My Thoughts

The Procrastination Paradox: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things (And How I Finally Cracked It)

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Here's something that'll make you uncomfortable: I've made more money in the last three months than in the previous year. Not because I worked harder. Not because I got lucky. But because I finally stopped procrastinating on the stuff that actually mattered.

And before you roll your eyes and click away thinking this is another productivity guru sermon, hear me out. I've been running businesses in Australia for seventeen years. I've seen more failed ventures than successful ones, and 84% of the time, it wasn't market conditions or funding that killed them. It was good people doing nothing when they should've been doing something important.

The Lie We Tell Ourselves

Most articles about procrastination focus on time management apps and productivity hacks. Complete rubbish, if you ask me. The real issue isn't that we don't know what to do – it's that we're terrified of doing it badly.

Take my mate Sarah who runs a consulting firm in Melbourne. Brilliant woman. PhD in organisational psychology. But she spent eight months "researching" her pricing strategy instead of just picking numbers and testing them. Eight months! Meanwhile, her competitors were out there winning clients and learning what actually worked.

This is what I call sophisticated procrastination. We convince ourselves we're being thorough when we're actually being cowards.

The Three Types of Business Procrastinators

After working with hundreds of Australian businesses, I've noticed three distinct patterns:

The Perfectionist Paralysers spend weeks perfecting presentations that nobody asked for. They'll redesign their logo seventeen times but won't make a single sales call. These people drive me mental because they're usually the most talented in the room.

The Research Rabbits disappear down information holes for months. They know everything about their industry except how to make money in it. I once met a bloke in Brisbane who could quote every productivity book ever written but hadn't updated his business plan in two years.

The Meeting Addicts schedule discussions about having discussions. They love feeling busy without actually producing anything. If you've ever been in a meeting to plan another meeting, you know these people.

Which one are you? Be honest.

What Actually Works (Spoiler: It's Boring)

Here's where I'm going to lose half of you because my solution isn't sexy or revolutionary. Ready?

Pick three things. Do them today. Repeat tomorrow.

That's it. No apps, no systems, no life-changing morning routines. Just three important things, done consistently, every single day.

But here's the catch – and this is where most people stuff it up – those three things have to be revenue-generating activities. Not busy work. Not preparation for maybe doing something later. Actual work that puts money in your bank account or moves your business forward.

For me, it's usually:

One difficult conversation I've been avoiding
One piece of content that showcases our expertise
One follow-up with a potential client

Simple? Yes. Easy? Hell no.

The Australian Advantage (And Why We Waste It)

We Australians have a natural advantage when it comes to cutting through nonsense. We're direct, we don't tolerate much rubbish, and we're generally pretty good at getting on with things. So why do so many of us still procrastinate like teenagers avoiding homework?

I think it's because we've bought into this imported productivity culture that treats business like a complicated science experiment. Mate, business is simple. Find people who need something, provide it better than anyone else, charge appropriately, and don't be a dick about it.

The problem is we've overcomplicated everything. We think we need perfect systems before we can start. We think we need to understand every variable before we make a move.

Wrong.

The Uncomfortable Truth About "Important" Work

Most of what we think is important work is actually just expensive procrastination. That branding workshop you're planning? Probably procrastination. That six-month market research project? Definitely procrastination. That conference you're speaking at next month? Well, that might actually be useful, but only if you're using it to meet potential clients, not just to feel important.

I learned this the hard way in 2019 when I spent four months developing what I thought was a revolutionary training approach for supervisors. Beautiful materials, comprehensive modules, fantastic theoretical framework. Know how many people bought it in the first six months? Three.

Three people.

Meanwhile, a quick workshop I threw together in two hours based on a conversation with a frustrated manager has generated over $40,000 in revenue. The lesson? Sometimes good enough immediately beats perfect eventually.

The Energy Management Nobody Talks About

Here's something most productivity experts won't tell you: procrastination isn't about time management, it's about energy management. And energy management isn't about getting more sleep or drinking green smoothies (though those don't hurt).

It's about understanding that different types of work require different types of energy, and most of us are trying to do creative work when we're in administrative mode, or strategic thinking when we're in execution mode.

I do my most challenging work – the stuff I'm most likely to procrastinate on – first thing in the morning when my brain is fresh and my willpower hasn't been depleted by a dozen small decisions. By 10 AM, I've usually tackled the thing I was dreading most. Everything else feels like a victory lap.

The Five-Minute Rule (And Why It's Brilliant)

If something takes less than five minutes, do it now. If it takes more than five minutes but you keep thinking about it, do it now anyway because the mental overhead of carrying it around is costing you more than just getting it done.

This rule has saved me hundreds of hours and probably a few relationships. That email you need to send? Five minutes. That phone call you're dreading? Usually five minutes or less. That invoice you need to chase up? Definitely five minutes.

The beautiful thing about the five-minute rule is that once you start, momentum carries you forward. Most tasks that seem overwhelming become manageable once you've broken the inertia.

What I Got Wrong (And What It Cost Me)

For years, I thought procrastination was a personality flaw that some people had and others didn't. I was wrong. It's a skill issue, not a character issue. Like any skill, it can be developed with practice.

I also thought that busy people were productive people. Also wrong. Some of the busiest people I know are the least productive because they're constantly doing urgent but unimportant work. They're addicted to the feeling of being needed rather than the satisfaction of moving things forward.

This cost me probably two years of real progress in my business because I was confusing activity with achievement. Looking back, I was essentially running a very expensive hobby rather than a business.

The Reality Check Nobody Wants

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most of what we procrastinate on isn't actually that difficult. We just build it up in our minds until it becomes this massive, overwhelming thing.

That client you need to have a difficult conversation with? They probably already know there's an issue and are waiting for you to bring it up. That proposal you've been avoiding? It doesn't need to be perfect; it needs to exist. That system you need to implement? Start with version 0.1 and improve it as you go.

The gap between thinking about doing something and actually doing it is where most businesses die. Not from competition, not from market forces, but from the accumulated weight of undone tasks.

Making It Stick

The only way to beat procrastination permanently is to build systems that make doing the right thing easier than avoiding it. For me, this means:

Scheduling important work like appointments (and treating them just as seriously)
Having accountability partners who call me on my nonsense
Tracking what I actually do, not what I plan to do
Celebrating small wins before moving to the next thing

The last point is crucial. Most high achievers are terrible at acknowledging progress, which makes the next challenge feel overwhelming. Take a moment to appreciate what you've actually accomplished before diving into the next crisis.

The Bottom Line

Procrastination isn't a time management problem or a willpower problem. It's a clarity problem. When you're absolutely clear about what needs to happen and why it matters, procrastination becomes much less appealing.

The successful business owners I know aren't superhuman. They're just clear about their priorities and consistent about acting on them. They do boring, important work every day instead of waiting for inspiration or perfect conditions.

So what are you going to stop avoiding? What's the one thing you've been putting off that would actually move your business forward if you just did it?

Stop reading about it. Stop planning it. Stop waiting for the right moment.

Just do it. Today. Right now.

Your future self will thank you.

Looking for more insights on workplace dynamics? Check out our thoughts on employee supervision and practical management approaches.