Stop Making Friends With Your Enemy

Most people think their biggest problem is time.

Or money.
Or maybe talent.

That’s wrong.

The real problem?
You’ve made peace with your enemy.

You dress procrastination up as “rest.”
You call busywork “being productive.”
You brag about perfectionism like it’s a badge of honour.

But these aren’t harmless habits.
They’re thieves.
And you’ve let them live rent-free in your business.

I used to be a master at staying busy.
My calendar looked full. My to-do list never ended.
And I thought that meant I was moving forward.

But my bank account told a different story.
So did my stress.
I was fighting a ghost war, no enemy, no strategy, just endless motion.

Things only shifted when I named the real villain.

Not “lack of time.”
Not “the market.”

It was me wasting hours on work that didn’t move the needle.

Once I saw the enemy clearly, I could fight it.

Here’s how you stop fighting shadows and start winning real battles:

1. Name the Villain

Stop using soft language like “distractions.”
Call it what it is.

Procrastination is theft. Busywork is sabotage. Perfectionism is cowardice.
If you don’t make the enemy visible, you can’t beat it.

2. Personify It

Give your enemy a face.
Call procrastination the “Time Thief.” Call busywork the “Beast.”
When you frame it this way, you rally against it. You take it seriously.

3. Flip the Script

You’re not the problem. The enemy is.
This makes you the hero of your own story.
It creates a reason to fight, not just a reason to feel guilty.

4. Arm Yourself With Better Weapons

Your tools, your systems, your products, your writing, aren’t just “features.”
They’re weapons.

Stop presenting them as nice-to-haves.
Show people how they kill the enemy.

Why do we protect our enemies?
Why do we glorify being “busy” but shame people who say no?
Why do we call perfectionism “high standards” instead of what it really is, fear of being judged?

The truth is, culture rewards victims.
It feels easier to blame time, money, or talent.
But that’s how you stay stuck.

If you want to win, you need to create your own culture.
One that doesn’t tolerate hidden enemies.
One that rewards naming, shaming, and destroying them.

The market won’t rally around your product.
The market rallies against their enemy.

So stop playing nice.
Stop romanticizing the habits that steal from you.

Draw the line. Name the villain.
Then build your movement around taking it down.

That’s how you go from playing defence to leading a war worth winning.