Analysis

Michael Ovitz was a machine. He built Hollywood's most powerful talent agency from scratch and reshaped the entire industry in the process. His approach was relentless and his book is a great read for anyone interested in performance optimization and self-mastery.

The most important takeaway? His intensity came easy. He didn't struggle to "push through" and needed no convincing to stick with it; procrastination wasn't an issue. He followed through every day and his vision became his reality. There was nothing else he wanted to be doing.

Paradoxically, it is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were.

— Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Insight

Do you struggle to follow through and hit your marks? Perhaps you don't need another article about “leaning into discomfort” or “optimizing your routine.” The issue may be that you’re trying to do something that you don’t really want to do.

Procrastination ultimately isn't about poor organization or a lack of discipline. These explanations are both common and seductive, because they offer up easy solutions—read another article, download another app, spend more time planning. But the real solution is not to be found with better scheduling or creating novel approaches to uninspiring work. It's about finding work that's meaningful. Work that you think will benefit you. Work that is worth your time and energy.

The solution to procrastination is simple: follow your curiosity. Build a life around work that you struggle to put down. Work that you want to do, as opposed to work that you've been told you should do.

In order to be successful, your activities must interest you to such an extent that they overwhelm the impulse to put them off.

Sometimes your work is hard because of what it represents—risk, rejection, disappointment. But more often than not your work is hard because you don't find it enjoyable, and don’t believe it will lead to anything that you want or value. When do we ever have to motivate ourselves to do something we unequivocally enjoy?

Curiosity is the lust of the mind.

— Thomas Hobbes

Mastery

Find your path of least resistance. Life is too short to waste your time following someone else's path.

There's no growth without discomfort, but you shouldn't have to force yourself to show up each day. If your struggle doesn't energize you, something's not right. If you have to force your routine, you need to adjust your trajectory. The dots must connect.

Set aside time and consider your current circumstances. How you can you refine your approach?

Consider the following questions:

• What work comes easy for you?

• What type of work generates almost no internal resistance?

Think about what you would do with your time if there were absolutely no constraints and no "shoulds." If you want life to flow, you need to put yourself where you're supposed to be. This place may be different than where you are, or where you've been told you should be. In which direction are you being pulled?

You can continue to resist and insist, but you'll only wear yourself out. Find your sweet spot. It should click. You'll know you've arrived because things will start to move for you.