You can be extremely capable—leading teams, hitting deadlines, maintaining good habits—while still living as an expert procrastinator. Most of us can find some gap between what we intend to do (and who we intend to be) and the lives we actually lead. And often, the things we put off are the very things that bring us the greatest satisfaction.

In this episode, Michael and Megan sit down with Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Procrastination Proof, Finish, and Soundtracks, to explore why procrastination is really a way of avoiding a feeling, how to separate fear-driven delay from intentional sequencing, and why a thriving marriage, a healthy body, and deep friendships take the same deliberate effort as a successful business. If that gap sounds familiar, this conversation will help you start closing it.

Memorable Quotes

1. “Depth takes more time than I might like to admit. And for me to be really good at an idea or a thing takes a level of depth—and depth takes time.”
2. “I love when I don’t do things intentionally because I’ve put some wisdom and some time and some thought into it. I don’t like when I don’t do things out of fear, and I can tell when fear is driving a delay versus intentionality.”
3. “Where is there insecurity that’s kinda speaking versus wisdom?… If you’re hustling so hard, you can’t even notice that. And then the other challenge, in my opinion, is the more successful you get, the worse they let you behave.”
4. “When I approach any part of my life from a service perspective, it reduces the pressure on me. It tamps down that ego, and… the client has an amazing experience because they’re like, ‘Oh, you really were invested in the success of this thing.’”
5. “I think that ultimately your success will be determined by your capacity to feel feelings you don’t like, uh, for the sake of something you want more than that.”
6. “My definition of procrastination is really simple: it’s when your actions don’t match your intentions… And a remarkable life, in my opinion, is when your intentions overlap with your actions, when who you say you wanna be is who you’re being.”
7. “Belief comes by one of three ways: they’re born, they’re borrowed, or they’re built… I just don’t think enough of us know you get to build your beliefs. You get to build the life you want. Regardless of where you came from or where you started from, you get to do that.”
8. “My favorite definition of discipline is: make tomorrow easy today.”

Key Takeaways

1. Procrastination Solves a Problem. Putting something off protects you from an experience you’d rather avoid—like criticism, rejection, or the finality of ending something. But it also keeps you from the success and growth waiting on the other side of that discomfort.
2. Some Waiting Is Wise. Sequencing a project so you can focus on the next right thing, waiting for information you need, or canceling a workout to protect a family weekend are all deliberate, wise choices. Discerning whether intention or fear is driving your delay takes self-awareness.
3. Raise Your Tolerance for Discomfort. The hard feelings around a decision probably won’t become pleasant. The work is to get convinced enough of what you want that you act anyway, and let your capacity to tolerate the discomfort grow over time.
4. Ambition Has a Price Tag. You don’t have to shrink your ambition, but you do have to know what you’re willing to pay for it. Past a certain level, more success adds more responsibility without returning the kind of deep-level satisfaction we’re all after.
5. You Can Build Your Beliefs. Some of your beliefs come from family, and others are absorbed from the culture around you. But there’s a third option. Anytime a belief isn’t supporting where you want to go, you can rewrite it on purpose.

Resources

• Procrastination Proof by Jon Acuff
• Finish by Jon Acuff
• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff
• All It Takes Is a Goal (Podcast)

This episode was produced by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound