Proactive vs Reactive from "summary" of No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy
Proactive versus reactive behavior is a key concept in managing one's time and achieving goals. It is the difference between taking initiative and responding to events as they happen. Instead of letting life control you, you take control of it and make the most of your time.- Being proactive means taking deliberate and pre-emptive action to avoid potential problems; while reactive seeks to fix existing issues after they have occurred.
- Proactivity helps you anticipate problems as well as make the most efficient use of your resources – whether that’s people, material goods or money.
- Being reactive on the other hand, often encourages settling for less than ideal outcomes since it involves reacting to situations instead of avoiding or preventing them.
- Having a ‘proactive mindset’ is all about being prepared for the future, continuously asking yourself “what if…”.
- To be proactive requires a consistent effort to identify long-term goals and working simultaneously to achieve them in due time.
- Thinking proactively enables better time management by allowing individuals to set priorities, troubleshoot effectively and take control of their goals.
- Even though there are certain benefits to taking a reactive approach, such as reducing initial manpower or technical costs, this method will fail to deliver desirable results over the long term.
