They say procrastination is the enemy of progress. But what if the very thing holding you back could actually be the key to your next breakthrough?
That’s the question Jesse Holmes has built his brand around answering. As the founder of Effortless Growth and creator of the Procrastination to Profit Planner, Jesse is on a mission to help entrepreneurs stop sabotaging themselves and start compounding results.
In just the past few weeks, he’s been featured on more than a dozen podcasts, sharing insights on productivity, mindset, and momentum. And when he sat down with me on Attention Is The Currency, he delivered a masterclass on why delays and distractions aren’t the enemy—they’re the signal.
Procrastination Isn’t Laziness
Most entrepreneurs think procrastination is about being lazy or poor at time management. According to Harvard research and Jesse’s lived experience, that’s not true at all.
“The biggest issue I see,” Jesse explained, “is perfectionism. Entrepreneurs want everything to be absolutely right before they launch. But perfectionism is just procrastination in disguise.”
Instead of treating procrastination like a character flaw, Jesse reframes it: the very thing you’re avoiding is usually the most important task in your business. The delay is a signal. And if you can face it, simplify it, and start moving, that resistance becomes rocket fuel.
From Perfectionist Roots to Effortless Growth
Jesse’s journey wasn’t smooth. He grew up in a perfectionist household where “good enough” wasn’t good enough. That mindset followed him into his early businesses with his dad and brother.
They planned, researched, and over-prepared. But while they were waiting for the perfect conditions, competitors were out in the market failing, learning, and winning.
Everything changed when Jesse connected with a mentor who showed him the opposite path:
- Action over analysis
- Cash flow before polish
- Failure as feedback, not defeat
The result? Jesse helped scale a business to eight figures in under a decade and built the framework that would become Effortless Growth.
The Three-Step Framework: Easy, Enjoyable, Everyday
At the heart of Jesse’s Procrastination to Profit Planner is a deceptively simple process:
- Make it easy – Break the task down into a bite-size version your brain can’t resist. If you’re avoiding a project, what’s the 5-minute version you can do today?
- Make it enjoyable – If you hate it, you won’t stick with it. Find a way to connect the work with something rewarding or energizing.
- Do it every day – Consistency compounds. A small step daily beats a massive push once a month.
This isn’t theory. One client who resisted writing ads for her business completely flipped her results by committing to just 10 minutes a day. Within three days, she’d broken through the block that had been holding her back for months.
Why Entrepreneurs Confuse Busy with Productive
Jesse is blunt about the biggest trap entrepreneurs fall into: equating effort with output.
“Busyness tricks us into thinking we’re being productive,” he said. “But effort only matters if it’s focused on high-leverage activities. Otherwise, you go to bed exhausted but guilty, knowing you didn’t really move the needle.”
True productivity is about being proactive, not reactive. It’s about doing the work that generates cash flow and growth before you obsess over logos, websites, or systems that don’t matter until you’re already scaling.
Building Habits That Stick
Jesse doesn’t believe in motivation hacks or forcing yourself into unsustainable routines. Instead, he builds habits that feel as automatic as brushing your teeth.
The trick? Lower the bar until it’s impossible to fail. One push-up, one sales call, one ad draft. Over time, consistency snowballs into capability and capability compounds into results.
As Jesse put it:
“If you can never give up, you will succeed. Consistency is the single most powerful habit for growth.”
Attention Is the Currency
We closed with the show’s signature question: if attention is the currency, what should people stop wasting it on, and what should they invest in?
Jesse’s answer was sharp:
“Stop wasting attention on reactive busyness. Invest it in proactive, sustainable actions—the kind you can keep doing for years without burning out. One small step, every day.”
It’s advice most entrepreneurs need tattooed on their calendars.
The Takeaway
Jesse Holmes is proof that procrastination doesn’t have to end your story. With the right lens, it becomes the doorway to your next breakthrough.
👉 Learn more and grab his Procrastination to Profit Planner at EffortlessGrowth.co.
And if this conversation hit home, share it with someone who’s stuck spinning their wheels. Momentum is contagious—and so is clarity.