Valuetainment - October 02, 2019


Episode 374： How to Stop Procrastinating as an Entrepreneur


Episode Stats


Length

13 minutes

Words per minute

246.49896

Word count

3,227

Sentence count

229


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Procrastination is one of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to their goals and dreams. In this episode, Pat talks about the 4 reasons why we procrastinate and how to prevent it from happening in the future.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
00:00:00.000 30 seconds. One time for the underdog. Ignition sequence start. Let me see you put them up. Reach the sky, touch the stars up above. Cause it's one time for the underdog. One time for the underdog.
00:00:17.320 I'm Patrick, my debut host of Value Tim. And today we're going to talk about procrastination and if there's a system to prevent it from happening in the future.
00:00:24.440 Point number one is a bad estimation of time. Here's what I mean by this. So think about it this way. Procrastination means you have a deadline that you don't hit, right? You're like, I got to get to this deadline. It's a priority, but I don't hit it. Many times you think you have a lot more time than you really do, right? Like, think about it. You're like, oh, you know what? I got next Friday. It's good. I got so much time to get it done. All of a sudden you're like, it's Thursday. Oh my goodness. How do I get this thing done?
00:00:47.520 Now, maybe we got away with it in high school. Maybe we got away with it in college. You cannot get away with it in business. Because you don't hit your deadline, you lose customers. You don't hit your deadlines, you lose millions. Potentially billions, some companies do, because they don't meet their deadlines.
00:01:00.860 So number one is time optimist or somebody who has a bad estimation of time. Number two, you are overwhelmed because you're taking on more projects than you can handle. Let me explain to you what I mean by this.
00:01:10.220 Because I got a big staff here, a lot of people that work at the home office, a lot of sales people, a lot of sales offices, right? And many times, if I look at somebody, that every time I ask them for something, they say, yes, oh, I got it. Okay, yes, yes, yes, I got it. Yes, I got it.
00:01:23.740 And then they don't meet half the deadlines. I'll sit down with them and I'll say, listen, you seem a little overwhelmed. You kind of tell, they're kind of going like this. Oh, I got it. You know, I got it. And they're kind of like sweating it, right?
00:01:33.680 I'll say, look, I want to simplify something for you. What's that? Just because I asked you to do something doesn't mean you can't rebuttal and tell me, Pat, I got these three pending projects that are due today and you asked me to do it.
00:01:48.340 So which of these three is less important than the next request you just made? Then I backtrack and I have to tell them, oh, you know what? Those three are priority.
00:01:57.400 Do that. I'll ask this either from somebody else or let's revisit this tomorrow. No problem. Thanks, Pat.
00:02:02.560 And then they go back to their business, right? So sometimes you're procrastinating because you took on way more than you can handle.
00:02:07.740 That's number two. Let's talk about number three. Distractions. What is distractions?
00:02:11.820 Way too many distractions in your life. For example, this is a phone, okay? We all have a phone.
00:02:17.600 But here's a question. What notifications are on on your phone? Meaning Snapchat, Insta, Twitter, Facebook, text, WhatsApp.
00:02:25.940 How many notifications do you have? Do you know how many of the reasons why we procrastinate is because all these notifications are on?
00:02:32.560 Sometimes you've just got to turn off the notifications to a lot of things so you're not being distracted with a lot of different things.
00:02:36.440 By the way, there used to be a time where nobody could call their spouse at work.
00:02:40.540 Nowadays, it's a little bit more lenient. It's not really that big of a deal like it used to be.
00:02:43.840 People talk to their wives or their husbands while they're at work.
00:02:46.220 But sometimes your biggest distraction is every time your wife or your husband has an issue, you're on the phone with them.
00:02:51.600 Oh my gosh, babe, what happened? Oh, seriously? Oh my gosh, okay, got it.
00:02:54.760 And then you just forgot the project that you were due by 4 o'clock today and you missed your deadline.
00:02:59.700 Then you're sitting in a meeting, you don't have anything prepared, looking like a fool just because you got a call from your husband or your wife and you got distracted, okay?
00:03:06.180 So sometimes you have way too many distractions, you got to lower those.
00:03:09.460 Number four, you're a perfectionist.
00:03:11.180 Sometimes when you're a perfectionist, you don't do anything unless if it's perfect, right?
00:03:14.760 So you have the, I don't want to say best of both worlds, it's more like the worst of both worlds because you're both scared of fear of success and you're scared of fear of failure.
00:03:25.640 What if I don't do a good job because it has to be perfect and what if I do come through and do a very good job then there's more pressure on me because everybody's expecting me to do another project that could be bigger.
00:03:35.880 Oh my goodness, this is so crazy.
00:03:37.720 And that whole pressure of being a perfectionist, you just kind of set it aside and say, I'm just not going to be doing it.
00:03:42.220 Say, I'm afraid of failure or I'm afraid of success.
00:03:44.640 I know this sounds weird, but some of you guys are related and say, that's exactly me, Pat.
00:03:48.120 I understand.
00:03:49.100 I've worked with many of you.
00:03:50.380 You got to kind of get over this perfectionist stuff and start meeting your deadlines.
00:03:54.060 Point number five, you really don't know where to start.
00:03:56.940 Imagine you are told, here's your task.
00:03:59.020 You got to get this done.
00:04:00.440 And you said yes, but you're not really clear on what's expected of you.
00:04:04.040 So when you come back to your desk or you're sitting by yourself like, what is my step number one or number two?
00:04:08.580 What do I do next?
00:04:09.260 I have no idea what to do next.
00:04:10.420 So because you weren't given clear expectation, because you didn't ask the right question,
00:04:15.240 you're sitting there saying, I don't really know what my first step is.
00:04:17.960 What do I do next?
00:04:18.780 So because you don't know what to do next, you procrastinate.
00:04:22.400 Point number six is low energy.
00:04:24.400 Some people call it lazy.
00:04:25.420 Some people call it low energy.
00:04:26.680 Stamina, fatigue, endurance, whatever you want to call it, is I'll give a task to somebody and you kind of know they're like,
00:04:32.840 oh, okay, all right, so let me see if this is, we had a meeting the other day and I told my executives, there's a couple of people in the office.
00:04:40.500 If I ask for him to do a task, in my mind, I know it's not going to get done.
00:04:44.320 So why do we have him over here?
00:04:45.600 Well, let's find a way to rearrange him.
00:04:47.160 You want to move somebody else to another department that they're not going to get the job done because every time they do, their energy is low.
00:04:51.780 And they're not excited about hitting their deadlines.
00:04:54.080 Why are we moving somebody to a whole different department?
00:04:56.260 No, no, no, no, no.
00:04:57.300 We just have to figure out to realize, are we willing to lower standards and accept this kind of performance?
00:05:01.940 Or do we need to go get somebody with high energy that's not lazy, that's willing to work and get the job done?
00:05:06.840 Let's figure this thing out.
00:05:07.860 Now, that may sound harsh to some people, but in reality, if you're in an environment that's a startup and everything is moving and somebody is low energy,
00:05:15.520 sometimes you just don't get the deadlines done because your energy is just low and you've got to increase your energy.
00:05:20.640 Point number seven is very simple.
00:05:22.760 It's boredom.
00:05:23.340 A lot of times you're given a project or you accept a project or you take an assignment or it's even for yourself.
00:05:28.640 And you're trying to get this one thing done, this task done, you've got a deadline.
00:05:31.280 You're just kind of sitting here like, oh my gosh, I cannot believe I have to do this.
00:05:35.380 You want me to pay my bills on time?
00:05:37.520 This is so flipping boring.
00:05:39.500 It's driving me nuts.
00:05:41.120 I just don't want to deal with it right now.
00:05:42.400 You set it aside, right?
00:05:43.580 Due to boredom.
00:05:44.340 Now, that doesn't mean that's the right decision you made.
00:05:46.880 But sometimes we procrastinate because whatever project we're working on is absolutely boring.
00:05:52.440 Point number eight, your leader, your example procrastinates.
00:05:55.640 So do you.
00:05:56.620 You're in an office.
00:05:58.000 Many offices have a culture of procrastination.
00:06:00.240 Like, no one really takes deadlines that seriously.
00:06:02.820 No one really takes projects that seriously.
00:06:04.960 I know this sounds kind of strange, but there are many businesses that are okay if deadlines are not met.
00:06:10.180 They're very casual about it.
00:06:11.300 So guess what happens?
00:06:12.600 If that's the culture from the top and it's accepted, anybody else in that culture is okay with procrastination.
00:06:18.720 Point number nine, you do not have the right team to delegate to.
00:06:21.400 Let me explain to you what I mean by this.
00:06:22.500 So you're a CEO, you're a founder, you're a C-suite executive.
00:06:25.240 Say you have seven deadlines to reach this month.
00:06:27.520 Okay, you've got all these projects.
00:06:29.180 And three of them, it's got to be you, your diligence on them.
00:06:31.820 But the other four you can delegate to somebody else.
00:06:33.700 Now, every time it comes down to you delegating a project to somebody, you either don't trust the individual to be able to do as good of a job as you, or you just don't have the right person.
00:06:44.280 So either you've got to start to learn to trust your people, or go recruit and find the right people that you can trust.
00:06:50.160 Because one of those two is preventing you from delegating.
00:06:53.120 And last but not least, point number ten, you simply don't see value in the project you're working on.
00:06:56.640 Meaning you see the project, you know you've got to hit the deadline, but you don't really value it.
00:07:00.660 So you just kind of say, you know what, I'm not going to be hitting you, so I procrastinate.
00:07:03.640 And you set it aside and turn your attentions in a whole different place.
00:07:06.920 So that, I saw ten different reasons why we procrastinate.
00:07:08.840 Let's talk about how we come to a conclusion of our decision-making process to say, I'm going to go out there and come through with this and not procrastinate, or I'm going to procrastinate on this project.
00:07:17.380 Here's how simple it is.
00:07:18.660 When a task comes to hand, like we have to do something, our brain goes to one of two places.
00:07:23.460 I don't know if I really want to do this, but on the other side is, I have no other choice.
00:07:27.820 I have to do this.
00:07:28.760 For example, I don't know if I want to wake up this morning to go to the gym.
00:07:32.540 I really don't feel like it.
00:07:33.740 You don't have to do it.
00:07:35.440 You get up to go to the gym because you want to go to the gym and get in shape and look better, right?
00:07:40.280 Now, I don't know if I really feel like waking up this morning to take my kids to school.
00:07:44.340 You don't have a choice.
00:07:45.440 You're there, right?
00:07:46.700 You have to get up early to feed them and take them to school because it's your job, right?
00:07:51.240 So somebody may watch us and say, well, I don't know if I like the word have to.
00:07:55.220 Hate to say it to you, a lot of things in life is things we have to do.
00:07:57.880 No one likes to pay taxes.
00:07:59.320 We have to pay taxes.
00:08:00.260 No one, you know, likes to take their kids to school every morning.
00:08:03.980 You have to do it.
00:08:04.720 No one likes to go pay their bills, but you got to pay your bills.
00:08:07.980 You don't pay your bills, you're kicked out.
00:08:09.300 There's a lot of things we have to, no one wakes up and says, oh my gosh, I love changing diapers.
00:08:14.900 It's just the most exciting thing of my life.
00:08:17.240 I just love waking up to a bunch of poop and diapers.
00:08:20.320 I love it.
00:08:21.200 But you have to do it.
00:08:22.240 You're the parent.
00:08:22.720 You chose to have a baby, right?
00:08:24.320 So there's a level of decision making process that has to do with your maturity level.
00:08:28.460 The higher we mature, there's certain things we got to do that we don't want to do, but
00:08:31.900 we have to do.
00:08:32.420 So let me get into a little bit deeper.
00:08:34.120 You got four things that happens every time you got a decision.
00:08:36.380 First thing we think about.
00:08:37.460 Here's a decision.
00:08:38.180 Here's a task.
00:08:38.760 Here's a responsibility that we got to take up.
00:08:40.740 Number one, do I have to do it?
00:08:43.080 First thing your brain will say, no, you don't have to do it.
00:08:45.160 Or it'll say, yeah, you got to do it.
00:08:47.180 But this one you can assign to the team.
00:08:48.880 We can do it collectively as a family.
00:08:50.480 We can do it collectively as an office.
00:08:51.860 It's a team project.
00:08:52.940 I can make this a team project.
00:08:54.380 Or I can delegate this to an individual to get this done, right?
00:08:57.320 So no, team project, delegate to an individual, or yes, I'm going to do it, right?
00:09:02.140 The challenge with a lot of the decisions that we procrastinate on is things that we have
00:09:07.980 to do and things that it's on me to do that we set aside.
00:09:11.820 That's when it causes problems, okay?
00:09:13.920 Very simple.
00:09:14.840 It's stuff that I have to do, and it's mainly my responsibility to do it, that I set it aside.
00:09:20.300 No, I don't want to really touch it.
00:09:21.400 I don't really want to do this.
00:09:22.780 And then the more of these things that stack on top of each other, then you have a cluster
00:09:27.940 of problems you got to be working with.
00:09:29.280 So when it comes down to procrastination, a few things you got to be thinking about
00:09:33.460 that will help you out.
00:09:34.080 Number one, every time you have a new project that comes to you, first thing you do is
00:09:37.940 once you accept it, make a list of what you need to do next.
00:09:41.580 Listicle, so for instance, what do I need to do here?
00:09:44.040 Step number one, do this.
00:09:44.880 Number two is this.
00:09:45.540 Number three is this.
00:09:46.220 Number four is this.
00:09:46.800 Number five is this.
00:09:47.380 Number six is this.
00:09:48.000 Okay, let me send that email, number one.
00:09:50.180 Number two, let me make that phone call to this person.
00:09:51.940 Number three, I got to get that thing back, and then I'm good to go.
00:09:54.660 Hey Johnny, can you make that phone call to Bobby?
00:09:56.820 Get him on the phone.
00:09:57.440 I got to talk to him about this.
00:09:58.620 You're already halfway to getting your assignment done.
00:10:01.760 So you accept the responsibility.
00:10:03.340 You take an assignment instead of procrastinating, immediately make a listicle of what to do.
00:10:08.220 Number two, create a reward system.
00:10:09.720 If I finish this, here's my reward.
00:10:11.820 Sometimes it's very simple.
00:10:13.360 You know, if I get this part done, I'm going to go out there and go to this place and eat.
00:10:16.600 If I get this part done, I'm going to go out there and do this.
00:10:19.220 If I go and work out five days a week this week, on Sunday, I'm going to go out there and
00:10:21.960 get myself this.
00:10:22.960 If you read this book every day for five days, the kids are going to get this.
00:10:26.700 But there's got to be a listicle, and then there's got to be a reward system added to it.
00:10:30.740 The next thing is to have smaller victories that are getting you excited to develop the muscle
00:10:37.280 of getting projects done.
00:10:38.700 Sometimes you simply have a list, and you get the list done that builds confidence to
00:10:42.980 know, like, look, even this morning, I made my bed.
00:10:45.320 You know, right after making my bed, I went, I brushed my teeth.
00:10:48.440 I made something for my kids early in the morning before I left.
00:10:51.420 Man, this is good.
00:10:52.080 I got a lot of stuff done here.
00:10:53.760 It's victories.
00:10:54.820 I'm getting small things done.
00:10:55.880 So now when a bigger responsibility comes, your muscles being built up for this big one,
00:11:00.840 you get that part done, and that's a massive victory for you.
00:11:03.720 So again, listicle, number one, add a carrot to it once you get it done, create small victories
00:11:11.060 that lead to the big one.
00:11:12.340 And last but not least, the times where you have to do something that you really don't
00:11:16.740 want to do.
00:11:17.180 There's a lot of projects that I have to take as a company that I really don't want
00:11:20.180 to do, but I know it's getting me closer to the vision.
00:11:22.540 Again, always sell the vision to yourself and the people involved in that project.
00:11:26.760 For example, guys, listen, I know nobody wants to be doing this right now.
00:11:29.900 We're here at 11 o'clock at night, and we've got a lot of better things that we can do than
00:11:33.180 being here at 11 o'clock.
00:11:34.080 I'm sure you'd love to be with your family.
00:11:35.880 You probably would love to be Netflixing, chilling with your newest girlfriend.
00:11:39.760 You'd probably love to be playing soccer right now, but here's what we're doing it for.
00:11:43.100 The reality is this.
00:11:44.580 If we get this together, this project's going to get us closer to XYZ, and you can get closer
00:11:49.520 to getting your promotion.
00:11:50.580 You can get closer to doing this, and collectively, we can say, we were part of this project.
00:11:54.720 So you do that both with your team, and you've got to be able to psych yourself out, too, when
00:11:59.740 you're working on a project all by yourself, and nobody's there.
00:12:02.960 If you don't psych yourself out when you're by yourself on a project you're working on
00:12:06.600 that is a have-to, you'll eventually get bored out of your mind, and you'll say, you
00:12:09.860 know what?
00:12:10.020 I'm just not in the mood.
00:12:11.220 Because the whole thing we talked about with boredom earlier, there's a lot of things
00:12:16.500 I do as a CEO and an entrepreneur that's boring.
00:12:18.420 A lot of things.
00:12:19.940 But because the vision is so big and exciting, and the legacy excites me, and the history excites
00:12:24.020 me, I do it anyways, based on the vision.
00:12:27.160 So again, those are the 10 reasons why people procrastinate.
00:12:30.660 Those are the few reasons how we come up with our conclusion on the decisions we make for
00:12:34.660 procrastination.
00:12:35.880 And a few hacks you can use to help you minimize the level of procrastinating you've been doing
00:12:40.460 lately.
00:12:40.720 Thanks everybody for listening, and by the way, if you haven't already subscribed to
00:12:44.060 Valuetainment on iTunes, please do so.
00:12:46.920 Give us a five-star, write a review if you haven't already, and if you have any questions
00:12:50.820 for me that you may have, you can always find me on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.
00:12:55.860 Just search my name, PatrickVidDavid, and I actually do respond back when you snap me or
00:13:00.960 send me a message on Instagram.
00:13:02.740 With that being said, have a great day today.
00:13:04.480 Take care, everybody.
00:13:05.180 Bye-bye.
00:13:05.440 Bye-bye.