Our intellect tells us to focus on the productive goals and objectives that will produce the long-term results we desire.

But our feelings and emotions often tell us to focus on our short-term comfort.

Excuses materialize when we listen to our emotions and then rationalize our subsequent behaviors with enough intellect to make it believable (at least to ourselves).

This is a battle of the will that every human must fight and win to reach a high level of performance.

And it’s the reason Dr. Bill Dyment suggests a few ways to trick your mind into doing the right thing.

I’ll often remove myself from my familiar environment and go to a place like the lobby of a 5-star hotel.

In such an environment, I feel more productive and rise to a new level of thinking and productivity.

But it’s not just the environment, it’s also the individuals in the environment that can help us avoid getting sidetracked by excuses.

There has been research showing that students study better when they’re in a library.

Why?  Of course, there are less distractions, but it’s also because they are around other individuals who are also studying.

It’s been dubbed the “Library Effect”, and it’s a powerful way to trick your mind into staying focused on the right activities.

The Library Effect is something you can easily apply to recruiting, and it’s one of the reasons that accountability groups are so effective.

Just getting together with other hiring managers and recruiting for a set period of time each week will short-circuit many of your recruiting excuses.

Excuses are powerful because they sound so good in our own minds.

When you’re around others, you can see excuses for what they really are.

P.S. Have you downloaded your copy of the 2026 Agent Migration Report yet?  If not, grab a copy now.