Leading People
Gerry Murray talks to leading people about leading people. Get insights and tips from thought leaders about how to bring out the best in yourself and others.
Leading People
How Leaders Can Stop Procrastinating Today
Ever found yourself putting off an important task—only to scramble at the last minute?
Procrastination isn’t just about being lazy. It’s a deeply ingrained habit fueled by brain chemistry, energy, and even our personal values. And if you’re in a leadership role, the stakes are even higher.
In this episode of One Simple Thing, we break down:
✔️ Why procrastination happens (it’s not what you think!)
✔️ How our brains trick us into avoiding important work
✔️ What Enjoyment-Performance Theory reveals about our motivation
✔️ Four simple strategies to take back control
✔️ Why managing procrastination isn’t just about time management
Curious?
🎧 Listen now—and stop putting things off for later.
What are you waiting for? 😉
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Welcome to Leading People with me, gerry Marais, this week. It's One Simple Thing, where, in each episode, I share a quick, actionable tip to help you bring out the best in yourself and others the best in yourself and others. One simple thing is created for young leaders, but hey, us older folks can still learn a thing or two. Ask my dog he's learned a few new tricks recently. Here's a question for you have you ever put off an important task only to scramble at the last minute to get it done? How does this happen? Well, you check your inbox instead of starting that report. A colleague needs just a second, which turns into 20 minutes. Oh, let me just see what's happening on Facebook. Let me just see what's happening on Facebook, which turns into half an hour and, before you know it, deadline, panic, stress.
Speaker 1:We call it procrastination, but let's be honest, it can be a real leadership challenge. Great leaders often don't have the luxury of waiting until they feel like it. So how do you stop putting things off and actually get stuff done? Let's explore why we procrastinate. Procrastination isn't just laziness, it's habit, it's chemistry chemistry and its energy. Our brains are wired for patterns and when we avoid a task, we get instant relief and we can actually experience a dopamine hit. And your brain likes this. So next time we face a similar task, guess what? We repeat the pattern to get the dopamine hit. But if leaders are to maintain their own performance levels and motivate their teams, they can't really afford to develop these habits.
Speaker 1:And here's where it gets interesting. We don't just procrastinate because something is hard. We procrastinate because it's boring, so we lack motivation. Or it's a challenge, so we fear failing, or it's of low value to us, so we push it aside. It's of low value to us, so we push it aside. And here's where it gets even more interesting. According to enjoyment performance theory, we tend to invest our energy into things we enjoy, which makes us better at them. But when we don't enjoy something, we tend to avoid it. We don't practice, we don't invest our energy and, guess what? We never get good at it, so we avoid it even more. So how do you break the cycle? Here are four yes, four simple things you can test out.
Speaker 1:Number one reframe the task. Make it meaningful to you Instead of saying, oh, I have to do this. Link it to a bigger purpose, for example, instead of saying, oh, I have to prep this meeting. Think this is my chance to influence senior leadership. Number two invest your energy wisely. Follow your values.
Speaker 1:If a task aligns with what's important to you, motivation follows. Ask yourself why does this task matter to me? Number three block your time and start small. Chunk the task down to get past the first hurdle. Procrastination feeds on open-ended timeframes, so set a 10-minute timer and just start. Momentum will kick in and suddenly you're on a roll.
Speaker 1:And number four delegate strategically. Not everything should be delegated A Not your strength, or B Not worth your energy, or C Better done by someone else. Then hand it off. Great leaders know when to let go and the person you delegate it to can benefit from an opportunity to learn, grow and develop. Remember, procrastination isn't really about time management. It's about where you choose to invest your energy and focus. So test out this one simple thing this week Reframe the task.
Speaker 1:Invest your energy wisely. Task, invest your energy wisely. Start small and delegate when it makes sense and watch how fast things change. And that's another one simple thing. Thanks for tuning in. Remember, small steps can lead to big changes. Test out this one simple thing and notice how it transforms your day. Let me know how you get on, reach, reach out on LinkedIn and connect with me. Mention the podcast and if you'd like to learn more One Simple Things, then subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast channel and follow our LinkedIn Leading People page. In our next episode of One Simple Thing, we'll explore another easy way to be a great leader by bringing out the best in yourself and those around you. And in between, you can check out one of my longer conversations with leading people about yes, you've guessed it, leading people. So until then, keep exploring and stay curious.
