How to Beat Procrastination with Andrew Warner, the Founder of Mixergy - Hustle Con 2015

TL;DR

Andrew Warner diagnoses procrastination as a failure to fixate on a true personal mission, caused by external distractions (email, phone, Apple Watch) and worse internal distractions (self‑defeating lies, comparisons). He introduces a physical bead‑based focus exercise (a “true mind” mantra) to train attention.

Key insights

• External distractions (email, IM, phone buzz) pull attention away from mission, but internal distractions (lies like “I can’t compete,” “no one pays for content”) are even more damaging.
• Target fixation in cognitive psychology: whatever you fixate on, you hit – if you fixate on email or a competitor, you crash; if you fixate on your own goal, you move toward it.
• The problem is often not lack of knowledge but inability to implement simple steps (e.g., installing a WordPress plugin) because of internal resistance.