Page 139 - End Procrastination Now Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach

Act Decisively 107

the time. When you face a Y decision between retreating and ad-
vancing, use this breakdown-rational contrast. It may be useful to
ask who is calling the shots, the horse or the rider?

A Strategic Initiative to Act Decisively

The nineteenth-century Prussian military strategist Carl von
Clausewitz’s book On War has attracted interest from people in the
business world who are interested in strategic planning. Its strate-
gic planning content is of value to organizations that want to estab-
lish momentum, moving forward in changing circumstances where
adaptation is critical. You can apply this same approach to improv-
ing the quality of your decisions, getting out of an indecision hold-
ing pattern, and enjoying the fruits of your productive labors.
Von Clausewitz‘s approach centers on strategic planning and
execution. He starts by defining strategy as the planning of a cam-
paign that includes the coordination of tactics to achieve the main
objective. These tactics are smaller-scale plans to manage each
individual encounter. You can apply both strategy and tactics to go
against procrastination and to end procrastination.


end PrOcrastinatiOn nOw! tiP:
DECIDE

decisions are inescapable, so you might as well decide to
decide.
enter areas of uncertainty to gain clarity and direction.
consider alternatives and consequences. Include the conse-
quences of inaction.
implement problem-solving actions.
determine what works and what doesn’t and what could be
useful with modifications.
engage the next challenge and persist in actualizing your posi-
tive capabilities.