Bob Proctor on Procrastination

Bob sent out an interesting video today, talking about the problem of procrastination (click on the image to watch the video, then sign up for the series to get his solution).  In it he tells the tale of Napoleon Hill, author of “Think and Grow Rich“, and his first meeting with Andrew Carnegie – in which, apparently, the speed at which he agreed to work on documenting the key characteristics of massive success was critical to the access he gained to the world’s most successful men.

That got me thinking – where does the line fall, between taking decisive action, and rushing in?  Between reckless abandon and ‘paralysis by analysis’?  Between prioritisation and procrastination?  Never putting anything off until later is a sure-fire recipe for being a Busy Fool.  And so is piling up (as described in an earlier blog) a ‘bunch of empty yesterdays’, a whole catalogue of ‘someday I’ll …’ projects.

We could not possibly jump up and immediately carry out every little thought we have, so how do we decide which ones we must act on now, and which to diarise or dump? For me, the answer is simple: what are you on the planet to do, what is your Core Process?  If the task, project or opportunity contributes to that, don’t put it off, do it … and do it NOW!  Prioritise it above everything else, it’s what you’re here for.

Fifteen minutes ago, I set time aside to watch Bob’s video while a had a cup of tea.  The next item on my agenda was to go to the bank and pay in some money a client paid me.  But I put that off until later.  Procrastination?  No – prioritisation.  The message that Bob inspired me to share was more important than the trip to the bank, so I sat down and wrote this blog instead.

That’s closer to my Core Process of Encouraging Potential – getting money into the bank is necessary, but this message is even more important.