Stress and Challenges of Starting a Nonprofit Pt2
Vanessa and Antoinette break down why nonprofit founders procrastinate, linking it to fear of failure and stress that raises cortisol levels. They offer tactics like tackling the hardest task first, breaking work into small steps, and Antoinette's "If I Only Had an Hour" time-blocking method where each hour gets one assigned activity.
Chapters
Hey, hey, hey! We always start off like, hey!
Yeah, it's our way, you know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So how are you?
You know, I am good. I am really good. And I have to say, I've been, uh, just busy, so busy. But now I'm getting back on this, on the saddle, because I've gotten rid of the thing that we're going to talk about today, and that's some of that procrastination.
Yeah.
That procrastination is a serious hindrance, especially when you're trying to start and build and grow a nonprofit. Procrastination is one of the things that is— can be debilitating and add stress and more challenges, which it really doesn't necessarily have to, but it does. And it's like, how do you look at all the things? Why do we procrastinate all the ways we procrastinate when we're trying to build our nonprofit?
Yeah, I mean, um, procrastination is very easy to do. And in a little bit— and you'll appreciate this because you know exactly what I'm talking about— but in a little way, this is a procrastination for me, doing these, um, lives, because it takes you out of your normal routine. Um, it gives you like a break. But I think what happens is it gives, uh, procrastination goes a little further because procrastination is let me keep putting it off, putting it off, putting it off until I absolutely have to get it done.
That's right, that's right, that's right. And that's what it is when we— and I think another thing for that is putting it off is because sometimes we do is because the fear. And I know it's so scary when you're starting something new and when you're like, okay, I'm getting ready to wade in this water, this nonprofit, and people are telling me do this, do that, you got to do this. And then you keep putting it off and you keep procrastinating. And then it adds stress onto you because you're like, you know what, I really know I need to do this. This is my purpose and this is my passion. But you keep putting it off and you keep coming up with reasons why you cannot do it, right?
Exactly, exactly. And the sad part is we can come up with a lot of reasons why we shouldn't do something. So, um, just full disclosure here because, um, I was just telling Vanessa this before we started recording. But I'm working with a new nutritionist and he wants me to eat differently, or to eat like I used to but in moderation. And I am like, I am, uh, what's the word, you know, like when you are, um, fighting against them, bucking against the system, fucking against the system, like I'm fighting him because I remember how much trouble I got in eating the way I used to eat. So, you know, but am I giving him a fair chance? Absolutely not. Not if I'm going to insist that I do it my way, and yet I'm paying him so that I can do it his way. So it's like, yeah, it's like, come on, lady, you know, like, stop trying to, um stop trying to be the boss of you and like give up some— give up a little bit of control so that you can get some order, right? Right.
And that also falls into procrastination because you're like, you know what, I know I need to do this, or I want to do this because I'm paying this guy to help me do this, but I'm really— I'm not quite sure because this is uneasy. I remember what it was like when I did it before. I might not have that same willpower. I might not be able to do this. So So you're procrastinating, you're stop, you know. So I want people to ever just to sit back in your life and stop and say, why am I not moving forward? What procrastination is having? And then what additional stress and challenges in that causing in my life, right? And we talk about your health, your happiness, your business, your family, you know, there's so many different ways. And as we're building our businesses and our nonprofit, we have to look at everything. And I love that you brought up your, your eating, right? Yeah, because that's part of jumping out and doing what you need to do. Because if you're not running on full cylinders, it's gonna cause more procrastination and stress, right?
Oh, and, and what we don't realize is stress is the hugest weight gainer. So, you know, it's not really the Snickers bar, it's the stress. Because stress— I mean, I'm just being— I'm This is still in line with, um, with procrastination, because what happens when you stress, your cortisol levels go up, and cortisol makes your insulin rise because it thinks, oh, you're about to feed. And so now you've got the two hormones rising that cause weight gain. So, you know, so yes. Learning how to— so I'm gonna just add this— learning how to not procrastinate, that is a huge gift. And that gift usually comes in the form of make a list and do the things you need to do. I know I have a friend who likes to do the thing that is the hardest first, so that way she can feel so accomplished and then she moves on to the next thing, and then, and then to the next thing. So for her, the hardest thing is what she's working on first, and then she moves on to the next thing. For somebody else, it might be get rid of 5 little teeny things first. But the, but the point is, is to make sure that you stick to the list and get the things done.
That's right, that's right, that's right. And you— and it's important because it's like when you start talking about the weight that you gain, I keep thinking about, you know, when you procrastinate and the additional weight that you gain is like, it's like, oh, I gotta write that proposal. Oh, that's weighing down on me. Oh, I gotta submit my application for my 501. Oh, that's weighing down on me. Oh, I got to get my board of directors. Oh, that's weighing down on me. And those are other weights that's weighing down on you because you're procrastinating.
Yeah, and you're just adding, and that's just more stress.
And yeah, yes, yes. And so it's like, how do you, how do you pull them off? And you might not be able to throw them all off at one time that way, but you just, you pick one and you pick another and you pick another. And it's really cool because I have— we were creating this procrastination series, and if you're interested in different ways, techniques that you can reduce the procrastination, some ideas, it's going to be a series So I want you to hit the button below, sign up for it. It's free. We're going to send you some information on for a couple weeks. It's going to walk you through, hey, do this today, do that today. Stop procrastinating. Because if you have a purpose— I know y'all, I'm great. Wait, I'm gonna get on my soapbox right here for a minute right now.
Preach!
If you have a purpose and you feel like the purpose was put in you, or you feel like once you got here on this earth that you— this is the purpose that you decide you wanted to do You cannot procrastinate on it because before you know it, your time is going to be gone and you're going to be like, what happened? I never did start mine. I never did do this. I never did do that. So if that's your purpose and you really believe and you know, and if you got your 501 and you haven't done anything with it, or you're sitting back and you're contemplating thinking that I need to get my 501 and you haven't done yet, what's going on? Reduce that stress because once you start procrastinating, you're going to reduce that stress that's in your life. You're gonna add more because building a nonprofit is stressful and it's challenging its own, but you won't have that stress and that challenge of I gotta get this done. So knock that procrastination up. And if you need some help, we're here to help you because we've been through it, we've done it. We procrastinate, we all procrastinate on some way, shape, or form, but together collectively we can work together. Yeah, we can use that procrastination and we can help each other so we can go out in this world and help others in the world. To be able to do what they need to do to live the life that they're meant to live.
Yeah, yeah. Can I give one little quick tip though? I can't help myself. There's this thing I do called If I Only Had an Hour. I take, um, 6 hours in a day. I assign an activity to each hour at the start of that hour. Like if it's 11 o'clock. From 11 to 12, I'm working on A. I get A done. If A isn't done, I move A to 12 to 1 and keep working on A until A is done. Nice. A is done, I go to the next hour, 1 to 2, and I start on B. B is done. And I have found Um, I've been able to get rid of office clutter. I've been able to pay bills or write letters and send birthday cards that I completely forget to do, or whatever. I've been able to organize, um, you know, my whatever database I'm working on at that time, you know, whatever. I've been able to organize So I'm just thinking, if I'm a, if I'm a nonprofit founder and I want to get my 501 certification or designation, that is the hour that I'm going to dedicate to the Nonprofit Founders Club, where we're going to walk me through how to get this done, and I'm going to dedicate that hour to getting it done. Then I'm going to dedicate another hour within my time slot to the Nonprofit Founders Club to say, okay, we're working on procrastination. What kinds of things have I been procrastinating on? And make myself a list. I'm not just that person who like believes in lists, I live by them. They're so helpful because they help you to not forget what you need to get accomplished.
So, and then once you scratch stuff off that list and you're like, hey, I got all this accomplished, and then want you to just celebrate it. We got to celebrate every little accomplishment. So Antoinette, when you— when she goes from 12 to 1 and she gets that 12 to 1 done, it's like, woohoo, I got it done, I got it done! And then you feel good about just celebrating every little accomplishment. And that also helps reduce the stress and the challenge when you're starting and building your nonprofit. Yeah. So, so that's it for us for that. That is our 10-minute segment for today. And if, again, if you're looking for different ways to reduce that procrastination, go ahead, click the link below and get on our free procrastination list. I'm gonna put your procrastination list. That's it. See everybody. Peace, love, and wisdom to you.
