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Abstract

t.Familiar with this, the idea that we shouldn’t wait for the perfect conditions was already present in my mind, but what was mindblowing for me in this short message was the part where Seth says “the best available option is always available.”This made me realize that although I know that I shouldn’t wait for perfection, I often wait for something close to it.I wait for a “close-to-perfect” topic for a blog post. I wait for a “close-to-perfect” timing to launch a business idea. I wait for “close-to-perfect” conditions to workout.This is procrastination disguised as planning, and it is almost as bad as waiting for perfect.I never realized until now that at every moment there is a best available option at my disposal. This means that I always have an opportunity to do the best possible at any moment in time. For me, this is the ultimate procrastination destruction weapon.<h2 id="d507">Beating Procrastination</h2>Procrastination is nothing but a number of excuses that our mind makes us believe are valid.Our lizard brain has at his core a few lines of code, commanding it to keep our body alive for the longest time possible.Sitting quietly, spending the minimum amount of energy, and keeping us away from situations out of our control is the preferred way our brain has to accomplish those instructions.So if procrastination is something that happens in our mind, there is the place where we need to fight it.If we internalize that there is no excuse not to go with the best available option to perform a specific task, we can always <a href="https://jamesclear.com/taking-action">take action instead of

Options

being in motion</a>, meaning we can stop looking for excuses to avoid doing what we know we must do.And this takes us to the core of this matter.<h2 id="7ee4">Why We Do What We Want To Do</h2><ul><li>Do you want to go to the gym to be in better shape and become healthier and more confident, or do you want it to impress other people?</li><li>Do you want to share your creative work to help or entertain your audience, or do you do it only to earn money?</li><li>Do you want to start a business to solve people’s problems while doing something you’re passionate about, or you want to do it because you think that will make you a millionaire?</li></ul>Whenever we have second intentions behind something we’re doing, we’ll fear much more the consequences of doing it, because the wrong kind of emotions fuels us.But if like Seth’s says, we “care enough to contribute”, then our goal will be much nobler, and if we fail, we won’t feel diminished, because we were doing what we believe was the right thing to do.Nevertheless, any action will be better than the inaction of being still, waiting for the perfect everything to do something, so acknowledge the fact that there is something you can do right now that will get you closer to your goals.Maybe tomorrow something would happen that would make it a better day to do it, but if you keep that thought, you will always have a fear of missing perfect, ending up with you doing nothing.Look for the best available option at any moment and lock it as the task to do, forgetting all the other possibilities and conditionalism.Become an action-taker, drop the excessive planning and procrastination, and get closer to who you want to be.</article></body>

The Ultimate Weapon Against Procrastination

These short sentences from Seth Godin can end your procrastination for good

Every morning I get in my inbox a message from Seth Godin.

Seth Godin’s Blog Newsletter | Image by the author

This is one of the few newsletters I subscribe to and one that I don’t skip reading.

Seth blogs every day, and you can bet that what he has to say is meaningful and can have an impact in your life, either when it is an 800-word blog post or just a few lines like this one.

This time he sent this little nugget that stroke me like lightning (the bolding is mine).

The best available option That’s not the same as perfect. The best available option is always available. Perfect almost never is. If you care enough to contribute, you can care enough to not wait for perfect.

Exposing Perfection

It is no novelty that done is better than perfect, and that we should aim for progress, not perfection, and other inspirational quotes like that.

Familiar with this, the idea that we shouldn’t wait for the perfect conditions was already present in my mind, but what was mindblowing for me in this short message was the part where Seth says “the best available option is always available.”

This made me realize that although I know that I shouldn’t wait for perfection, I often wait for something close to it.

I wait for a “close-to-perfect” topic for a blog post. I wait for a “close-to-perfect” timing to launch a business idea. I wait for “close-to-perfect” conditions to workout.

This is procrastination disguised as planning, and it is almost as bad as waiting for perfect.

I never realized until now that at every moment there is a best available option at my disposal. This means that I always have an opportunity to do the best possible at any moment in time. For me, this is the ultimate procrastination destruction weapon.

Beating Procrastination

Procrastination is nothing but a number of excuses that our mind makes us believe are valid.

Our lizard brain has at his core a few lines of code, commanding it to keep our body alive for the longest time possible.

Sitting quietly, spending the minimum amount of energy, and keeping us away from situations out of our control is the preferred way our brain has to accomplish those instructions.

So if procrastination is something that happens in our mind, there is the place where we need to fight it.

If we internalize that there is no excuse not to go with the best available option to perform a specific task, we can always take action instead of being in motion, meaning we can stop looking for excuses to avoid doing what we know we must do.

And this takes us to the core of this matter.

Why We Do What We Want To Do

Do you want to go to the gym to be in better shape and become healthier and more confident, or do you want it to impress other people?
Do you want to share your creative work to help or entertain your audience, or do you do it only to earn money?
Do you want to start a business to solve people’s problems while doing something you’re passionate about, or you want to do it because you think that will make you a millionaire?

Whenever we have second intentions behind something we’re doing, we’ll fear much more the consequences of doing it, because the wrong kind of emotions fuels us.

But if like Seth’s says, we “care enough to contribute”, then our goal will be much nobler, and if we fail, we won’t feel diminished, because we were doing what we believe was the right thing to do.

Nevertheless, any action will be better than the inaction of being still, waiting for the perfect everything to do something, so acknowledge the fact that there is something you can do right now that will get you closer to your goals.

Maybe tomorrow something would happen that would make it a better day to do it, but if you keep that thought, you will always have a fear of missing perfect, ending up with you doing nothing.

Look for the best available option at any moment and lock it as the task to do, forgetting all the other possibilities and conditionalism.

Become an action-taker, drop the excessive planning and procrastination, and get closer to who you want to be.