• Blog
  • Archives
  • Bio
  • Awards
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Contact

Worse than procrastination

Published: Wednesday, 03 April 2013

One of the biggest muscles to exercise shouldn't be getting yourself motivated to not procrasinate.  Sure, procrastination is a big issue, and eventually, the days turn into weeks, turn into months, turn into years, and you still haven't done anything.

But I find that procrastination really isn't that much of a deterrent to people.  When push comes to shove, people submit their homework assignments, get their forms in, and make sure they organise their priorities to spend time with friends.

Hence I think the muscle that needs exercising is always giving up the thought of, "what are other people thinking about me?"

Will they think I'm a loser because I want to start this company?

Will they think I've gone crazy if I tell them I'm not going to apply to grad jobs?

Will they think I'm stupid if I don't finish my assignment completely?

Will they laugh at me if I fail?

Will they think I have too much time on my hands because I do this?

Will they say, "oh John's not serious.  He's never been serious about anything in his life."?

Will they mock and tease me?

Will they talk about me behind my back, while shaking their heads?

Because doing homework, submitting forms and spending time with friends are all the norm.  But you going out there and writing your books, starting your cupcake business or inventing a time-saving device are not.  Stop worrying about what other people think about you and you will procrastinate less on the things that matter.

About Me

Marita ChengForbes named me a world's top 50 woman in tech & 30 Under 30. I founded Robogals and Aipoly and was Young Australian of the Year 2012. Currently working on robotics company Aubot. I'm the youngest Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and I give speeches around the world.

I tweet @maritacheng and I'm on Facebook.

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive my latest blog posts: 

 

Random Articles

  • Ruby Payne-Scott

    Ruby Payne-Scott was a pioneer radio physicist.  I was asked to go in and narrate her story for the ABC’s Fierce Girls series.  Listen to it here!...

  • Snohomish County

    Thank you Economic Alliance Snohomish County for giving me a standing ovation! I was invited an hour north of Seattle to Snohomish County by...

  • Anything is Possible: 100 Australian engineering leaders

    Engineers Australia and Engineering Heritage Australia decided to feature me as one of 100 Australian engineering leaders in their book, “Anything...

  • Last impressions count

    When you leave someone after an interaction, do you leave them present to their own greatness? Do you leave them feeling completely validated,...

  • Remembering Bob Paterson

    I flew from Cairns FNQ to Melbourne (a 3.5-hour flight!) for university. I didn’t have enough money to go to university. But I had faith in myself,...

  • MBN Y Forum, South Korea

    I’m fortunate to be invited all around the world to deliver speeches. In February, I was invited to the MBN Y Forum in Seoul, South Korea for a...

  • InStyle and Audi Style Scholarship

    On 13 May, I was named the InStyle/ AUDI Style Scholarship recipient.  Here’s my spread in InStyle magazine.  Thank you to AUDI and InStyle magazine...

  • Perfection is an oasis

    Perfection is unattainable.  You're never going to get something that's perfect, done.  Not with your budget.  Not with your timeframe.  Not so that you...

  • Delegating to not go crazy

    If you're delegating tasks and then pulling your hair out over it, then you're probably not doing it right. Anything that's insanely great requires a team...

  • Hardy Group interview

    The Hardy Group invited me to speak with them about healthcare, robotics and leadership.  Here I am riffing about those topics!

Enter your email address to receive my latest blog posts: 

 

Scroll to Top