I’m writing this blog several days after I said I was going to write it. I wish I could say this was an outlier within the midst of my work, but it’s not. The truth is, I procrastinate far too often. The worst part is, I procrastinate doing the work that matters. I’m a rockstar at twiddling around on Facebook and Twitter, but when it comes time to do my scariest, most impactful, and potentially- most rewarding work, I cave in like a little girl and put it off until tomorrow.

Here are a few big things I’ve procrastinated on this year.

• Last year filmed a documentary, but I haven’t even watched half the footage yet. I’ve released barely any videos of our trip– not even a trailer.
• I worked my 50th job in Alaska 3 months ago, and last week I published my blog from that job (I wrote one after each job).
• I’ve told tons of people that I’m going to write a book, and I’ve started several, but haven’t finished one yet.

Why? Why do I struggle to man up and get things done? It seems like every time I follow through on one project, I push another one back. I’ve been doing my best to think about some of the reasons why I can’t get around this, and wanted to share them with you today.

Here are some of the reasons why I believe I procrastinate so often.

1. I’m afraid. I would have released more footage for our documentary, but I’m afraid of what people might think. I’ve realized that it’s easy to publish blogs and videos if you know that nobody is going to read them. Once I was featured on major news outlets like CNN, CBS, and Fox and Friends morning show, I was suddenly “a film maker”. Ever since, I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to make the footage perfect before I show the world. But the honest truth is, I’m a beginner.
2. I overcommit. I don’t always procrastinate when I’m afraid. Sometimes I say yes to too many things and I drop the ball. Plain and simple. I’m learning more how to say no to opportunities that come by way. I’ve heard the cliches of how “successful people almost always say no”. While this sounds nice, it’s harder to implement in the real world when you’re trying to pay off your student loans and someone is offering to pay you money for their service.
3. Sometimes my priorities are out of alignment. I have lots of different projects going on all the time. I don’t think my life will ever NOT have lots of projects going on. But that being said, there’s been times when I couldn’t tell you what my number one priority was at the time. I believe at any given time if someone asks me what my biggest priority is, I should be able to tell them on the spot. I’ve found when I have to  think too hard about this, I need to shift around priorities and gain clarity.
4. When things aren’t paying me enough money. I’ve found this true in the case of our documentary. I’m not only procrastinating out of fear but out of financial reasons. Documentaries aren’t typically created for profit but for purpose. I’m passionate about the message behind finding work you love and sharing stories of hourly workers across America (our documentary theme)– but it doesn’t pay the bills. Sometimes it’s hard to muster up the energy for work that doesn’t translate into more financial independence.
5. When I don’t know the first step to take. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time was start a podcast. I heckled my wife all the time and told her how badly I wanted to start a podcast, but it was all talk. I didn’t know the first step (which is poor excuse because of Google). I’ve found that in other areas of my life, sometimes not knowing the first step can cause me enough fear to keep me stagnant.

I’d be willing to bet I’m not the only ones who struggle with these areas of procrastination. I also wanted to share how I’ve began to combat procrastination and punch it right in the face.

Here’s how I’ve learned to fight certain kinds of procrastination.

1. Fear. I haven’t found a better way to deal with fear other than to just do something anyway. Instead of using fear as a roadblock, I’ve found ways to use it as an indicator for work I HAVE to do. One of my favorite books is “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holliday. The book says that by identifying obstacles in our path and attacking those head on, we can find true success. The opposite of acting in the face of fear is losing out on an opportunity to grow and learn. Do the hard work.
2. Overcommitting. I’ve learned to say no, it’s really that simple. Earlier this year I was trying to say yes to every opportunity so that my wife and I could pay off $27k of student loans in one year. Half way through the process of paying off loans I realized I was doing work I didn’t care that much about. One of the biggest things I stand for is not accepting a paycheck for the sake of a paycheck. In the process of overcommitting I was also contradicting my value of doing work I believed in. Lesson: Overcommitting hurts everybody involved. Sure, you might make a little bit more money by accepting more clients, business, etc. But in the end you’re going to do bad work and nobody is going to refer you. Best to stick to what you know best and where you can over deliver.
3. Shifting priorities. The best way I’ve found to do this is to write down all of the top 5 projects I’m working on at any given time. I look at those projects and ask myself this question, “Which of these projects aligns the most with my life mission statement?” I then rank them accordingly.
4. When things aren’t paying me enough money. I quit doing those things and find people and opportunities that pay better. Sometimes, ironically, this means doing free work for a period of time in order to gain a reputation and clients to build up a new business. None the less, it’s better to do free work you enjoy (with end goal being paid) than do work that makes you miserable. Ultimately, you will end up doing a better job at the work you enjoy.
5. When I don’t know the first step to take. The reason we are so scared to take the first step is because we feel like it has to be perfect or we won’t get a second chance. No, that’s a life. The first step WILL be messy and that’s okay. Give yourself permission to fail and look a bit ugly during that first step. It’s the only way I know how to take it anyway.

What’s stopping you from doing the scary, difficult and meaningful work?

Guest post by Heath Padgett: Heath is a writer and film maker who left his job in software sales to pursue a more adventurous career. Combining a love of travel and his career transition, he decided to go and work a job in all 50 states. Read more about his story here — HeathPadgett.com.