Entrepreneurs, just like everyone else, can get stuck. However, time is the enemy of the entrepreneur. As I often tell entrepreneurs, “Don’t wait for perfection. Sometimes good enough, is good enough!”
CJ Cornell has a great post on entrepreneurial procrastination.
As soon as I read the “‘Waiting for Superman’ syndrome means delaying action until” I paused, smiled, and then kept reading. I knew there would be a lesson here. The signal was “until”. It was “until” that really forced me to pause and reflect.
Regardless of what drives one to achieve (e.g., entrepreneurial or company success, athletic performance, winning, wealth) there is simultaneously in every human something that is “superhuman” and something “very human.” It is the “very human” that makes “until” possible.
“Mind over matter” is more than just another cliche. It is something that we must practice if we want to achieve something beyond the ordinary. To “do this,” we must train our brain, the mind, to act as the master over the natural functions of the human body, the matter.
“Until” (i.e., caution, fear, hesitation, E-procrastination, delay, avoidance, doubt, risk-aversion) will not become “just do it” without effort, and even then, autonomous functions (e.g., adrenal system) will still be a threat to success.
Whether an entrepreneur or not, we must train to be “Superman.” “Waiting” won’t produce results.
I think trying to achieve perfection will only delay the beginning of a business or a project. There will never be a perfect time or perfect environment to start anything. We have to just start and work with what we have to make improvements.
As someone who is prone to getting stuck and trying to seek perfection, I appreciated reading this post. I believe a lot of times this perfectionism is rooted in fear, as “confrontation means rejection. It means failure of everything you are working on.” However, this rejection and failure can be just what we need to get “unstuck” and make improvements. When I am not fearful, I actually am much more productive and usually perform better. This reminder that I don’t have to wait for superman is important to carry with me as a student and future employee.
This article by CJ Cornell was a wake up call. Many of us fall into the pattern of waiting for the right time or thinking we are not prepared enough to start. The truth is, no one will ever be prepared enough, you just have to start. Cornell’s list of “once we” statements were very relatable. It’s statements like these that disguise procrastination and send it into a vicious cycle.
Procrastination is something that I have struggled with as a student, so I am sure that this would transfer over to being an entrepreneur if the situation would arise. As CJ Cornell described in his article, when I procrastinate I do not just sit idle; however, I will find mundane tasks or assignments that are not as pressed for time as the thing I am procrastinating. It is comforting to know that others struggle from this as I do, but I wonder what can be done other than just tackling the problem head on?
Reading through and truly understanding what E-Procrastination is made me realize how much of it I am already experiencing in my own life. As early as I am in my own entrepreneurial journey, I can already see how easy it can be to be stuck in the planning phase, where we as entrepreneurs want to make sure everything is perfectly planned and every detail is setting us up for success. But as Cornell wrote in his post, all of that work can delay success rather than promote it. I think that personally, I am much more susceptible to this type of procrastination rather than the kind where you sit idle and do nothing, and it is good to now have a name that I can put to this idea.
Personally, lately before graduation I’ve been feeling stuck due to not knowing where exactly I need to be in life just like an entrepereneur feels some of the time while going about their own business fields. The thing that struck me most is the words good enough, I think you can be enough for anything if you put your mind to it, but understand this comes with a lot of reflecting to do in the means of building the business you want and for it to succeed without failure.
I agree that it is very easy to push things off until situations are “perfect” for you. Things can easily be pushed off because you are waiting on someone… In this case Superman. I haven’t read a lot about the lean startup but I do believe in their principle that entrepreneurship is management. When people and yourself are procrastination you have to call it out even if it is awkward. You have to know yourself and be able to be honest when you are procrastinating.
I can already see how e-procrastination has effected me on my own entrepreneurial journey. I think on top of waiting for the next investor, or the next customer, or the next whatever, the uncertainty in knowing what to do next is also looming and affecting productivity. Many entrepreneurs are tackling a long list of firsts when starting up which makes tackling the next task on the list even harder.
I really loved the article by CJ Cornell– thinking of entrepreneurial procrastination in the terms of ‘waiting for Superman’ is genius. It’s so incredibly easy to simply wait around and not confront what needs to be completed.
I, being a master procrastinator, completely agree with the fact that time is an entrepreneur’s greatest enemy. It is so easy to put something off. I often find myself making excuses like “Oh I shouldn’t do this yet because this other thing is not lined up.” You shouldn’t wait until everything aligns. Instead, move forward in a direction. Do what you can accomplish now.
Dear Dr. Jeff Cornwall,
I wanted to thank you for the motivation provided in your article. I must confess that I have fallen prey to the “Waiting for Superman Syndrome” in the past. Previously, my company had been fixated on serving existing clients and had procrastinated reaching out to potential clients who may require our services. However, we have come to realize that our consistent results are a direct outcome of our daily actions.
Thank you once again for the timely reminder.
Best regards,
JOSEPH
joseph.olatunji@ythia.com
https://ythia.com