Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. But, for some people, it is not that easy. Despite their best intentions, projects and tasks may have a perpetual completion date. Is it a lack of motivation, or sheer laziness that keeps some in a state of inaction? Neither. It is something much deeper. To better understand what lies at the core of procrastination and how to overcome it, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with psychologist, coach, and author Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona, aka Dr. Z. Dr. Z’s research goes beyond the surface of procrastination and perfectionist behaviors. In her book, Acceptance and Commitment Skills for Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviors, she lifts the veil of procrastination demonstrating that it is not laziness but the fear of failure that inhibits people from completing tasks.

Patricia Zurita Ona PsyD — Overcoming the Art of Delay:

• Procrastination has nothing to do with being lazy. [2:59]
• How the fear of failure plays a part in procrastination and perfectionism. [4:42]
• The four psychological processes at the core of procrastination or perfectionist behaviors. [11:12]
• Misconceptions about motivation. [20:26]
• How to complete a long to-do list. [24:34]
• How to feel good about outsourcing tasks. [30:53]

This episode of Harvesting Happiness Talk Radio is sponsored by: 

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About Lisa’s guest:

Patricia Zurita Ona, also known as “Doctor Z” is a psychologist licensed in California. She has authored 6 books, conducted workshops at national and international conferences, and runs a boutique coaching/therapy practice specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for anxiety-based struggles. A key component to Dorcot Z’s work centers around “how can we get unstuck from worries, fears, anxieties, perfectionism, procrastination, and any other form of fear-based reactions so we can live a meaningful, fulfilling, and purposeful life?” In 2019, Doctor Z was nominated as a Fellow of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Sciences (ACBS) for my contributions to the dissemination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy skills for particular unworkable behavioral patterns.

“It's an inevitability, failure will happen to us at some point."  Lisa Cypers Kamen

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