There is a say in life. That you don’t get anything if you don’t work for it. It is very rare that things are just handed over to you. Most of the time, you need to take the initiative, do what needs to be done and work really hard. And becoming an influencer makes absolutely no exception. Remember a few months ago, in my latest life update, when I talked about going full-time influencer as I was moving to New York? Well I can tell I am nowhere near that and procrastination is the main reason why!
Procrastination killed my influencer career before it even started.
The only person I can blame is me. Because I procrastinated so much for so long that this was the only possible outcome.
When I started blogging, I mostly focused on beauty and makeup. Which is ironic considering I barely ever wear makeup and my skincare routine is really basic. Micellar water, deodorant and a bit of perfume, and I am good to go. Thus, most PR lists I was on were beauty related. As my content shifted towards fashion and baking, the PR lists I was on changed too.
But the thing is…
Whether it was beauty PR, lifestyle PR, food PR, etc, I was getting less and less emails. Why that you may ask? Well, again, procrastination.
“I’ll answer to that email later.”
“I’ll look at the website tonight.”
“I’ll do the PR unboxing this weekend.”
“It’s too dark for a PR haul right now. I’ll do that tomorrow.”
I was always pushing back replying to email, sending my selections, unboxing PR parcels on my stories, actually doing any stories… to the point where I actually forgot about those emails or PR parcels… and you can guess, never replied nor put up anything on my Instagram stories.
Bloggers are often complaining on Twitter that brand ghost them, ignore their emails or never reply, sometimes even after an actual discussion took place. And it is true that it happens. But, having been in the position of the one sending the PR emails, and the one receiving it, I can also tell, that a lot of bloggers never ever got back to me, or ignored me after a few emails. Whether it is a “yes” or a “no”, a reply is always appreciated.
And thus, because I was always pushing back, I eventually never did what I had to do. And after a while, as PR were not getting any answers from me nor any unboxing stories, they just stopped emailing. It is as simple as that. And so that relationship I might have started to build with that agency just went down the drain.
Way to kill your very own career before it even started, am I right?!
Procrastination is vicious. Because if you don’t do it now, chances are you will never do it at all. Because you’ll forget about it. If you are a PR, why keep on your list someone who does not reply to you, does not acknowledge you nor shows off the products you sent them?
Do the math. Easy guess.
There always was an excuse. It’s too dark. I am tired. Not tonight. It’s not urgent. My phone’s battery is dead. The lighting isn’t good. And so on.
Remember when back in January, I said that I wanted to start Youtube and IGTV? Have I started Youtube and IGTV yet? Absolutely not! Now that I have moved to NYC and don’t have a work permit yet, I literally have all the time in the world to film content. So why haven’t I done anything?
Again, procrastination and excuses.
“I’ll do that tomorrow.”
“Not sure about the lighting in the room.”
“Will people be interested anyway?“
“What styling videos can I shoot?“
“What if I look ridiculous?“
“I don’t even know how to do it.“
And so on.
Videos are such a massive hit at the moment. For some reasons, Instagram favors some users and most of time, those users do produce videos. Whether on their feed or IGTV. So really, it would be smart on my end to actually actively start filming videos. Because as much as I am procrastinating, I am also realizing that an office job might not be right for me, and that being a full-time content creator might be something I really enjoy. If I eventually decide to go for it, start creating content and videos. Or more original content for my new Instagram.
So I guess I need to kick myself in the butt. Because nothing will happen if I carry on like this. I won’t get any Youtube subscribers if I don’t have anything to show them on my channel. I won’t grow faster on Instagram if I stick to what I know and never leave my comfort zone.
Remember, procrastination is a trap and a vicious circle. Once you let it take over, it is really hard to get out of it. Because what you have pushed back once, will be pushed back indefinitely. And never done. Because if you don’t do it now, you will accumulate things to do, which will discourage you when it is no longer avoidable. And because procrastination might be the only thing that stands between you and your goals and/or desired career.
Doing admin things and replying to emails is time consuming and not fun, that is sure. They are the not so fun side of an influencer’s job. But like any jobs other there, there will be things you like and things you don’t. However, they are smalls tasks that need to be done to make achieving your goals possible.
If you really want something, you need to kiss procrastination goodbye and do what needs to be done.
Shop the outfit
Denim Jacket – Primark
Midi dress – Showpo*
Wedges – New Look
Bag – Zaful*
What do you think? Can you relate? Has procrastination ever been so bad that it stopped you from actually achieving anything? Or had you miss opportunities?
Thanks a lot for stopping by. I hope you liked this post.
See you soon,
Love,
Corinne.
*Gifted items.
That dress is so pretty
Candice x
natalyaamour.com
I think it all resumes to how much you really want something, and that should give you the push to tell procrastination good bye. We all procrastinate, we all forget about what we have to do by getting lost in the world of social media. But when it comes to our goals, procrastination shouldn’t stay in the way of achieving them.
Author
Yes, I agree
I am the same way! Although I don’t nearly get as many PR offers! Ugh, procrastination is the WORST
I’ve been procrastinating to write a sponsored blog post and I really need to get on it. Usually I’m better about it with my blog but I’ve been so lazy lately.
It took me a long time to find my balance and I believe that perhaps there is still no way out. Being a blogger / influencer in a serious way is complex and even more so when you procrastinate or have little or no incentive and motivation, but for this you have to find your purpose.
Oh my goodness, this post resonates with me so much! I put off so many work-related things this year, it’s scary. Networking, a business website, business cards. All of which are pretty essential as a freelancer! I have knuckled down and made a start now but all I wanted to do was blog, which much as I LOVE it, sadly doesn’t pay my bills. Fingers crossed I can keep up the momentum over the next six months though… And good luck with your work permit 🙂 Lisa x
I can definitely relate, procrastination is the beast which has caused me to stop so many projects and not necessarily give up but caused me to put off so much stuff and if I hadn’t let myself procrastinate then my projects would probably be going so much better than they are currently are. I’m really trying to figure out how to stop myself from procrastinating and I’ve found that if I get to work straight away on the morning and have a list I prepared the night before then I can free up my evening for procrastinating and watching loads of TV or reading.
That dress is stunning ?
You have a really privileged view point on the ghosting thing, having been on both sides of the coin. I tend to always reply to brands, even if it’s a no (apart from really, really awful ones!) And thankfully I’ve never been a procrastinator. If I want something done, I’ll do it now. Which I like to think has helped me in my blogging career!
Jenny
http://www.jennyinneverland.com
I need to get better at answering emails. I tend to not respond if I am not interested. I need to work on replying back.
Yup, sometimes I can procrastinate. For me, it’s mostly forgetfulness. I have kids, so if one is wanting something and I’m about to reply to an email, I might forget. I am getting better with a planner though!
I do procrastinate with my replies sometimes, but then that makes me think if it’s something I really wanted to do anyway. Sometimes I’m genuinely waiting for a better time so I can write a full reply properly rather than dashing around, but other times I see it as a sign I should turn it down because I’m clearly not desperately excited about it. Interesting that you’ve been on both sides and have been ghosted by bloggers too x
Sophie
You look great in that dress. Yes, I procrastinated some of my work for 6 months due to other work and now the value of that work has diminished. Sometimes, I feel like I need someone to help me out.
Yes, procrastination is definitely a killer. It is also so very important to prioritise. That is why I love the book entitled The One Thing by Gary Keller. As influencers, we need to ask ourselves every single day, what is the one thing that I need to do that will move my blog or business forward by leaps and bounds? Sometimes it only takes one thing.
It can be exhausting to work with brands since most will offer free products or won’t pay right away. I know the feeling of forgetting to respond to emails.
That is an extremely hard habit to quit. I know it is something that I still struggle with doing.
I have had a lot of these thoughts/issues! Sometimes I feel like my brain is pull in me in 100 directions!
Firstly Marie, you look beautiful as usual. Procrastination is a problem when you don’t use it productively or when it becomes a mindless form of escape. For example, when you delay something because you are afraid of failure. In general people used to think that procrastination is a bad habit. … But procrastination has a number of benefits. So now atleast when you have decided what’s good and not good you can start a fresh..
I can definitely relate to this. Procrastination has been a problem for me in the past. Not really taking my opportunities as serious as I should has caused me some problems overtime. Since I realize I was my own hinderance to progressing and my success, I always force myself to do what’s necessary right then and there. Always keeping that motto in my head “don’t put off what you can do today for tomorrow when tomorrow is never truly promised”.
such a great subject with major points! love the photos in your post as well
I think that you should stop writing about it, and start doing it if this is what you want to do. However, from reading this article, I got the impression that you don’t actually know what you want.
Author
Me writing about it was the first step to doing it, going past it, and actually helped me figure out what I want 🙂
Amazing read and I’m definitely challenged. I’ve fallen for procratination a lot of times. Talk about pushing experimenting Pinterest and SEO strategies I learnt from an online course and even writing at times. And it definitely costs us. It’s about time we judt did it now!
Procrastination is a disease. Its also curable but we are our own doctors! If you open that email, you owe it to that email to finish responding or delete it then and there.
Isn’t it amazing how so many people talk about what they are going to do but fail to take action. We often sit on our haunches and then complain why we aren’t successful yet.
Many people will try to offload their responsibility onto somebody else and claim it is not their fault when in reality they are the only person to blame.
Most of the times that problem is because the person is afraid to make the big step to be uncomfortable for a short while. So they make the excuse to hold off.
Sorry that you missed an opportunity but congratulations on leading an excellent lesson.