+1 (425) 442-3274 jonathan@sandcastlecompany.com
Select Page

The Culture+ Blog

Insights to help you create a compelling and connected culture

Micro-friction and unclarity are the weapons of procrastination

If you are procrastinating on some task, it is likely because of some micro-friction or some tiny aspect of unclarity. It’s too easy to say, “I just don’t have the time,” or “I just don’t want to,” but I bet there is something more to it. Here’s my example: I use MyFitnessPal to track my food. For a few months, I put off entering any food. The task is on my daily checklist. The task is in my brain. It’s not that hard. It’s doesn’t take much time. But, I haven’t been doing it. When I finally examined what the problem was, the reason dawned on me. I changed the recipe on my multi-ingredient daily shake. And, in my mind, inputting the new ingredients into MyFitnessPal was going to be a pain. So, I just didn’t do it. And because I didn’t do it, I then didn’t enter in any food. The whole task was abandoned because of one little micro-friction. For you: think about one thing you are procrastinating on. Then, figure out what very small micro-friction, or point of unclarity, has stopped all progress. Get super small and specific in your analysis. It might be as simple as firing off a single email. But what is it? Often resolving whatever that micro-friction or point of unclarity is can unstick the whole task.

by Jonathan

Jonathan Wilson is the CEO of Sandcastle, a leadership training and development consultancy. He frequently speaks and writes about building high performance teams. Jonathan regularly presents his latest findings and insights to business and government leaders at local, state, and national association events (both in-person and virtual). His first book, Future Leader: Rebooting Leadership to Win the Millennial and Tech Future is available now.

Tagged: Leadership

Published on: February 11, 2019

You might also like…

The “be first” philosophy

Be first. It's not about first place.Be the first one to congratulate the winner. It's not winning the argument.Be the first one to shift to positive energy and real solutions. It's not about being right.Be the first one to admit when you are wrong. It's not about...