The Reason I Slacked Off Tonight

I’m writing this post later than I normally would. It’s almost 11PM where I live.

And here I am writing up a new blog post.

Know the right times to slack

Why? Because I slacked.

Here’s the reason:

slacking with my Vizsla pup

Our new Vizsla puppy wanted to chill with me tonight. He didn’t want to get off the couch. Truthfully, I didn’t want him to either.

So, we laid there while watching Fear The Walking Dead. Or, as a lot of my friends would say, we were slacking.

But you know what? I’m okay with slacking. Especially when I slack for the right reasons.

When You Should Slack Off

We’re pushed to the extreme. Marketers, leaders, business people are always telling us that we need to be doing the hard work.

Baloney!

There’s times we need to have some down time. We have to break away from the routines and spend time with those that are important.

Don’t Let Procrastination Stop You

There’s something I have to get off my chest. I have a confession to make.

The last couple of days I’ve let procrastination stop me.

I’d sit down to write only to clear the page.

I’d start over again only to walk away from the computer screen.

I’d begin to read another section of a good book only to close the book and sit it aside.

Why was I doing this?

At first I thought it was writer’s block. Ideas were few and far between. The words didn’t seem to flow.

My next thoughts were that I wasn’t feeling well. That’s the reason I didn’t want to write or read or do much of anything else.

But that answer didn’t feel right. I knew it wasn’t the truth.

The truth? I was procrastinating.

Don’t Get Stuck In The Start

Starting is the hardest thing to do. Or so people say.

But is it really the truth? Is starting all that hard?

Don't get stuck like Batman

Image by Esparta

I don’t think starting is really hard. It’s actually pretty easy. Especially now when you’re able to start with so little.

Starting requires virtually nothing now. You can start a business with just a computer and internet access. You can start a club through the use of websites like meetup.com. You can even get people to help you to start by using Kickstarter.

Stuck In The Start

You see, starting has never been easier.

With that, we’re able to get stuck in the start.

We prepare. We get the foundation set. We even raise money.

And yet we’re stuck. We don’t know where to go after starting.

This has happened with my friend, Brandon, and I.

How Procrastination Destroys Young Leaders

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people fail to show up on time. It drives me nuts!

Time is valuable and when people are late, it takes away something I can never get back again.

However, I find myself doing the same thing to myself. Except instead of being late, I procrastinate.

What Is Procrastination?

The definition of procrastination is: Putting off or delaying or deferring an action to a later time.

While I love to take action and get things done, there’s many times where I’ll put off doing a task because I don’t like it or just don’t feel like doing it.

You may find yourself doing the same.

Let me tell you something. Procrastination is killing us!

Forms Of Procrastination

We may not always notice when we’re procrastinating. It’s sneaky that way.

Don’t Talk About It, Do It!

How many of you deal with meetings, phone calls, and emails that discuss the plans of your organization? If this sounds familiar, raise your hand.

I’m betting all of you are raising your hands right now.

blueprint

Image by Keoni Cabral

Most meetings consist of us sitting around with others in the organization discussing the plans we have for the company.

We’re heading in this direction. We’re going to take action here. We’re going after this market.

Yet when we leave the meeting, nothing seems to get down. Now that’s a problem!

This cycle reminds me of a riddle I once heard. It goes like this:

There were 3 birds sitting on a fence. 1 bird decided to fly away. How many are left on the fence.

The answer? 3. The 1 bird that decided to fly away decided on it but hadn’t taken action.