Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golachieving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul
Speaker 1: Fello Aledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode three seventy eight, and today we're answering a
Speaker 2: question that every leader, new or seasoned, struggles with from
Speaker 2: time to time. Why do we procrastinate? And let's not
Speaker 2: sugarcoat it. Procrastination is leadership's silent killer. It's the delay
Speaker 2: that turns into a derailment. It's the i'll do it
Speaker 2: later that becomes I never got around to it. And
Speaker 2: it's easy to point fingers at laziness or lack of motivation,
Speaker 2: but nation runs deeper. So today we're going to expose
Speaker 2: the root of it. Number one, it's fear masquerading as planning.
Speaker 2: One of the biggest reasons we procrastinate is fear. Fear
Speaker 2: of failure, fear of looking and competent, fear of not
Speaker 2: being perfect. So instead of acting, we hide behind the
Speaker 2: illusion of preparation. We build spreadsheets, we brainstorm, we plan
Speaker 2: for every possible scenario, and then we label it as
Speaker 2: being thorough. But here's the truth. Preparation without execution is
Speaker 2: procrastination in a suit and tie. Great leaders know when
Speaker 2: to move. They recognize that action, even imperfect, action, beats
Speaker 2: overthinking every single time. And number two, it's the myth
Speaker 2: of the right time. How many times have you told yourself,
Speaker 2: I'll do it when I have more time, or when
Speaker 2: things settle down, I'll focus on this. And here's the newsflash,
Speaker 2: there is no perfect time. The inbox will always be full,
Speaker 2: the meetings will keep coming, the fires will always need
Speaker 2: to be put out. Procrastination thrives on the myth of
Speaker 2: ideal conditions. Leaders, on the other hand, thrive in reality.
Speaker 2: You don't wait for perfect You make progress even in
Speaker 2: chaos and decision fatigue. Another major reason that we procrastinate
Speaker 2: is because we're overwhelmed by choice. Leadership is filled with
Speaker 2: decisions big and small, and eventually the mental load becomes exhausting.
Speaker 2: We delay the important because we're worn down by the urgent.
Speaker 2: That's why high performing leaders systematize. They create routines, delegate wisely,
Speaker 2: and cut out clutters so they can focus on what
Speaker 2: matters most. If everything is a priority, then nothing is,
Speaker 2: and then low energy equals low output. Let's talk about
Speaker 2: something most leadership books avoid burnout. Sometimes procrastination isn't about mindset,
Speaker 2: it's about biology. You're mentally spent, physically drained, and emotionally disconnected,
Speaker 2: so you delay, defer, and distract. If you find yourself
Speaker 2: procrastinating more often, check your sleep, check your diet, and
Speaker 2: your stress levels. A tired leader is an indecisive one.
Speaker 2: The solution is recovery. Is productive schedule breaks, protect your
Speaker 2: time because a depleted leader is a dangerous leader. And
Speaker 2: the last one is lack of clarity. We often procrastinate
Speaker 2: because the task ahead is too vague. You know you
Speaker 2: need to write a proposal or fix the schedule, but
Speaker 2: without specifics, your brain stalls clarity eliminates hesitation. So break
Speaker 2: the job down. What's the first step? What does done
Speaker 2: actually look like? Leaders don't need to know the whole path,
Speaker 2: they just need to take the next step. So procrastination
Speaker 2: isn't a character flaw, it's a signal. It's your mind
Speaker 2: telling you something needs to be addressed, whether that's fear, fatigue,
Speaker 2: lack of clarity, or decision overload. But here's the truth.
Speaker 2: Every leader needs to hear you can't lead from the sidelines.
Speaker 2: You can't impact the world by waiting for the perfect moment.
Speaker 2: There's too much at stake. Pick the task, start the clock,
Speaker 2: do the hard thing, and the rest will follow. This
Speaker 2: has been the seven minute Leadership podcast and I thank
Speaker 2: you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.