High performance is effected by many factors – some good and some not so good. And in my experience one of the most innocuous factors that effects performance is the often made mistake to procrastinate. Intellectually we all know that it is better to do a task at the moment when you can – when time is plentiful and urgency lacking. But it is in these moments that we choose, actively I might add, to delay the task. And interestingly, the delay is usually caused for no good reason – just an insidious laziness that lives inside us.

The payback for procrastination (which by the way sounds so much better than laziness) can be severe as often the task we delayed turns critical when time is short and the result is that the simplest of task has taken on grave consequence. Running out of gas on the way to catch a flight is just one example of how a simple task turns semi-tragic. Yes, most of the time you make the flight, but the stress and strain caused by procrastination do not add to the moment. And getting gas when you have time, completely eliminates the potential for a tragic outcome.

All of which turns us to THPL and optimizing for high performance. There are a few simple thought relating to procrastination that make the difference between great results and average performance.

When you have time to do a task – just do it. Mark it complete and move on.
If you find yourself saying I can do that later use it as the rationale for doing it now.
Time is more available in the present than in the future, so use before you lose it
Save your hard work for when the results really matter, at the end of the process
Don’t let friends or colleagues procrastinate as their delay will soon become yours.

The good news is usually to maximize THPL you need big, hard, painful efforts. This is one time when making it easier gets you better results. So, delay no more, take maximum advantage of that which in life gets great results with less effort (like drafting in bike racing) and you will be a happy, high performing person, for sure.

Loving Life now that I am done writing the Blog for today (an hour earlier than normal)

Ciao
joe