Tackle Problems Head On For a Better Life

Procrastination won't save you from a car barreling down the street and it won't save your career either. Stop waiting and start moving before the impact

By YourBigBro · Wed Aug 10 2022 · Self Improvement

If you’re standing in the street and a car is barreling towards you, you do not remain still and wait until the last second to move. You move because the alternative is a closed casket and a very short obituary.

The Myth of the Magical Disappearing Problem

Nobody in their right mind would continue standing in the line of fire, waiting for the car to get as close as possible before taking action. Procrastination does not work in emergency situations. Sadly, procrastination is sometimes the root cause of such difficult situations that develop over time. Every man must learn how to tackle problems head on to create a better life for himself.

Let's face it: most of us have an inclination to put things off until they absolutely need to be addressed. It happens with bills, doctor's appointments, important conversations, and chores around the house. You think that by ignoring the leak under the sink, the pipe might just decide to heal itself. It won't. You are simply trading a ten-minute fix today for a flooded kitchen and a four-figure restoration bill next month.

Research from the American Psychological Association suggests that procrastination is less about poor time management and more about managing negative emotions like anxiety, boredom, and self-doubt. When you look at a pile of paperwork or a difficult email you need to send, your brain treats it like a physical threat. You retreat to the couch to protect your feelings while your actual life catches on fire. You have to be real with yourself and recognize it will never be easier to handle a task than right now. Do you really think you'll go to bed tonight and the problem will magically disappear?

The Anatomy of Your Avoidance

To find a solution to our procrastination, it's crucial for us to understand why we actually push these things off. It could be a combination of fear, dread, laziness, spite, an unwillingness to accept reality, bad time management, lack of ownership, or weak prioritization. Every situation is different, so it's impossible to pinpoint one consistent reason why we put things off. However, the common theme is a lack of actual ownership over the problem.

Knowing this, the next time you see yourself refusing to tackle problems head on, take a second to think about what's driving the behavior. Be honest with yourself, and consider how the thought of this task makes you feel. Then, give yourself an opportunity to determine why you feel this way. This is the first step in owning your world and leaving nothing to chance or fate. I went deeper on this concept in the guide on how to become the leader you were created to be, because leadership starts with the man in the mirror.

Acknowledge that this behavior is self-sabotaging. The mindset is setting you back, because allowing the problem to fester lets the problem get larger, which makes it more difficult to tackle once you finally decide to act. Additionally, since it's been left undone, it has now been added to a growing list of things to do, which will require more of your time and mental energy.

The Psychology of the Head-On Approach

There is a specific kind of mental rot that sets in when you know you're avoiding something. It sits in the back of your head while you're trying to watch a movie or have a beer with friends. You aren't actually relaxing; you're just vibrating at a lower frequency of stress. This is what psychologists often call "task paralysis." According to surveys by Zippia, the average employee spends over two hours a day procrastinating, which adds up to a massive loss in lifetime potential and earnings.

I knew a guy back in my twenties who let a simple clerical error on a car registration turn into a suspended license, which turned into a job loss because he couldn't commute. He wasn't a criminal. He was just a guy who didn't want to spend forty minutes on hold with the DMV. He let a minor inconvenience blow up his entire livelihood because he lacked the spine to handle a boring task on a Tuesday morning. Don't be that guy.

When you tackle a problem immediately, you gain a shot of momentum. The relief of finishing a dreaded task is often more energizing than a cup of coffee. You're not just fixing a problem; you're proving to yourself that you are the kind of man who handles his business. I've discussed this in the past when covering hardship and growth; the friction is where the strength comes from.

A Tactical Framework for Action

The best course of action once a problem is identified is tackling it head on. You don't need a PhD in management to do this. You just need a repeatable process that removes the emotion from the equation. You can successfully do this by following these steps:

• Identify the issue, cause, and its implications: What exactly is broken? Is it a broken water heater or a broken marriage? What happens if you do nothing for six months?
• Think about several solutions: Don't just look for the "perfect" path. Look for the effective one.
• Analyze the consequences: Research or seek expert counsel if needed. If you're dealing with a legal issue or a major financial shift, don't guess.
• Develop a game plan: Give yourself goals and hard timelines. "Someday" is not a day of the week.
• Begin executing: This is where most men fail. They plan until they're tired, then they go back to the couch.
• Monitor progress: Decide if further action is needed or if the fire is out.

Remember, you can't do everything all at once. Knock these tasks off one at a time so you don't feel overwhelmed. As Jocko Willink said, "Prioritize your problems and take care of them one at a time, the highest priority first. Don’t try to do everything at once or you won’t be successful." This mindset is a core part of the skills every man should have by the time he hits thirty.

Ownership as the Ultimate Life Strategy

Once you accept that standing still will only hurt you, it's on you to tackle the problem and knock it off your list. The world is full of men who wait for permission, wait for the "right time," or wait for someone else to come along and save them. Nobody is coming. The government doesn't care about your leaking roof, and your boss doesn't care about your stagnant skillset.

It’s about more than just checking boxes. It’s about the cumulative effect of being a man of action. When you handle the small things, the big things don't seem so daunting. You build a reputation with yourself. That reputation is called confidence. It's not something you get from a book or a motivational video; it's something you earn by staring down the stuff you'd rather ignore and dealing with it anyway.

Be a man of action. Standing in the street is a choice. Moving out of the way is a better one.

—Your Bro