To instill a bias for action, Chipotle CBO Chris Brandt tells his team the only two days you can't get anything done are 'yesterday or tomorrow.' This powerful framing device reframes procrastination, making 'today' the only logical option for execution and driving a culture of immediate action.
To overcome analysis paralysis from a previous failure, a 48-hour deadline was set to launch a new business and earn $1 in revenue. This extreme constraint forced rapid action, leading to quick learning in e-commerce, dropshipping, and online payments, proving more valuable than months of planning.
We overcommit to future events because they feel distant and assigned to a less busy version of ourselves. To fight this bias, evaluate every future request with the immediate urgency of "Would I cancel things to do this tomorrow?" This simple test reveals your true willingness to commit.
To overcome the paralysis of perfectionism, create systems that force action. Use techniques like 'time boxing' with hard deadlines, creating public accountability by pre-announcing launches, and generating financial stakes by pre-selling offers. These functions make backing out more difficult and uncomfortable than moving forward.
Reconcile long-term vision with immediate action by separating time scales. Maintain "macro patience" for your ultimate goal. Simultaneously, apply "micro speed" to daily tasks, showing maniacal urgency by constantly asking, "What would it take to do this in half the time?" and pulling the future forward.
A founder's retrospective analysis often reveals that delayed decisions were the correct ones, and the only regret is not acting sooner. Recognizing this pattern—that you rarely regret moving too fast—can serve as a powerful heuristic to trust your gut and accelerate decision-making, as inaction is often the biggest risk.
Obsessing over past mistakes or missed opportunities paralyzes you from taking necessary action today. The antidote is to accept that the past is immutable and redirect all energy towards consistent, daily execution on your goals, which is the only way to create a better future.
To overcome dread, mentalist Oz Perlman sets a 24-hour alarm after completing a dreaded task. When the alarm rings a day later, he realizes the anxiety is gone. This trains the brain to recognize that anticipatory dread is temporary and irrational, making it easier to start next time.
Most people let good ideas pass by. The key to becoming an effective entrepreneur is to consistently shorten the time between having an idea and taking the first small step. This builds a self-perpetuating "muscle" that generates momentum and compounds your ability to execute.
To reconcile the need for speed with the necessity of a thorough process, Chipotle's CBO uses legendary coach John Wooden's mantra: 'Be quick, but don't hurry.' This philosophy allows the team to maintain a sense of urgency without rushing, which leads to skipping steps and making critical errors. It's about efficient speed, not haste.
Toxic productivity stems from the belief that everything is urgent. Healthy productivity focuses on what matters. Adopting the mantra "I'll do the best that I can with the time that I have" acknowledges constraints and shifts focus to effectiveness and well-being over sheer volume.