Page 141 - End Procrastination Now Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach

Act Decisively 109

table 5.3 (continued)
Von Clausewitz Principles Counter-Procrastination Applications

5. Principle of boldness. Go Awareness: Decision-making procrastination
on the offensive and is a practice of retreat, which is negative.
pursue each advance The rational approach represents a policy of
with vigor. Although advancing, which is positive.
there is no guarantee of
success, advancing is Action: Consider how to use challenge think-
ing to advance your productive actions. Then
positive. Unless they
produce the best out- practice thinking in the language of challenge
come, defense and re- as you proactively move to advance.
treat are negative.
6. Principle of efficiency. Awareness: Delays resulting from indecision
Avoid trapping yourself can put you in a pickle. If you let action lapse
between delays and now, you can create a later problem that you
deadlines so that re- may have trouble dealing with.
treat is no longer pos- Action: If the goal is to avoid extricating your-
sible. It’s better to
avoid a problem than self from being in a pickle, plan to act starting
to extricate yourself now. Retreat is not an option.
from it.

7. Principle of persistence. Awareness: Each engagement with decision-
Envelop the “enemy” making procrastination is a decisive event.
and make the battle a Focus on the decisive action.
decisive event. Allow
no avenue of retreat. Action: Go after decision-making procrastina-
tion weak points, such as urges to diverge.
Disrupt enemy com-
munications. Destroy Disrupt the APD procrastination thinking pro-
enemy supplies. cess by challenging later thinking. Vigorously
introduce a do-it-now process to overpower
an urge to diverge.

Table 5.3 describes seven principles that I abstracted from von
Clausewitz’s book. His main message is to keep focused on what
is important and to time and pace your actions efficiently. The
principles and an application example are given in the table.
Here is a general principle for your battle to contest decision-
making procrastination. You enter areas of uncertainty with a plan.
Through executing your plan, you gain clarity and direction. You