It takes a lot of mental energy to do proactive work, and your mind is always looking for an escape.
Since recruiting is mostly proactive work, it’s particularly susceptible to distraction.
According to author Nir Eyal, one way to avoid this trap is to bring in some help from your network.
Forethought is the antidote to impulsivity: you can use a ‘pre-commitment’ to a particular course of action to exert a powerful influence on your future behavior.
If you pre-commit, you make a choice in advance, and pledge to stick to it–and then you don’t need to depend so much on the whims of self-control or willpower in the moment.
Consider a simple example: once you buy a plane ticket for a friend’s wedding, it’s rare that you back out.
Research in health psychology has similarly shown the benefits of these kinds of pacts, such as, committing to visit the gym with a friend.
Notice the two parts to Nir’s formula: a pre-commitment and an external force to keep you accountable to that commitment.
For recruiting setting goals and time-blocks in your schedule is not enough.
Most people need some kind of external accountability, as well.
