It’s 2am, and you’re fast asleep. That’s when the leftover chocolate cake in the fridge makes a mental connection with your mind.
“Eat me”, it whispers seductively. And 10 seconds later, you are stuffing your face with cake.
Where does this dedication and energy go when you are staring at unanswered emails, pending invoices, and the thousand other tasks that come with running a solobusiness?
Why is following up on a pending invoice harder than executing a flawless midnight cake heist?
In the case of cake, you only think about the gooey, delicious chocolate cake melting in your mouth. You do not think about the effort of fighting off your covers, getting out of bed, trudging to the kitchen, probably stubbing your toe, opening the fridge, and rummaging through leftovers till you find the midnight snack.
In other words, you only think about the reward and don’t spend time thinking about the effort.
And that’s the hack to deal with procrastination: think about the cake, not the walk.
Of course, stumbling to the fridge in the night is not as hard as following up multiple times with an evasive accounts person to clear your invoice. But on the flip side, hearing that sweet, sweet notification of ‘Your money is credited’ is a more satisfying high than any sugar rush.
Whether it is going for a run or completing tedious admin work, we procrastinate because we get into the habit of focusing on the effort rather than the outcome.
Have to send out a cost?
You immediately think of all the calculations you have to do to figure this out.
Then you have to fight off the “Oh shit, am I charging too much?” anxiety.
Then you have to write the “So excited to work on this with you” cover letter that’s equal parts fake enthusiasm and desperate neediness.
If you had quit your job to start something on your own, then this hits you twice as hard. What no one tells you about quitting to become your own boss is this: Your new boss will make you do all the mind-numbing work of paying vendors, filing invoices, and reading up on GST rules.
Experts say that freelancers spend about 30% of their time on non-billable administrative tasks.
Personally, I can swear that I spend about 80% of my time doing stuff I wish I didn’t have to do.
For solo-entrepreneurs and solo-consultants, procrastination is our biggest enemy (after the tax department, of course). So next time you have to do something you would rather not, think about the positive outcome at the end of the effort.
Have to follow up on an invoice? Think about the money that will get credited to your account.
Have to send out a proposal? Think of this one as a template, and how much easier it will be the next time.
Have to update your portfolio and post case studies? Think about the leads it will generate.
Starting up on your own is never the easy choice. Keeping it running and profitable takes a ton of invisible effort and sweat and tears that no one talks about or glorifies.
But it is that effort that separates the winners from the also-rans. Getting into the habit of thinking of the reward more than the effort is one the best ways to becoming a successful solo-entrepreneur.
In other words, learn to spot the slice of cake at the end of the work.
