Procrastinate on Purpose

Right away, I already know some of those things I should start doing. I should be doing anything that is going to make tomorrow easier.

Efficiency is doing things right, but effectiveness is doing the right things.

When done the right way, work is joy.

I discovered that the most successful people in the world have all given themselves one big thing that the rest of us have not . . . Permission. Specifically, they have given themselves five permissions that the rest of us have not. It is those five permissions and the frameworks they use to determine when to employ them that enable them to do what

But the common theme in all cases is that they are paid for their results. They aren’t paid for their activity. They aren’t paid for their time. They aren’t paid for their effort. They aren’t paid for their competency, capacity or even ability. They simply and clearly are paid for their results.

We haven’t given ourselves the permission to focus on our priority instead of theirs.

Your highest obligation to other people is to be your highest self. “If there is a loss of cabin pressure, put your mask on first then assist those around you.” You have to give yourself the permission to focus on and protect: you. Not because you are a jerk, but because you care. Not because you’re selfish, but because you aim to serve others. Not

And yet where in all of the “time-management” classes is the section that teaches you how to manage your emotions? Which book on systems strategy addresses the human element of our decision making? And what productivity professor has a technique for how to respond when your beautiful two-year-old girl—whom you love more than anything in the whole w

If Urgency is “how soon does this matter?” And Importance is “how much does this matter?” Then Significance is “how long is this going to matter?” Significance isn’t a calculation that is really separate from Importance; it’s the other part of evaluating something’s Importance. This creates three-dimensional thinking.

And if you have a hard time saying the actual word “no,” here are some honest, straightforward phrases to help you deliver the bad news: As much as I would like to help you, I simply can’t right now . . . I’m sorry, I just much prefer not to . . . I’m afraid I simply lack the bandwidth right now to commit to doing this . . . Unfortunately, it’s not