Why does it sometimes take you a long time to do important things?

[Fox]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

- You got something very important that needs to be done
- You want to get it done
- Weeks/months go by and it is still there

You don't feel any particular reason you can't do it, you are doing your best to stay focused, you mean to get it done.
Yet it never gets fully done.

Usually I see this problem the most in people between 100k and a million.
They have already made a lot of progress but they can't quite get fully firing and hit that next level.
Usually when you dig into why it is just a few key things that they haven't yet done but they have been stuck on for a long time.

Maybe there isn't enough details here to get a good answer but I would be curious to see people's thoughts/advice on this topic.

Let me know if I should post some specific examples.

@MJ DeMarco would love your insight in this if possible.

 

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[S.Y.]

Man.... Yell at yourself.

In all seriousness, it usually happens to me when:
1. it is time to detach. Some people are for the grind, grind, grind. Am not. I think taking time to re-energize is very important. (I am actually going through that right now. I am taking few days off)
2. when I am losing track of why I'm doing it. In a way, the payout for doing it at that moment is lower than the pain/effort I have to put in to get it done.

Obviously, I have time when I just feel off

 

[Johnny boy]

Because it’s not what you’ve BEEN doing.

We aren’t kids anymore. It’s hard to break habits, especially in an environment that doesn’t force you to change or create real discomfort or accountability. There’s no due dates, lesson plans given to us by a teacher, or coaches who blow a whistle at us and tell us exactly what to do. You’re your own boss.

specific examples would help. Let us know what you have trouble getting done too.

 

[DONTRAY]

Applying due dates to tasks seems to trigger a part in the brain to get things done.

 

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[TonyStark]

I think as humans we try to avoid the mundane stuff as much as possible lol

 

[midnight]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

- You got something very important that needs to be done
- You want to get it done
- Weeks/months go by and it is still there

You don't feel any particular reason you can't do it, you are doing your best to stay focused, you mean to get it done.
Yet it never gets fully done.

Usually I see this problem the most in people between 100k and a million.
They have already made a lot of progress but they can't quite get fully firing and hit that next level.
Usually when you dig into why it is just a few key things that they haven't yet done but they have been stuck on for a long time.

Maybe there isn't enough details here to get a good answer but I would be curious to see people's thoughts/advice on this topic.

Let me know if I should post some specific examples.

@MJ DeMarco would love your insight in this if possible.

Well first off, would love to hear specific examples Rob! I think people reading this thread will relate better to their experiences, and perhaps will articulate their take on it better too.
I haven't done anything big in terms of my current pursuit, so I can't say much about business. But with what do I know, the one thing that's on the back of my mind whenever I try to change my life for the better--to do that one thing that is necessary for my life to change, is self-doubt. I think apart of it is the fact that to get to somewhere you haven't been you're going to have to break patterns, and if you've broken patterns before, you know that what comes after is 100% tough work. You might be not willing to suffer the hard work that might follow with the honey comb, now that you have a taste of the honey--given that you've been stung a few times. Sometimes, especially in times like this corona pandemic(when it's super simple to ask "what's the point"), it's easy for us to fall back into our old way of thinking (the path of least resistant), and to subconsciously not do what we set out to do. I know I've done this and I would catch myself doing it(my example would be going out for runs early in the morning during earlier this year for the 75hard--around 5-6am, I did it for first 20 or so days and then once the motivation level fell and my foot hurt started to hurt whenever I walked, I wanted to stop running-- and actually substituted it for walks in the afternoon for about 3 days before when I went back to running). Seeing that falling back from a goal is a cycle in the past for me, I took down data points in my journal (what I was feeling, what I did the day earlier, I was doing on that day, how I might feel the next few days... etc). It's kind of like reverse engineering your bad days so you don't stumble next time. So after doing this for for 3 days, I reminded myself why I was waking up early and running when everyone else was sleeping by going back to my journals when I felt down. I think it's the knowledge(my thoughts) and actually seeing my future on paper(the journal) that you're about to fall into a rabbit hole if you don't thing differently that got me to break pattern. That being said, after the 3 days, I was running for the rest of the 75days. Funny enough the pain was there and persisted for about 10 days about 5 minutes into the run(I applied this to what I was doing with web design at that time, that I will not be feeling, even after a few weeks of learning the tacts, "ready" or "good every-time cold outreach or work), but every-time I would make it home I'd feel better and my the pain subsided completely(and as for business, this happened when I successfully closed my first deals and the followings after). Haha, after running for 75 days, I questioned whether it was placebo that I felt that made me want to walk after first 20 days. Thinking more on it, I think MJ calls it the pull of mediocrity or something like that and I think it's in all of us no matter how big our success will go and we should be aware of it(the path of least resistant). I strongly believe it was my old identity, the one that seeks discomfort, that made the pain bigger than it actually was. I know I talked about a fitness example, but what I've took out of it and apply still now is:
1) Journal especially on the days you feel bad or not working on your task, when you know you should be doing it. There's power when you bring your thoughts into actual words.
2) Be aware that the by default we want to be comfortable and not doing stuff that puts us out there, especially the ones that will move you to the next level.
3) knowing that Self-doubt is natural when you want to change your life for the better.

Although I'm still learning, I hope this helps in anyways Rob

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

I've got a concrete example here. In my business we have desperately needed to improve our onboarding process and actually do outreach after people download the trial to our software. I've put it off for months and months having only gotten to it this week. I guess I just felt like other things were more important even though I think that's a lie.

 

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[xps2340]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

- You got something very important that needs to be done
- You want to get it done
- Weeks/months go by and it is still there

You don't feel any particular reason you can't do it, you are doing your best to stay focused, you mean to get it done.
Yet it never gets fully done.

Usually I see this problem the most in people between 100k and a million.
They have already made a lot of progress but they can't quite get fully firing and hit that next level.
Usually when you dig into why it is just a few key things that they haven't yet done but they have been stuck on for a long time.

Maybe there isn't enough details here to get a good answer but I would be curious to see people's thoughts/advice on this topic.

Let me know if I should post some specific examples.

@MJ DeMarco would love your insight in this if possible.

The "WHY" is very simple to explain. Heck the practice is so common/ancient that there's even custom-made word for it......procrastination. Offcourse the "fix" is the real issue.

But getting back to the question in thread title. "Why Does It Sometime...........Things?"

Primarily FEAR. And anxiety about that fear. What are we afraid of? Well important tasks are usually big tasks. Are usually hard tasks. Are often combinations of multiple hard and big tasks. No one likes hard. Watching TV is easier. While watching TV there is no fear of whether a subtask 1 of 7 will fail. Or if 7 subtasks will morph into 12. Each subtask takes effort and new skills that have to be learned. No one likes the pain period of new skill learning. Way easier to let that big boy slide and do the easier list D to-do list items! Natural tendency among the plebs is to do easy. Take the path of least resistance.

Alright well how about a fix? My guess (and I'm no expert) would be to eliminate/manage that fear. If you're an anxiety prone person, you've already built this multi-step task into a mountain in your head. Cut it down into smaller and smaller subtasks. Assign deadlines. Basically project management 101. Build lists by priority. Never do a thing on List C if there's a thing on List A still etc etc. Countless books have been written on procrastination so I'm sure those will offer even more tips....

 

[WJK]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

- You got something very important that needs to be done
- You want to get it done
- Weeks/months go by and it is still there

You don't feel any particular reason you can't do it, you are doing your best to stay focused, you mean to get it done.
Yet it never gets fully done.

Usually I see this problem the most in people between 100k and a million.
They have already made a lot of progress but they can't quite get fully firing and hit that next level.
Usually when you dig into why it is just a few key things that they haven't yet done but they have been stuck on for a long time.

Maybe there isn't enough details here to get a good answer but I would be curious to see people's thoughts/advice on this topic.

Let me know if I should post some specific examples.

@MJ DeMarco would love your insight in this if possible.

This is so common a problem... I think that people get too busy on the daily routine to add something else to the mix -- or that's what they tell themselves. It's the old fear that adding one more straw will break the camel's back. They know they can handle what they are doing. More issues or a change creates a total unknown. They don't know if they can take on anymore. Change is scary.

My husband and I have spent 2020, day-by-day, breaking down our life and rebuilding it. It's an exhausting process. It means we've had to rethink everything. We've paid off debts... set me up a new office space... hired help for different projects and needs... sold, threw away, gave away and reorganized piles of possessions... sold a couple of businesses and a few properties... downsized... upgraded... drawn lines in the sand to set new boundaries... nothing has been spared nor labeled sacred. Our ultimate goal is make our life easier.

For me, it's felt like an endless process. Most day left me with no sense of accomplishment -- just a long, unfinished To Do list. I'm still working on a lot of details and changes in our business systems. As I go through my day, I'm keeping notes on any "sticking points" that I think that I can correct. How can I remove or fix those moments before they happen?

And stuff happens that is way beyond our control. We've been having a very strong wind storm coming off of the arctic Pacific Ocean for the last 3 days. The winds have been averaging between 50 and 60 miles per hour -- strong enough to uproot trees. This morning we woke up to roof damages and other problems with several of our buildings. The power was off for a couple hours during the night and we had a pretty strong earthquake while it was off. The planned work for today got put on hold while we scrambled to fight the damages, while the winds continued.

But, we prevented a lot of damages that could have happened. The power outage had almost no effect. We have installed whole building surge protectors as needed. We've removed trees that could have endangered buildings and the power lines in our utility easements. We know we have lots of earthquakes so we have a plan in place to check our critical infrastructure. We're thoughtful about how we place equipment and supplies. We had part of a metal roof peeled back by the winds. The winds should be down to around 20 MPH tomorrow. Then we can repair that roof and put the metal back in place before it snows this weekend. We have almost all of the material on hand that we need to make those repairs. We repaired some other roofs that we're starting to have problems.

We chose to be proactive rather than reactive. It's easier.

 

[Hai]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

- You got something very important that needs to be done
- You want to get it done
- Weeks/months go by and it is still there

You don't feel any particular reason you can't do it, you are doing your best to stay focused, you mean to get it done.
Yet it never gets fully done.

Usually I see this problem the most in people between 100k and a million.
They have already made a lot of progress but they can't quite get fully firing and hit that next level.
Usually when you dig into why it is just a few key things that they haven't yet done but they have been stuck on for a long time.

Maybe there isn't enough details here to get a good answer but I would be curious to see people's thoughts/advice on this topic.

Let me know if I should post some specific examples.

@MJ DeMarco would love your insight in this if possible.

Probably important but not THAT important. Or not part of a bigger picture.
Put it on the power list and it might get done.

 

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[Kevin88660]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

- You got something very important that needs to be done
- You want to get it done
- Weeks/months go by and it is still there

You don't feel any particular reason you can't do it, you are doing your best to stay focused, you mean to get it done.
Yet it never gets fully done.

Usually I see this problem the most in people between 100k and a million.
They have already made a lot of progress but they can't quite get fully firing and hit that next level.
Usually when you dig into why it is just a few key things that they haven't yet done but they have been stuck on for a long time.

Maybe there isn't enough details here to get a good answer but I would be curious to see people's thoughts/advice on this topic.

Let me know if I should post some specific examples.

@MJ DeMarco would love your insight in this if possible.

I suspect it is because there is no sense of urgency. Young people tend to fall into this.

Another could be the mindset against new ideas. People get excited by a new idea for a while and then begin to dismiss it slowly as just another idea. At the deep level it is I think the human greed to want to work on ideas that “surely work” but in fact there is no such thing. Once you realized that your growth is dependent on how fast you take actions to validate thing in your brain the perspective start to change...

 

[WJK]

I suspect it is because there is no sense of urgency. Young people tend to fall into this.

Another could be the mindset against new ideas. People get excited by a new idea for a while and then begin to dismiss it slowly as just another idea. At the deep level it is I think the human greed to want to work on ideas that “surely work” but in fact there is no such thing. Once you realized that your growth is dependent on how fast you take actions to validate thing in your brain the perspective start to change...

They think they are going to live forever. Then they wake one day and they are 50.

 

[tpuffer]

Ask yourself if it's something that you actually want to do. And be honest with your answer even though you may not like it. Maybe it's something that you don't want to do and asking this question will make you assess that and then be able to pivot in a different direction.

 

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[WJK]

Ask yourself if it's something that you actually want to do. And be honest with your answer even though you may not like it. Maybe it's something that you don't want to do and asking this question will make you assess that and then be able to pivot in a different direction.

Always remember that successful people do what others refuse to do.

 

[tpuffer]

Always remember that successful people do what others refuse to do.

Agreed. One can try a different tactic to accomplish the goal while still doing what others refuse to do. I guess that is what I was trying to say with pivoting. I should have been more concise with that.

Maybe the OP needs to buck up and knock out the task and be done with it and move on so that more productive things can happen?

The obstacle is the way!

 

[Fox]

A ton of great replies here. Ill do my best to respond...

Man.... Yell at yourself.

In all seriousness, it usually happens to me when:
1. it is time to detach. Some people are for the grind, grind, grind. Am not. I think taking time to re-energize is very important. (I am actually going through that right now. I am taking few days off)
2. when I am losing track of why I'm doing it. In a way, the payout for doing it at that moment is lower than the pain/effort I have to put in to get it done.

Obviously, I have time when I just feel off

Definitely agree with these points. I worked with @MTF on a project recently and I was surprised by how fast he worked and I think he was surprised by how slow I was sometimes being! I thought over why he was so fast and I think it was a combination of:
- he has clear rewards for getting work done quickly
- he has a great habit of just getting right into stuff and making sure its done
- he focuses on only what matters most and really is good at cutting out what doesn't.

I would say I have been struggling to have rewards for working smart/fast when everything is closed anyway and I can't leave the house to do much. The difference between getting it done now and a little later is nil. I know that is the wrong attitude but just posting it here to be honest with myself.

Because it’s not what you’ve BEEN doing.

We aren’t kids anymore. It’s hard to break habits, especially in an environment that doesn’t force you to change or create real discomfort or accountability. There’s no due dates, lesson plans given to us by a teacher, or coaches who blow a whistle at us and tell us exactly what to do. You’re your own boss.

specific examples would help. Let us know what you have trouble getting done too.

Ya this is very true. I do think a lot of this comes down to your own personal standards and what you hold yourself accountable to. I have probably let some of those standards slip or haven't raised them as I have made progress. Looking back I make a ton of year on year progress but I still feel there is a lot of missed potential.

Specific example - I have never run Fb ads for my business cause I never think we are ready/it is time yet.

Applying due dates to tasks seems to trigger a part in the brain to get things done.

Ya I saw @Bekit post on this in another thread and I watched a video she linked to also on this.

I am going to start doing this a lot more and see if/how it helps.

I think as humans we try to avoid the mundane stuff as much as possible lol

100%! My brain loves a new puzzle to work on and it can be really hard to focus on anything repetitive or boring. I am sure a lot of people on here have this also - we are curious people and once something is conquered it can be hard to keep doing it over and over again.

Well first off, would love to hear specific examples Rob! I think people reading this thread will relate better to their experiences, and perhaps will articulate their take on it better too.
I haven't done anything big in terms of my current pursuit, so I can't say much about business. But with what do I know, the one thing that's on the back of my mind whenever I try to change my life for the better--to do that one thing that is necessary for my life to change, is self-doubt. I think apart of it is the fact that to get to somewhere you haven't been you're going to have to break patterns, and if you've broken patterns before, you know that what comes after is 100% tough work. You might be not willing to suffer the hard work that might follow with the honey comb, now that you have a taste of the honey--given that you've been stung a few times. Sometimes, especially in times like this corona pandemic(when it's super simple to ask "what's the point"), it's easy for us to fall back into our old way of thinking (the path of least resistant), and to subconsciously not do what we set out to do. I know I've done this and I would catch myself doing it(my example would be going out for runs early in the morning during earlier this year for the 75hard--around 5-6am, I did it for first 20 or so days and then once the motivation level fell and my foot hurt started to hurt whenever I walked, I wanted to stop running-- and actually substituted it for walks in the afternoon for about 3 days before when I went back to running). Seeing that falling back from a goal is a cycle in the past for me, I took down data points in my journal (what I was feeling, what I did the day earlier, I was doing on that day, how I might feel the next few days... etc). It's kind of like reverse engineering your bad days so you don't stumble next time. So after doing this for for 3 days, I reminded myself why I was waking up early and running when everyone else was sleeping by going back to my journals when I felt down. I think it's the knowledge(my thoughts) and actually seeing my future on paper(the journal) that you're about to fall into a rabbit hole if you don't thing differently that got me to break pattern. That being said, after the 3 days, I was running for the rest of the 75days. Funny enough the pain was there and persisted for about 10 days about 5 minutes into the run(I applied this to what I was doing with web design at that time, that I will not be feeling, even after a few weeks of learning the tacts, "ready" or "good every-time cold outreach or work), but every-time I would make it home I'd feel better and my the pain subsided completely(and as for business, this happened when I successfully closed my first deals and the followings after). Haha, after running for 75 days, I questioned whether it was placebo that I felt that made me want to walk after first 20 days. Thinking more on it, I think MJ calls it the pull of mediocrity or something like that and I think it's in all of us no matter how big our success will go and we should be aware of it(the path of least resistant). I strongly believe it was my old identity, the one that seeks discomfort, that made the pain bigger than it actually was. I know I talked about a fitness example, but what I've took out of it and apply still now is:
1) Journal especially on the days you feel bad or not working on your task, when you know you should be doing it. There's power when you bring your thoughts into actual words.
2) Be aware that the by default we want to be comfortable and not doing stuff that puts us out there, especially the ones that will move you to the next level.
3) knowing that Self-doubt is natural when you want to change your life for the better.

Although I'm still learning, I hope this helps in anyways Rob

Thanks. This was a great write up and I will commit to doing more journaling to look for those trends.
Thanks for the advice @midnight

I've got a concrete example here. In my business we have desperately needed to improve our onboarding process and actually do outreach after people download the trial to our software. I've put it off for months and months having only gotten to it this week. I guess I just felt like other things were more important even though I think that's a lie.

Ya this type of stuff is what I heard quite a few people mention. Like to use you as an example you are clearly crushing it from your INSIDERS thread and are making massive progress. Yet here is something you know you should have done but didn't. I am curious if there is a common underlining core reason or if everyone has different reasons or if there is always something that high achievers have yet to finish.

Why would you say it wasn't done @Ravens_Shadow - or no real clue?

The "WHY" is very simple to explain. Heck the practice is so common/ancient that there's even custom-made word for it......procrastination. Offcourse the "fix" is the real issue.

But getting back to the question in thread title. "Why Does It Sometime...........Things?"

Primarily FEAR. And anxiety about that fear. What are we afraid of? Well important tasks are usually big tasks. Are usually hard tasks. Are often combinations of multiple hard and big tasks. No one likes hard. Watching TV is easier. While watching TV there is no fear of whether a subtask 1 of 7 will fail. Or if 7 subtasks will morph into 12. Each subtask takes effort and new skills that have to be learned. No one likes the pain period of new skill learning. Way easier to let that big boy slide and do the easier list D to-do list items! Natural tendency among the plebs is to do easy. Take the path of least resistance.

Alright well how about a fix? My guess (and I'm no expert) would be to eliminate/manage that fear. If you're an anxiety prone person, you've already built this multi-step task into a mountain in your head. Cut it down into smaller and smaller subtasks. Assign deadlines. Basically project management 101. Build lists by priority. Never do a thing on List C if there's a thing on List A still etc etc. Countless books have been written on procrastination so I'm sure those will offer even more tips....

I have looked at the fear angle and am undecided...
- Do I have a fear of finishing this task and it not being that good?
- Do I have a fear of putting this out there and the market doesn't like it?
and so on.

I feel like I don't have these fears but I have wondered if there is something there I haven't noticed yet.
It could well be fear - sometimes it can be very hard to spot it within yourself.

This is so common a problem... I think that people get too busy on the daily routine to add something else to the mix -- or that's what they tell themselves. It's the old fear that adding one more straw will break the camel's back. They know they can handle what they are doing. More issues or a change creates a total unknown. They don't know if they can take on anymore. Change is scary.

My husband and I have spent 2020, day-by-day, breaking down our life and rebuilding it. It's an exhausting process. It means we've had to rethink everything. We've paid off debts... set me up a new office space... hired help for different projects and needs... sold, threw away, gave away and reorganized piles of possessions... sold a couple of businesses and a few properties... downsized... upgraded... drawn lines in the sand to set new boundaries... nothing has been spared nor labeled sacred. Our ultimate goal is make our life easier.

For me, it's felt like an endless process. Most day left me with no sense of accomplishment -- just a long, unfinished To Do list. I'm still working on a lot of details and changes in our business systems. As I go through my day, I'm keeping notes on any "sticking points" that I think that I can correct. How can I remove or fix those moments before they happen?

And stuff happens that is way beyond our control. We've been having a very strong wind storm coming off of the arctic Pacific Ocean for the last 3 days. The winds have been averaging between 50 and 60 miles per hour -- strong enough to uproot trees. This morning we woke up to roof damages and other problems with several of our buildings. The power was off for a couple hours during the night and we had a pretty strong earthquake while it was off. The planned work for today got put on hold while we scrambled to fight the damages, while the winds continued.

But, we prevented a lot of damages that could have happened. The power outage had almost no effect. We have installed whole building surge protectors as needed. We've removed trees that could have endangered buildings and the power lines in our utility easements. We know we have lots of earthquakes so we have a plan in place to check our critical infrastructure. We're thoughtful about how we place equipment and supplies. We had part of a metal roof peeled back by the winds. The winds should be down to around 20 MPH tomorrow. Then we can repair that roof and put the metal back in place before it snows this weekend. We have almost all of the material on hand that we need to make those repairs. We repaired some other roofs that we're starting to have problems.

We chose to be proactive rather than reactive. It's easier.

Thanks @WJK - I am not being fully proactive and maybe even thinking about it in this way only makes me more reactive. I am trying to balance "just do it and stop thinking!" with "well hold on - is there a lesson here?".

Overall though I fully agree. If this has shown us anything it is that you got to set your own direction and stay on it. No one is coming to save any of us and it is up to us to do what it takes to get ourselves over the line.

Probably important but not THAT important. Or not part of a bigger picture.
Put it on the power list and it might get done.

I agree and disagree. Some of these are for sure important.
But this happens with less important stuff also.

I just started my own powerlist system though which is helping. Thanks.

I suspect it is because there is no sense of urgency. Young people tend to fall into this.

Another could be the mindset against new ideas. People get excited by a new idea for a while and then begin to dismiss it slowly as just another idea. At the deep level it is I think the human greed to want to work on ideas that “surely work” but in fact there is no such thing. Once you realized that your growth is dependent on how fast you take actions to validate thing in your brain the perspective start to change...

They think they are going to live forever. Then they wake one day and they are 50.

These two replies touch on the same point and it is something I will work on a lot more.
I need to speed up these 10 year goals into a lot less time and push myself to move a lot faster.

Ask yourself if it's something that you actually want to do. And be honest with your answer even though you may not like it. Maybe it's something that you don't want to do and asking this question will make you assess that and then be able to pivot in a different direction.

Thanks. I will work on this point and report back later.

Always remember that successful people do what others refuse to do.

Agreed. One can try a different tactic to accomplish the goal while still doing what others refuse to do. I guess that is what I was trying to say with pivoting. I should have been more concise with that.

Maybe the OP needs to buck up and knock out the task and be done with it and move on so that more productive things can happen?

The obstacle is the way!

This is kinda what the motivation behind this post - I still do a lot of stuff all the time and feel overall fairly/quite proactive. It is just certain things that seem to have a mental block on them to getting fully done.

---

Overall maybe I am just overthinking this and maybe it is just a case of getting things done and not giving myself any mental room to wiggle around things. Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

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[Andy Black]

Not sure this will help, but when I was speaking to a business coach I said something like "I've not done that yet. I don't know why actually."

His answer was "F*ck why. It only holds you back." ... meaning, stop navel gazing and do it if it's needed, or don't do it if it's not needed.

(Btw... I know how you feel Rob. I'm not where I could be. I'm where I should be though. I'll just keep chipping away.)

 

[Andy Black]

Rob, are you taking too long because you're not starting soon enough (procastination), or you're doing things that aren't needed (perfectionism), or you're slow at doing tasks, or ...?

Are you doing too many things? (I'm super guilty of this.)

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

Ya this type of stuff is what I heard quite a few people mention. Like to use you as an example you are clearly crushing it from your INSIDERS thread and are making massive progress. Yet here is something you know you should have done but didn't. I am curious if there is a common underlining core reason or if everyone has different reasons or if there is always something that high achievers have yet to finish.

Why would you say it wasn't done @Ravens_Shadow - or no real clue?

I think that I took so long to do it because of a few reasons if I look back at it:

• We were making more money than ever and I knew that this task was going to be huge which might cut into what i was doing that kept us at this level.
• The timing never felt right due to the same point above. There's a ton of research I'd have to look into and my brain just wasn't game for doing that at the time.
• I feel like the uncertainty of the task put me off from it as well. Generally I'm very certain about the tasks that I'm doing, but with this one.. I wasn't sure if I'd do it right so I think i put it off.
• The time dedication was, and still is hard to justify on some days because it's such an involved process. It's that feeling of needing to be inside the day to day of the business vs stepping out and working on the business itself.
• I finally did it when I saw how negatively it was impacting my business. I don't think the problem *hurt* enough to solve it previously since we were already doing so well.

 

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[BizyDad]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

For me it's always a simple answer.

I chose to do something else.

My brain is always making choices.

Sure, maybe certain projects take longer than I expect. But when I look back it's that simple. I made something else a priority at that moment.

The only times I feel guilty about it is when my differing priorities lead to my breaking my word to someone. So I try not to overcommit to others and I do my best to keep my word.

But I won't second guess the fact that I'm typing this in the middle of the day while walking when I have a pile of work waiting for me because I know I have to prioritize my health and vit D levels to get to where I'm meant to go. Hope that helps.

 

[ToneDoinIt]

I know this question seems quite simple but I have struggled with this a lot this year...

- You got something very important that needs to be done
- You want to get it done
- Weeks/months go by and it is still there

You don't feel any particular reason you can't do it, you are doing your best to stay focused, you mean to get it done.
Yet it never gets fully done.

Usually I see this problem the most in people between 100k and a million.
They have already made a lot of progress but they can't quite get fully firing and hit that next level.
Usually when you dig into why it is just a few key things that they haven't yet done but they have been stuck on for a long time.

Maybe there isn't enough details here to get a good answer but I would be curious to see people's thoughts/advice on this topic.

Let me know if I should post some specific examples.

@MJ DeMarco would love your insight in this if possible.

It's been scientifically proven we do things for others faster, and proficiently,, and is 1 of many excuses I used to get partners instead of doing it myself. An Example is we clean other peoples homes faster and more precise.

 

[MTF]

Definitely agree with these points. I worked with @MTF on a project recently and I was surprised by how fast he worked and I think he was surprised by how slow I was sometimes being! I thought over why he was so fast and I think it was a combination of:
- he has clear rewards for getting work done quickly
- he has a great habit of just getting right into stuff and making sure its done
- he focuses on only what matters most and really is good at cutting out what doesn't.

I would say I have been struggling to have rewards for working smart/fast when everything is closed anyway and I can't leave the house to do much. The difference between getting it done now and a little later is nil. I know that is the wrong attitude but just posting it here to be honest with myself.

Tough love warning... Not to be a hater, just to offer an unfiltered perspective. A little bit rant-ish but hope it's useful.

I think that it comes down to a sense of urgency. I can't stand wasting time. I know that if I don't start doing something today, I might not do it tomorrow, in two days, or even in a week. Then you look back and realize you wanted to achieve something by today but kept putting it off for the last few weeks, months, or years. I absolutely hate this feeling.

I hate it so much because essentially, you're wasting your life. And you never know how much life left you have. If you don't have that sense of urgency to act today, to me it feels exactly the same as burning cash, only you're burning time you can't EVER get back.

For example, I recently started writing a new book. I set a tentative goal to finish the first rough draft by this Friday. It makes little difference if I finish by Friday or later. By itself, it won't change my life. But it sets a precedent that it's okay to put things off because I'm already well off. It also makes me complacent and that poses a direct danger to my long-term results.

Which leads me to having the right motivation.

Firstly, my performance sucks if I'm working on something not aligned with my strengths and preferences. This is why I decided to shut down, at a great expense, my new business, and go back 100% to writing which gives me most joy. The act of writing in itself makes me feel great so it's not hard to just start writing now.

What makes you feel great in your work? What drains you? Why are you still doing the latter and not focusing more on the former? You have the resources; it's just a case of optimization.

Secondly, do you have any powerful, inspirational long-term goals? In my case, I want to have enough money to afford a rural property in a warm climate. Each time I'm cold (and I HATE cold weather) or feel otherwise displeased by where I live, I get another jolt of motivation to keep working, and keep working TODAY, not tomorrow. Each day I'm not taking action is one more day of waiting to get what I want. And remember, we might not have as much time as we think.

My previous biggest motivation was to make enough money to build a house for my parents. I had an extreme sense of urgency because I wanted them to have a happy, peaceful retirement in the countryside. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself if I didn't give it my all to make this dream a reality as soon as possible while they're still healthy and relatively young to enjoy it. It's my sense of urgency that made it happen. I'm reminded of this every day as I see them living in and enjoying a place that's just perfect for them.

Also, in general terms regardless of other goals, I don't want to be poor ever again in my life. I don't want to worry about money ever again in my life. I don't want to ever have to rely on someone else to make money (aka have a job). A little bit of this fear helps maintain the hustler's mindset. Though I need to emphasize that today it is harder for me to hustle than it was a few years ago when I was very, very hungry for success. But I still have a sense of urgency fueled by all the other things I mentioned before.

Clearly, you don't have the same sense of urgency I have. This part makes it clear:

The difference between getting it done now and a little later is nil.

Based on our collaboration so far, this isn't the case of getting it done now or a "little" later. A little later usually turned into a few days, if not more. So, this isn't just an innocent habit of doing something a few hours later.

I've also noticed that sometimes I requested from you something that took maybe 5-10 minutes to check. But you told me you'd check it the next day or on Monday.

I don't operate like that. Yesterday I was falling asleep, checking Messenger on my phone for the last time, when you gave me the green light to continue with one of the tasks. So I got up to turn on my laptop and email one of my contractors to continue the work.

I could have decided to fall asleep but we'd waste 8 hours. It cost me 2 minutes to avoid wasting 8 hours. I'd feel bad with myself if I didn't act instantly. And it would be disrespectful toward you as well. Of course, there needs to be some balance and time off so that we don't go crazy working all the time. I'm not dropping everything when I'm, say, hiking. But if I'm home, not doing anything important, and can act now on a task that takes a couple of minutes, why act later?

As for what you think makes me work fast:

• He has clear rewards for getting work done quickly - actually, the work in itself is often the reward. Particularly writing. I love filling pages with words. I procrastinated more on the other business that didn't rely on this unique ability.
• He has a great habit of just getting right into stuff and making sure it's done - true. This goes back to the sense of urgency, motivations, and fears.
• He focuses on only what matters most and really is good at cutting out what doesn't. Also true. I find a lot of peace in an empty calendar as I described in one of my recent posts on my blog (Finding Peace in an Empty Calendar | Think 80/20 if anyone's interested). The only tasks I want to have are the tasks I love doing that I do well.

 

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[Raja]

Tough love warning... Not to be a hater, just to offer an unfiltered perspective. A little bit rant-ish but hope it's useful.

I think that it comes down to a sense of urgency. I can't stand wasting time. I know that if I don't start doing something today, I might not do it tomorrow, in two days, or even in a week. Then you look back and realize you wanted to achieve something by today but kept putting it off for the last few weeks, months, or years. I absolutely hate this feeling.

I hate it so much because essentially, you're wasting your life. And you never know how much life left you have. If you don't have that sense of urgency to act today, to me it feels exactly the same as burning cash, only you're burning time you can't EVER get back.

For example, I recently started writing a new book. I set a tentative goal to finish the first rough draft by this Friday. It makes little difference if I finish by Friday or later. By itself, it won't change my life. But it sets a precedent that it's okay to put things off because I'm already well off. It also makes me complacent and that poses a direct danger to my long-term results.

Which leads me to having the right motivation.

Firstly, my performance sucks if I'm working on something not aligned with my strengths and preferences. This is why I decided to shut down, at a great expense, my new business, and go back 100% to writing which gives me most joy. The act of writing in itself makes me feel great so it's not hard to just start writing now.

What makes you feel great in your work? What drains you? Why are you still doing the latter and not focusing more on the former? You have the resources; it's just a case of optimization.

Secondly, do you have any powerful, inspirational long-term goals? In my case, I want to have enough money to afford a rural property in a warm climate. Each time I'm cold (and I HATE cold weather) or feel otherwise displeased by where I live, I get another jolt of motivation to keep working, and keep working TODAY, not tomorrow. Each day I'm not taking action is one more day of waiting to get what I want. And remember, we might not have as much time as we think.

My previous biggest motivation was to make enough money to build a house for my parents. I had an extreme sense of urgency because I wanted them to have a happy, peaceful retirement in the countryside. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself if I didn't give it my all to make this dream a reality as soon as possible while they're still healthy and relatively young to enjoy it. It's my sense of urgency that made it happen. I'm reminded of this every day as I see them living in and enjoying a place that's just perfect for them.

Also, in general terms regardless of other goals, I don't want to be poor ever again in my life. I don't want to worry about money ever again in my life. I don't want to ever have to rely on someone else to make money (aka have a job). A little bit of this fear helps maintain the hustler's mindset. Though I need to emphasize that today it is harder for me to hustle than it was a few years ago when I was very, very hungry for success. But I still have a sense of urgency fueled by all the other things I mentioned before.

Clearly, you don't have the same sense of urgency I have. This part makes it clear:



Based on our collaboration so far, this isn't the case of getting it done now or a "little" later. A little later usually turned into a few days, if not more. So, this isn't just an innocent habit of doing something a few hours later.

I've also noticed that sometimes I requested from you something that took maybe 5-10 minutes to check. But you told me you'd check it the next day or on Monday.

I don't operate like that. Yesterday I was falling asleep, checking Messenger on my phone for the last time, when you gave me the green light to continue with one of the tasks. So I got up to turn on my laptop and email one of my contractors to continue the work.

I could have decided to fall asleep but we'd waste 8 hours. It cost me 2 minutes to avoid wasting 8 hours. I'd feel bad with myself if I didn't act instantly. And it would be disrespectful toward you as well. Of course, there needs to be some balance and time off so that we don't go crazy working all the time. I'm not dropping everything when I'm, say, hiking. But if I'm home, not doing anything important, and can act now on a task that takes a couple of minutes, why act later?

As for what you think makes me work fast:

• He has clear rewards for getting work done quickly - actually, the work in itself is often the reward. Particularly writing. I love filling pages with words. I procrastinated more on the other business that didn't rely on this unique ability.
• He has a great habit of just getting right into stuff and making sure it's done - true. This goes back to the sense of urgency, motivations, and fears.
• He focuses on only what matters most and really is good at cutting out what doesn't. Also true. I find a lot of peace in an empty calendar as I described in one of my recent posts on my blog (Finding Peace in an Empty Calendar | Think 80/20 if anyone's interested). The only tasks I want to have are the tasks I love doing that I do well.

Not what I was looking for, but what I need.

 

[S.Y.]

Tough love warning... Not to be a hater, just to offer an unfiltered perspective. A little bit rant-ish but hope it's useful.

I think that it comes down to a sense of urgency. I can't stand wasting time. I know that if I don't start doing something today, I might not do it tomorrow, in two days, or even in a week. Then you look back and realize you wanted to achieve something by today but kept putting it off for the last few weeks, months, or years. I absolutely hate this feeling.

I hate it so much because essentially, you're wasting your life. And you never know how much life left you have. If you don't have that sense of urgency to act today, to me it feels exactly the same as burning cash, only you're burning time you can't EVER get back.

For example, I recently started writing a new book. I set a tentative goal to finish the first rough draft by this Friday. It makes little difference if I finish by Friday or later. By itself, it won't change my life. But it sets a precedent that it's okay to put things off because I'm already well off. It also makes me complacent and that poses a direct danger to my long-term results.

Which leads me to having the right motivation.

Firstly, my performance sucks if I'm working on something not aligned with my strengths and preferences. This is why I decided to shut down, at a great expense, my new business, and go back 100% to writing which gives me most joy. The act of writing in itself makes me feel great so it's not hard to just start writing now.

What makes you feel great in your work? What drains you? Why are you still doing the latter and not focusing more on the former? You have the resources; it's just a case of optimization.

Secondly, do you have any powerful, inspirational long-term goals? In my case, I want to have enough money to afford a rural property in a warm climate. Each time I'm cold (and I HATE cold weather) or feel otherwise displeased by where I live, I get another jolt of motivation to keep working, and keep working TODAY, not tomorrow. Each day I'm not taking action is one more day of waiting to get what I want. And remember, we might not have as much time as we think.

My previous biggest motivation was to make enough money to build a house for my parents. I had an extreme sense of urgency because I wanted them to have a happy, peaceful retirement in the countryside. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself if I didn't give it my all to make this dream a reality as soon as possible while they're still healthy and relatively young to enjoy it. It's my sense of urgency that made it happen. I'm reminded of this every day as I see them living in and enjoying a place that's just perfect for them.

Also, in general terms regardless of other goals, I don't want to be poor ever again in my life. I don't want to worry about money ever again in my life. I don't want to ever have to rely on someone else to make money (aka have a job). A little bit of this fear helps maintain the hustler's mindset. Though I need to emphasize that today it is harder for me to hustle than it was a few years ago when I was very, very hungry for success. But I still have a sense of urgency fueled by all the other things I mentioned before.

Clearly, you don't have the same sense of urgency I have. This part makes it clear:



Based on our collaboration so far, this isn't the case of getting it done now or a "little" later. A little later usually turned into a few days, if not more. So, this isn't just an innocent habit of doing something a few hours later.

I've also noticed that sometimes I requested from you something that took maybe 5-10 minutes to check. But you told me you'd check it the next day or on Monday.

I don't operate like that. Yesterday I was falling asleep, checking Messenger on my phone for the last time, when you gave me the green light to continue with one of the tasks. So I got up to turn on my laptop and email one of my contractors to continue the work.

I could have decided to fall asleep but we'd waste 8 hours. It cost me 2 minutes to avoid wasting 8 hours. I'd feel bad with myself if I didn't act instantly. And it would be disrespectful toward you as well. Of course, there needs to be some balance and time off so that we don't go crazy working all the time. I'm not dropping everything when I'm, say, hiking. But if I'm home, not doing anything important, and can act now on a task that takes a couple of minutes, why act later?

As for what you think makes me work fast:

• He has clear rewards for getting work done quickly - actually, the work in itself is often the reward. Particularly writing. I love filling pages with words. I procrastinated more on the other business that didn't rely on this unique ability.
• He has a great habit of just getting right into stuff and making sure it's done - true. This goes back to the sense of urgency, motivations, and fears.
• He focuses on only what matters most and really is good at cutting out what doesn't. Also true. I find a lot of peace in an empty calendar as I described in one of my recent posts on my blog (Finding Peace in an Empty Calendar | Think 80/20 if anyone's interested). The only tasks I want to have are the tasks I love doing that I do well.

As Marcus Aurelius wrote:

"you can leave life now. Let that détermine what you do and say and think"

"remember how long you have been putting this off, how many extensions the God's gave you, and you didn't use them. At some point you have to recognize what the world it is that you belong to; what power rules and it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assign to you, and if you don't use it to free yourself it will be gone and never return"

“Concentrate every minute like a Roman – like a man – on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions. Yes, you can – if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable. You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If you can manage this, that’s all even the gods can ask of you.”

 

[Black_Dragon43]

I have struggled with what you're struggling with here. Last year I was running just 1 business, my agency, and there was a point when things were going very well, and I kinda took a back seat. Now, I'm running 3 businesses, and I find that I have no trouble doing it.

The biggest issue here is that you put off important things because you choose to value the non-important ones more... ie, they bring you more pleasure and less pain. So the solution is simple - you need to increase the pleasure you get from the important tasks, and decrease the pain.

Increasing the pleasure is harder, but let's start with decreasing pain first. If you're confused, and you have to do X, Y, Z, and they're all important, and you don't know what to do first, and you really don't do anything, that is the result of not taking a step back to create a plan of action and understand where you are and where you need to go next. And I don't mean having some VAGUE IDEA - it needs to be CRISP and CLEAR. The vague idea is actually the cause of the confusion.

The same thing happens if the X that is important is a difficult task, that involves many steps. You look at all the steps ahead, and it feels very painful. You don't see yourself crossing the finish line.

So the solution is to take a step back, clarify your goals, clarify WHY you're going to do what you will do, and then create a step by step plan, of small steps. Maybe today you feel lazy, so you can't do the big task. But can you take the first step? You take it, and then you find "Wow, I did this, how about I do one more thing?", and then you start covering more and more ground.

@Fox I tell you what. PM me, and let's schedule a complimentary call, up to 1 hour in length, but we can end it at any time. In that time, the Dragon will get you back to peak performance. You tell me a bit about your businesses, I tell you a bit about mine and how I've managed, and we'll see what happens. 100% confidential.

 

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[Fox]

Tough love warning... Not to be a hater, just to offer an unfiltered perspective. A little bit rant-ish but hope it's useful.

I think that it comes down to a sense of urgency. I can't stand wasting time. I know that if I don't start doing something today, I might not do it tomorrow, in two days, or even in a week. Then you look back and realize you wanted to achieve something by today but kept putting it off for the last few weeks, months, or years. I absolutely hate this feeling.

I hate it so much because essentially, you're wasting your life. And you never know how much life left you have. If you don't have that sense of urgency to act today, to me it feels exactly the same as burning cash, only you're burning time you can't EVER get back.

For example, I recently started writing a new book. I set a tentative goal to finish the first rough draft by this Friday. It makes little difference if I finish by Friday or later. By itself, it won't change my life. But it sets a precedent that it's okay to put things off because I'm already well off. It also makes me complacent and that poses a direct danger to my long-term results.

Which leads me to having the right motivation.

Firstly, my performance sucks if I'm working on something not aligned with my strengths and preferences. This is why I decided to shut down, at a great expense, my new business, and go back 100% to writing which gives me most joy. The act of writing in itself makes me feel great so it's not hard to just start writing now.

What makes you feel great in your work? What drains you? Why are you still doing the latter and not focusing more on the former? You have the resources; it's just a case of optimization.

Secondly, do you have any powerful, inspirational long-term goals? In my case, I want to have enough money to afford a rural property in a warm climate. Each time I'm cold (and I HATE cold weather) or feel otherwise displeased by where I live, I get another jolt of motivation to keep working, and keep working TODAY, not tomorrow. Each day I'm not taking action is one more day of waiting to get what I want. And remember, we might not have as much time as we think.

My previous biggest motivation was to make enough money to build a house for my parents. I had an extreme sense of urgency because I wanted them to have a happy, peaceful retirement in the countryside. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself if I didn't give it my all to make this dream a reality as soon as possible while they're still healthy and relatively young to enjoy it. It's my sense of urgency that made it happen. I'm reminded of this every day as I see them living in and enjoying a place that's just perfect for them.

Also, in general terms regardless of other goals, I don't want to be poor ever again in my life. I don't want to worry about money ever again in my life. I don't want to ever have to rely on someone else to make money (aka have a job). A little bit of this fear helps maintain the hustler's mindset. Though I need to emphasize that today it is harder for me to hustle than it was a few years ago when I was very, very hungry for success. But I still have a sense of urgency fueled by all the other things I mentioned before.

Clearly, you don't have the same sense of urgency I have. This part makes it clear:



Based on our collaboration so far, this isn't the case of getting it done now or a "little" later. A little later usually turned into a few days, if not more. So, this isn't just an innocent habit of doing something a few hours later.

I've also noticed that sometimes I requested from you something that took maybe 5-10 minutes to check. But you told me you'd check it the next day or on Monday.

I don't operate like that. Yesterday I was falling asleep, checking Messenger on my phone for the last time, when you gave me the green light to continue with one of the tasks. So I got up to turn on my laptop and email one of my contractors to continue the work.

I could have decided to fall asleep but we'd waste 8 hours. It cost me 2 minutes to avoid wasting 8 hours. I'd feel bad with myself if I didn't act instantly. And it would be disrespectful toward you as well. Of course, there needs to be some balance and time off so that we don't go crazy working all the time. I'm not dropping everything when I'm, say, hiking. But if I'm home, not doing anything important, and can act now on a task that takes a couple of minutes, why act later?

As for what you think makes me work fast:

• He has clear rewards for getting work done quickly - actually, the work in itself is often the reward. Particularly writing. I love filling pages with words. I procrastinated more on the other business that didn't rely on this unique ability.
• He has a great habit of just getting right into stuff and making sure it's done - true. This goes back to the sense of urgency, motivations, and fears.
• He focuses on only what matters most and really is good at cutting out what doesn't. Also true. I find a lot of peace in an empty calendar as I described in one of my recent posts on my blog (Finding Peace in an Empty Calendar | Think 80/20 if anyone's interested). The only tasks I want to have are the tasks I love doing that I do well.

Thanks a lot for writing this up. This means a lot and ill take this on board right away.

I will leave this thread for now and update towards the end of the year with progress made.

Thanks @MTF - really appreciate this.

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

I think that for a lot of people, the issue is a lack of a higher ideal to subordinate their goals to.

Julius & Augustus Caesar sought to work for the glory of Rome and bring prestige to the name of an aristocratic Roman family.

Lenin & Stalin sought to bring about Marx's grand narrative the Logic of History.

Napoleon sought to spread the ideals of the Enlightenment across Europe and work for the glory of France.

Bob Moses sought (& more or less achieved) essentially dictatorial powers over New York State so that he could build, build, build everything from highways to parks to power dams.

Money is a rather unfulfilling end in itself - having an audacious goal that consumes you would help you get through those roadblocks; though I can do little to help you figure out what that goal might be, you have to figure that out on your own.

 

[Kevin88660]

Tough love warning... Not to be a hater, just to offer an unfiltered perspective. A little bit rant-ish but hope it's useful.

I think that it comes down to a sense of urgency. I can't stand wasting time. I know that if I don't start doing something today, I might not do it tomorrow, in two days, or even in a week. Then you look back and realize you wanted to achieve something by today but kept putting it off for the last few weeks, months, or years. I absolutely hate this feeling.

I hate it so much because essentially, you're wasting your life. And you never know how much life left you have. If you don't have that sense of urgency to act today, to me it feels exactly the same as burning cash, only you're burning time you can't EVER get back.

For example, I recently started writing a new book. I set a tentative goal to finish the first rough draft by this Friday. It makes little difference if I finish by Friday or later. By itself, it won't change my life. But it sets a precedent that it's okay to put things off because I'm already well off. It also makes me complacent and that poses a direct danger to my long-term results.

Which leads me to having the right motivation.

Firstly, my performance sucks if I'm working on something not aligned with my strengths and preferences. This is why I decided to shut down, at a great expense, my new business, and go back 100% to writing which gives me most joy. The act of writing in itself makes me feel great so it's not hard to just start writing now.

What makes you feel great in your work? What drains you? Why are you still doing the latter and not focusing more on the former? You have the resources; it's just a case of optimization.

Secondly, do you have any powerful, inspirational long-term goals? In my case, I want to have enough money to afford a rural property in a warm climate. Each time I'm cold (and I HATE cold weather) or feel otherwise displeased by where I live, I get another jolt of motivation to keep working, and keep working TODAY, not tomorrow. Each day I'm not taking action is one more day of waiting to get what I want. And remember, we might not have as much time as we think.

My previous biggest motivation was to make enough money to build a house for my parents. I had an extreme sense of urgency because I wanted them to have a happy, peaceful retirement in the countryside. I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive myself if I didn't give it my all to make this dream a reality as soon as possible while they're still healthy and relatively young to enjoy it. It's my sense of urgency that made it happen. I'm reminded of this every day as I see them living in and enjoying a place that's just perfect for them.

Also, in general terms regardless of other goals, I don't want to be poor ever again in my life. I don't want to worry about money ever again in my life. I don't want to ever have to rely on someone else to make money (aka have a job). A little bit of this fear helps maintain the hustler's mindset. Though I need to emphasize that today it is harder for me to hustle than it was a few years ago when I was very, very hungry for success. But I still have a sense of urgency fueled by all the other things I mentioned before.

Clearly, you don't have the same sense of urgency I have. This part makes it clear:



Based on our collaboration so far, this isn't the case of getting it done now or a "little" later. A little later usually turned into a few days, if not more. So, this isn't just an innocent habit of doing something a few hours later.

I've also noticed that sometimes I requested from you something that took maybe 5-10 minutes to check. But you told me you'd check it the next day or on Monday.

I don't operate like that. Yesterday I was falling asleep, checking Messenger on my phone for the last time, when you gave me the green light to continue with one of the tasks. So I got up to turn on my laptop and email one of my contractors to continue the work.

I could have decided to fall asleep but we'd waste 8 hours. It cost me 2 minutes to avoid wasting 8 hours. I'd feel bad with myself if I didn't act instantly. And it would be disrespectful toward you as well. Of course, there needs to be some balance and time off so that we don't go crazy working all the time. I'm not dropping everything when I'm, say, hiking. But if I'm home, not doing anything important, and can act now on a task that takes a couple of minutes, why act later?

As for what you think makes me work fast:

• He has clear rewards for getting work done quickly - actually, the work in itself is often the reward. Particularly writing. I love filling pages with words. I procrastinated more on the other business that didn't rely on this unique ability.
• He has a great habit of just getting right into stuff and making sure it's done - true. This goes back to the sense of urgency, motivations, and fears.
• He focuses on only what matters most and really is good at cutting out what doesn't. Also true. I find a lot of peace in an empty calendar as I described in one of my recent posts on my blog (Finding Peace in an Empty Calendar | Think 80/20 if anyone's interested). The only tasks I want to have are the tasks I love doing that I do well.

Good Sharing.

I solved this problem for myself through writing the task on a piece of paper.

By what time I need to finish A. By what time I need to finish B.

The experience I had too is If I do not budget my time later becomes a few hours later and sometimes turn into a day.

It is literally “time budgeting”.

 

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[WillHurtDontCare]

You really think Stalin gave a damn about Marx's "Logic of History"? He probably never read any of Marx's works. Lenin did, he was an intellectual. But Stalin was not.

Stalin lifted himself out of poverty via academic scholarships, joined the seminary, then later replaced that religious urge with Marxism.

He was an intellectual.

 

[S.Y.]

You really think Stalin gave a damn about Marx's "Logic of History"? He probably never read any of Marx's works. Lenin did, he was an intellectual. But Stalin was not.


I think both of them wanted to be like gods and put their name in history. The glory and prestige of Rome was to signal upon their glory and prestige.

Man...
Why do you always want to be right? Even when it has nothing to do with a thread?

Silence is sometimes gold.

Stalin lifted himself out of poverty via academic scholarships, joined the seminary, then later replaced that religious urge with Marxism.

He was an intellectual.

Drop it man. He will fight until you stop or he gets banned from the thread