Yahoo Finance Kick the procrastination habit and set yourself up for success
Most people have met “Ron” but probably don’t realise it.
Ron is not some long-lost Great Uncle or even the person you always smile at the local café but never got around to learning their name.
No, that is because Ron is short for “Later Ron”, which is that old chestnut that’s also called procrastination.
Ron never delivers
We expect a lot of Later Ron – in fact, we expect him to be rich, fit, and well-read.
Unfortunately, he consistently fails to deliver.
Just as tomorrow never comes, Ron never arrives.
At the end of the day, the only agent we have is us – we do all the work, we get up early and go to the gym, we make the decisions, we read the books and we commit to investment.
However, whatever we leave to Ron, he leaves to us in return – we are left picking up after Ron’s laziness, and as a boss he gives us nothing but disappointment.
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“I’ll go to the gym!” you say, “Ron will take me to the gym.”
But the hour approaches and Ron does not turn up.
Nor does he show after another hour.
The thing about Ron is that he is consistent because the truth of the matter is that he never turns up, but we all still hope that he will – someday.
“I’ll spend this money on a big lunch (maybe with smashed avocado), and I’ll leave it to Ron to save on his meal,” you say.
But, yet again, Ron never joins you for lunch, so you eat out today, and all the other todays that crop up.
Of course, Ron’s frugal approach never sees the light of day, which means he leaves you poor, unfit and disappointed.
Esther makes an appearance
But there is another player and that is Esther – Esther Day.
Esther does nothing but plan and schedule, and through written notes tells us what to do, but due to her generous rewards, she is a much better boss than Ron.
We really should work for Esther, and here’s how we do it.
When we have a desire or get an idea, we can write a note for Esther.
She likes diaries with hourly increments, so get yourself one of those and write your ideas in it under very specific times.
Amazingly, like magic, Esther will fill in your diary for you, in your own handwriting, no less.
And all you have to do is follow her instructions and thank her when you see the results.
Esther says you're going to the gym tomorrow – so diligently you set the alarm, keep your sports shoes handy and, when that alarm goes, you do as Esther says – you go to the gym.
Sure, you might curse her once you’re there, but you will thank her at the same time since you’ll see gains you never would have if you had naively relied on Ron.
Esther would like you to get away from distractions for just one hour per night and write that book – or at least finish reading one.
She’ll make a time for you and so you do it.
You have also decided to write to tell Esther how much of a savings goal you would like to set this week, which you then dutifully achieve because you don’t want to let her down, do you?
Then, one day in the not-so-distant future, Esther will even help you achieve your goal of property ownership, because she is all about forward planning as well as seizing each and every day.
And that is the opposite of Ron who believes in putting off literally everything until a tomorrow that never arrives.
Michael Yardney is a director of Metropole Property Strategists, which creates wealth for its clients through independent, unbiased property advice and advocacy. He is a best-selling author, one of Australia's leading experts in wealth creation through property and writes the Property Update blog and hosts the popular Michael Yardney Podcast.
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