigned.
And I used to really admire those folks and look up to them. And I would really try, but ultimately fail,
because I would end up procrastinating. But then when I started work, I think
all of that kind of changed because there was a fundamental change in the way that I worked.
Because in the tech industry, there's all these structures and frameworks and methodologies for how to work on big
projects together and completing tasks together as a team. Basically, it's all about just like breaking big
chunks of work into small incremental steps. And then planning those small steps from week to week in what we call sprints.
So basically, like deadlines, more or less are self imposed based on what your estimates are for getting that work done.
Working in this environment for many, many years really helped me to get good at breaking big things into small chunks.
And then therefore being able to understand the scope of the work better, which therefore really helped me
to be realistic about what I can and cannot do given a certain timeframe. And so even when I made the jump into content creation,
I'm more or less brought this framework with me. But also creative work is inherently different, though,
because I can't plan for inspiration to strike. And I can't plan for times that are going to be ultra creative and
other times where I'm not going to be creative at all. And it's just all kind of hard and weird. And a lot of my work is very personal.
So
doesn't work exactly the way that it did before. But I mean content creation really is a lot of the same stuff of taking
big things, breaking out into small chunks and then planning it out. So really, I've just been using this
structure for getting work done as a content creator and it's kind of been working really Well, and so in
reflecting how long it's been going and how my workflow is going, I'm realizing like, I feel like
I'm just so much more comfortable with procrastination than I used to be. I think it's just like, I don't know, I feel
more at peace with it. Like, I'm not as stressed out as I used to be about assignments and midterms and stuff.
And you know, I've always had this inkling that procrastination and like the energy associated with it
was a waste of energy and time, frankly, because you know, noodling about about just like, Oh, I should be
doing this paper, but I'm not doing this paper. But I should be doing this paper, but I don't want to do this
paper is just like, then why not just not do the paper and enjoy life, and then do it later, or just do the
paper, you know, and this is kind of when it all dawned on me, I just have a very different lens in which to
look at procrastination. I'm looking at it from a method of prioritization. Basically, we all have, like
important things to do in life, like I'm busy, you're busy, there's like so many roles that we take on and
stuff, you're not going to do some things until it's actually really important to do those things. I mean,
basically, things don't get done until they have to, because other priorities are more pressing. So whether
that's about like getting enough sleep, or eating well, or exercising, or hydrating, are working on your
personal relationship, staying connected with family working on that essay, you've been meaning to
organizing your Spotify playlist, because now you can put them in folders, hanging out with other people and
your loved ones. And just like going to the beach, I don't know, whatever it might be, you know. And I think
it's just that I used to think about all of that as "Oh, I'm procrastinating on this thing, because I
didn't have a real good structure or framework for how I prioritize the things in my life." Like, I couldn't
really trust that the thing that I was doing right now was a really high priority for myself. Because at the
time, I was like, "This is my most important priority, and everything else falls to the wayside." But that's
not true. Because like, we're human, and we have a lot of needs at once. And they all have to be attended to
you know, and I always also thought that you could just like force things to be at the top of the priority list
by willing it, which you can sometimes, but sometimes you just can't like, you can't just do that. So
honestly, I think that now that I understand what my priorities are in life, and what's important to me,
I've been able to prioritize the right stuff, which really has given me the grace of not feeling pressured
about procrastinating. I mean, the key ingredient to all of this, too, is that I just know myself so much
better now than I did before. Like, I know what I need, I know what I'm lacking. I know what to do with the
energy that's flowing within me and how to direct it towards the things that I want to now I know that I can
also push when I really need to. And I can also take a step back and take a break and readjust when I need to
as well. But I mean to be real, I still do procrastinate a lot. I think I just don't stress out
about it as much anymore. Like my priorities and my bandwidth are constantly changing all the time. So I'm
constantly needing to readjust how I get work done, and how do I prioritize the things in my life? And how do I
take care of me and everything else? And you know, sometimes that means I procrastinate on stuff. But I am
now a little bit more forgiving. Because I know that if I miss a deadline, or if I'm neglecting a part of my
life, I know that it's usually for like a good reason. And a good reason to me sound something like Oh, I
didn't have enough energy that day, or there was something else in my life that needed attention, or I
just didn't have the creative juice in me to bring that to life yet. I mean, yes, there are a lot of times
where I'm just like working till 10pm because I have a deadline. Because you know what, I'm not perfect
either. And I'm not going to get it right all the time. But after that 10pm deadline is done, then I'm probably
going to rest a bunch. I wouldn't really I think it's all about just like honoring my feelings and validating
it, listening to it and accepting it. I guess. So. Yeah, I don't know. I think that mindset has really
helped me in thinking about procrastination in the mindset of prioritization. I also have like a couple of
other mindset tips that I think really helped me to not stress out about procrastinating anymore. The first of
which is really just that, like everything's gonna be okay, this is something that I think I realized over
like accumulating lots of experience and like, being older and stuff, but like, everything's gonna be okay.
Like, literally no deadline or task or something in your life, like, rarely is it ever going to be so
pressing, that it's going to completely ruin your life. I guess. If you miss writing an email, you know, for a
day, like big whoop, it's gonna be okay.
And I think like parallel to that it's okay to fail too like, it's okay if you don't meet the thing because
maybe you fail and then you learn how to do it better next time. The second thing is just really having
realistic expectations of what you can and cannot do. We all like to think we're superhuman, and we can get
so much work done or that we think that other people can really get a lot of work done, but not us. And so
we have these really unrealistic high expectations for ourselves, but like, just figure out what is your
capacity? And what are you comfortably able to do and then stretch that little by little over a long period
of time. I mean, I constantly make I'm huge superhuman, and my to do list is never ending. But like, it's
always really satisfying to me. And I feel really proud of myself, when I can actually complete the things on
my to do list because I was realistic with the time and energy, I had to do those things. The third thing to
help me with this whole procrastination mindset is really just to like, show up and try it. This is
something that I kind of learned from my whole creative journey, I guess, if you will, because there's a whole
thing about like showing up to creativity. Like I think mindsets and mental states are a really big factor in
whether we're able to do things or not. But sometimes, like your brain, and body and the mind just need a
little kickstart a little warm up or something. So if there's something that like I really need to do or want
to do or have to do, and I'm just not really feeling it all still kind of go through the motions of doing it,
but for just like a small amount of time. So usually what that looks like is setting like a 25 minute
pomodoro timer, and then just giving my whole focus to that. And then you know, honestly, half the time I'm
like, Yeah, okay, I'm like, I'm warmed up. Now I'm ready to do this. And then there are other times where
I'm just like, yeah, I still don't want to do this at all. In which case, I'm like, Okay, I gotta honor that.
Like, I think I'm not ready for it. It's like, you know, at Costco, you get samples and stuff, and how are
you able to commit to a bulk size thing of something if you don't know if you're going to like how it tastes
right now. And of course, the last mindset shift that I've had to help me not stress out about
procrastination is to know thyself. I think this is a really important thing to do, especially after college,
because it's kind of like, You're on your own. You lead your life, however you want to do. And so get to know
what you need out of life, what you want out of life. And then I think it makes it easier to know how to
prioritize your life, honor your priorities and not stress out about things. Like I think in doing that,
I've been able to forgive myself. I'm just like, you know, Mayuko. You're trying your best, but I know you are.
And, you know, maybe we can do a little bit better next time, but I'm proud of you, girl.
So yeah, it's totally okay, to procrastinate. I don't think it's a bad thing. It's just a natural thing that happens.
So I hope that you know, you're not judging yourself too harshly for it. And I hope that this video has provided
a new perspective that at least you might consider in helping to reframe procrastination, by the way,
like none of my videos are meant to be like you should do this or you have to do X to achieve Y.
Like, all I can wish for is that you consider my perspective and you take what you want.
Alright everybody, thank you so much for watching.
If you'd like to see videos on other topics related to like my perspectives about life,
I guess then let me know in the comments down below.
Make sure to subscribe if you'd like to see more videos like this on my channel, and I'll see you next time.
Take care. Bye