Miguel Ángel Ballesteros bio photo

Miguel Ángel Ballesteros

Maker, using software to bring great ideas to life. Manager, empowering and developing people to achieve meaningful goals. Father, devoted to family. Lifelong learner, with a passion for generative AI.

Email LinkedIn Github
RSS Feed

4.4 Anti-Procrastination: Date + Responsible or Death

4.4 Anti-Procrastination: Date + Responsible or Death

Learning Objective: Avoid vague commitments (“we’ll see”, “I’ll try to do it”) by always demanding absolute concreteness to avoid disappointments and waste of time.

Story

Neighbors meeting to fix the door. The atmosphere is of good will but zero execution. Neighbor A suggests “looking at quotes”, and Neighbor B comments vaguely that he “knows a guy” and will call him. Neighbor C finishes with a classic: “Let’s see if we move it next week”.

Mike sees the trap of [Procrastination]: if they get up now, the door will still be broken at Christmas. He intervenes with surgical precision. —Let’s land this —he says, taking out his mobile—. [Anti-Procrastination:] Neighbor B, can you call your contact tomorrow and pass us the price before Friday?

Neighbor B hesitates, uncomfortable with real commitment: “Well, it’s just that I’m busy…”.

Mike doesn’t accept the excuse. He applies the pressure of the alternative: —Understood. Then, who can do it for sure before Friday? If no one can, I search for one on Google right now and we accept that price.

Neighbor B reacts quickly so as not to lose control: “Okay, okay, I call tomorrow”. —Perfect —closes Mike—. [Oral Minute:] Noted: B calls tomorrow, Friday we have price in the group. Thanks everyone.

Mike has transformed gaseous wishes into solid bricks of action.

Deep Explanation

Parkinson’s Law says that work expands to fill the time available. If the time available is “infinite” (no date), the work never gets done. People use procrastination (“I’ll see as I go”) to avoid the pain of effort or commitment. If you allow procrastination, you become an accomplice to inefficiency.

The remedy is the CPS Closing (Chapter 1.5) applied with military rigor.

  1. Sole Responsible: “We look at it” = No one looks at it. It has to be “John looks at it”.
  2. Deadline: “Next week” does not exist. “Tuesday at 12:00” exists.
  3. Consequence of Non-compliance: “What happens if it is not there?”. (Plan B).

This turns you into someone of “High Performance”. People learn that if they promise you something, you are going to write it down and you are going to claim it.

Synthesis of Key Ideas

  • Accountability: It is the basis of trust. Doing what you said you would do. Demanding the same from others is not being annoying, it is being professional.
  • The Power of the Scribe: Writing the agreement in front of everyone (“I take note: John, Tuesday”) has a magical power. What is written is law.
  • SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Apply this to every micro-agreement.

Practical Examples

1. The Friend who says “let’s see if we meet”

  • Situation: Eternal social procrastination.
  • Action: Force date or discard.
  • Phrase: “Yes, I want to. [Date] Does Tuesday or Thursday dinner work for you? If you are very busy now, you let me know when you have a real gap.”
  • Why it works: You force them to commit or admit they have no gap (and you stop chasing them).

2. The Supplier who delays

  • Situation: “We are on it…”
  • Action: Ask for firm date.
  • Phrase: “I need a guaranteed delivery date to organize myself. When will it be 100%? If you cannot meet the date, tell me now to find an alternative.”
  • Why it works: The threat of “finding an alternative” breaks the inertia.

3. Domestic Tasks

  • Situation: “ I’ll take out the trash later.”
  • Action: Define “later”.
  • Phrase: “Before dinner or after dinner? I need to know so I’m not waiting.”
  • Why it works: “Waiting” is mental load. By fixing the moment, you free yourself.

Signs of Progress

  1. Real agenda:
    • Does your calendar have concrete blocks? You know what is going to happen. Uncertainty drops.
  2. “Killer” Reputation:
    • Do they call you “organized”? Sometimes they will call you “intense”, but they will always count on you when something real needs to be done.
  3. You don’t chase:
    • Do you drop what has no date? If someone doesn’t give you a date, you assume it’s not going to happen and forget it. You save energy.

Common Mistakes

  • Accepting “As soon as possible” (ASAP)
    • It looks like this: “Send it to me ASAP”.
    • Result: For you it is 1 hour, for him it is 3 days. Conflict assured.
    • Alternative: “Send it to me before 17:00”.
  • Taking for granted
    • It looks like this: “Well, he already knows he has to do it”.
    • Result: He doesn’t know (or plays dumb).
    • Alternative: Explicit confirmation.
  • Being a tyrant
    • It looks like this: Demanding impossible dates.
    • Alternative: Negotiate the date. “When is realistic for you? Friday? Come on, Friday then, but certain Friday.”

Conclusions

Procrastination is the thief of time. The antidote is precision. Be precise with your word and demand precision from others. Life is too short to live waiting for calls that never materialized.

Deliberate Practice

  • Card: Game 8: Sprint 3-Step Template.
  • Why it helps: Practice closing every message with a “Next step” that has date and time. Review your last 5 emails. Do they have a date?