For my fellow nocturnal friends.Motivation and follow through

Well it's 2:49 am and I am, well of course online doing research of how to run my business effieciently even though I already know how. The truth is I have read enough how-to, self help and motivational books in the past 3 years that I know what is coming most of the time before I even grab one off the shelf.

So the main idea I'm pondering is what if these countless hours of mostly useless repetitive education were spent on steps of action instead of pounding my head against the table, or beating the living shit out of a dead horse, (whichever metaphor you prefer). Actually pounding my head against the table would be more of an action step than re-researching every possibility ahead. (if you see me with a large lump on my head soon, don't worry, it means I'm on the right track.

What I'm trying to say in a very inefficient way, is that action and effieciency are interrelated. This worthless procrasterbation many of us seem to engage in really not only prevents us from being effiecient, but sucks away are creative ability.

Not to say that an intermediate level of knowledge may not be neccessary to take efficient action, but even seemingly unsuccessful actions get the wheels turning and encourage further action. In short what I'm saying is if you want something, get off your ass and go get it. Don't start something you know is great and stop because the precieved difficulty is too high. But following through and finishing and achieving your goal.

In our country distractions are plentiful and it seems rare that anyone finishes anything anymore. Not saying I'm a role model, most people who know me know the only thing I finish on a consistant basis are my dinner and my beer. I know this is a weakness of mine and I'm making a pact to change this.

Let me give you a real life example, unfortunatly this is from my life,

I'm currently running a non-profit organization that raises funds in order to bring college students or recent highschool or collage graduates to Buenos Aires, Argentina to help promote literacy and educate underprivlidges kids.

These are the steps I've taken to promote my business this week in order of time spent.

1. Set up facebook account and invited as many people as possible to join cause, while setting up cause page
2. Researched Argentinian volunteer organizations and city information on Buenos Aires.
3. Read 3 to 4 books at barnes an noble about the SAME subject, setting up my non profit organization for tax exept status.

While these activities are completly vital to my cause and spreading the word etc. Until real life action is taken aren't I basically building castles in the sky with no foundations!

The truth is I need money from donations to set this thing up and I know this all too well.

Here are 10 things I already know I should be doing instead of what I have been!

1. Writing letters to friends and family to explain my cause and ask for donations to build the organization and help with start up costs.
2. Specifically ask, not insinuate that I want donations from people who know me well.
3. Set up an event to have a good time and raise funds i.e. Halloween costume party w/ 5$ cover charge and cheap drinks, car wash, Mall event w/ volunteers asking for donations and Selling T-shirts stating our cause that not only raise donations but spread the message.
4. Contact any and everyone who may be interested in helping out and ask if they can assist in your efforts.
5. Writing the dreaded 10 page business plan explaining everything you already know but need others to see just so they know you put way too much time into it. I'm procrastinating on this basically as long as I can.
6. Put together design for printed materials that can be passed out and explain the cause while showing people that it's a real cause that does need assistance.
7. Recruiting Board members for the organization who share in the passion that I do.
8. Asking for donations from community businesses and setting up an auction with their donated items.
9. Recruiting fellow cause members to help in at least some of these tasks to reduce the way too many hours that I'm speding on this. I should probabaly just outsource half this crap to India but funds are well, non existant right now.
10. Talking to anyone except my mom or my girlfriend about the cause and spreading the word on any other medium besides the internet.( While the internet is a valuable tool, I find it hard to get someone excited about a cause via a facebook message)

So basically, the message is not only myself but many of us constantly engage in non or minimailly productive activites that distract us from doing the things we are afraid to do and create a false sense that we accomplished some meaningless feat.

I'm gonna change this now, I hope you all can do the same in you lives. For help read the Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. The book sheds wuite a bit of light on worthless activites that can be eliminated and gives you a unique perspective on how you might want to spend all the extra time you freed up by doing so.

Comment if you hear what I'm saying.