In a lot of past episodes, we’ve talked about how habits are probably the most important element of self improvement and sustained personal growth. Unfortunately, a lot of the force behind habits requires near superhuman self discipline. Fortunately, today, we’ve managed to get THE expert on self discipline on the show, Rory Vaden, to help us understand how to conquer the temptations and distractions that cause us to stray from our goals and ambitions.

Rory Vaden is the world’s leader on defining the psychology around modern day procrastination. He speaks and consults on how to say no to the things that don’t matter, and yes to the things that do. His insights have recently been featured on/in: Fox News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Inc, Fortune, and the New York Times, and his book, Take the Stairs is a #1 Wall St Journal, #1 USA Today, and #2 New York Times bestseller. He’s also recently published a book on procrastination and time management, which I’m SURE we all want to hear more about! As an award-winning entrepreneur and business leader, he Co-Founded Southwestern Consulting™, as well as The Center for the Study of Self-Discipline.

Additionally, he hosts his own nationally syndicated weekly radio show for “movers and shakers in the world of business™”.

You have a lot to look forward to in this episode. Rory and his team have spent thousands upon thousands of hours developing theories, and frameworks, and methodologies, and he generously shares so many of them with us in such a short time. The episode is absolutely jam-packed: it’s very theory-heavy and offers a lot of very new, unique, and impactful ideas that I certainly had never considered. Quite frankly, you should probably listen to it with a notepad handy, because I’m quite confident you’re going to take away a ton of applicable knowledge to use in your day to day lives.

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In this episode, we discuss:

• Rory’s personal journey from obesity and heartbreak to becoming an expert in self discipline
• Understanding the neuroscience between habits, discipline, and motivation
• What is the “paradox principle,” and how can it govern our choices?
• What are “ultra-performers” or “multipliers,” and how do they behave?
• What do compound interest and making good choices have to do with one another?
• What are the 3 types of procrastination, and which ones are actually destructive?
• Understanding a new concept called “Priority Dilution” that plagues overachievers
• What does it actually take to change our level of discipline and procrastination?
• The differences between Rory’s two books, and whom each one is written for
• Adopting the behaviors of success vs. adopting the thinking that drives it
• An in depth explanation of the groundbreaking “Focus Funnel” and how it works
• A brief history of time management theory, and the new thinking of “multiplying time”
• The differences between the urgency, importance, and significance of your tasks
• What is a typical day in Rory Vaden’s life, and what are his routines and habits?

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Rory’s first book, Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success
• Dave Ramsey
• The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
• Rory’s new book, Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Passive Income
• Rory’s site, ProcrastinateOnPurpose.com – with a FREE 1 Hour Webinar

Favorite Quotes from Rory Vaden: