Why Should You Hire You?

Read any psychology journal or article about procrastination and be prepared to be inundated with data about the physical side effects from the emotional toll that procrastination can have on one’s wellbeing. Whether it is gastrointestinal issues, insomnia, or high blood pressure, there is no doubt that procrastination is a self-inflicted stress inducing behavior. The ease of stalling is often attributed as a byproduct of modern society's plethora of ready distractions. However, cautioning people about the scourge of procrastination is as old as time itself. We all recognize sloth as one of the "deadly sins" and 2,800 years ago the ancient Greek author Hesiod wrote in his poem, Work and Days:

And do not put things off till the next day or the day after.

For a man who is an idle worker will not fill his granary by putting things off.

Attention to your work will make the yield increase.

The man who postpones work is always wrestling with the Spirits of atē [delusion].

With a plethora of books, podcasts, and YouTube videos to provide ample advice on how to overcome procrastination, let's offer a tip-of-the-hat to those who have tried to help us solve for this common infliction. Better yet, a high-five to people who seek the solution on how to improve motivation. After all, they simply want to extract themselves from the misery of worry, the pressures of undone tasks, or even worse... Hesoid's "spirits of delusion." Common solutions include making lists or avoiding distractions, but if it where that simple, than we probably would not need to read that book on solving for this problem. For some, the act of spending $19.99 on the most recent best selling guide on shifting your paradigm of delay may be the catalyst to find a momentary burst of energy (after all, who wants to waste twenty bucks?). Ironically, many people may still be meaning to buy that book on solving for procrastination. Some day, I'll pick up that book I've been meaning to read.

Maybe the best way to get the things done at work that you have been meaning to do is to hire someone to do the work for you. Who do you think would be the best candidate to hire to get your work done?

A common job interview question is "why should we hire you?" and the answers that follow are typical platitudes about one's ability to be a self starter, team player, or quick learner. Now imagine that you are going to be replaced in your job... the candidate is intimately familiar with your work and can answer that question with succinct detail about the things they would immediately accomplish. Whoa! That's the list of the things you've meaning to do! Let's face it, any new employee likes to get things done and run to their boss to say "hey, look at what I produced; the person before me could not get that done."

The theme of any stop procrastinating handbook is how to motivate yourself to action. However, did you stall at work on your first day on the job? Did you needlessly delay getting things done the day after that big promotion? Of course not, the call to action of a new beginning is real. Successful leaders and high performers innately behave with a sense of urgency. If they don't get things done, who will... someone else? Failure to get things done is simply not an option for outstanding performers and, in turn, they get things done. For relentlessly successful individuals, deadlines feel like they are always looming and never appear to be far enough away to allow for delay.

Your wake up call might just be found by delivering to yourself some bad news: you're fired... but here is the good news, YOU'RE HIRED. It's day one on the job and no one knows better than you what needs to get done. This is a self grounding activity that should be practiced on a regular basis. Choose to reinvent yourself by hiring yourself. Contemplate the wins you would achieve if you were the new person in your own job. Don't leave those wins on the table for the next person. Ask yourself, why should I hire you? Your answer, because I will get things done... and then... get to it.

Now, don't check your email. don't keep scrolling to the next post on LinkedIn, don't play Candy Crush... Go hire yourself and get to work!

The views expressed herein are strictly those of the author.