BRAD INDUSTRIES · CREW FILE · EMERGENCY RESPONSE
The Department of Later
Division of Tomorrow
“Not now. Now is the worst time.”
Also goes by the procrastinator, the avoider of tasks.
I’ve moved this task to tomorrow fourteen times. Tomorrow is very good at this. It has excellent reviews. Today has never once been the right day.
just start
In red crayon: the inner child. Three words or fewer. Usually right.
His file
1What he says, and what’s underneath it
- What he says
- “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
- What he means
- If I don’t try, I can’t fail.
- The feeling under that
- Frozen. The task feels like a wall.
- The need under that
- To be okay even if it’s messy.
Brad only ever says the top line. Everything under it is what he’s guarding.
2How to spot him
- Does every other task first.
- Works best at the last minute.
- Feels the task get heavier every day.
- Gets it done, then wonders why it took so long.
3Who he’s protecting
- He’s protecting
- The part of you that was told you weren’t trying hard enough.
- On duty against
- Trying and finding out it wasn’t good enough.
- Where he got the job
- Brads like yours usually get hired when trying hard and still falling short hurt too much.
4His real talent
- What he’s good at
- Under pressure he’s brilliant. He works fast when it counts.
- Off duty, he’s
- A spontaneous friend who’s up for anything.
- His blind spot
- Waiting makes the job feel bigger every day.
5What helps him stand down
- What he needs from you
- Ask him for two minutes, not the whole job.
- Say this to him
- “Two minutes. Just to see.”
- Skip this
- “Why didn’t you just do it?”
- Ask him this
- “What’s the scariest part of starting?”
- Ask your people for
- Help getting started, without a lecture.
Try this tonight
Set a two-minute timer and do only the first, smallest piece. Stopping after two minutes counts.
CLEAR is 14 days of small skills like this. Join the waitlist
Your Brad, meet theirs
One file covers one Brad. Most of the trouble happens between two. Take the quiz with a partner, friend, family member or coworker, and Brad writes the joint report: the loop your two Brads get stuck in, and the words that work.