In today's high-tech, high-speed, high-stress world, communication is more important then ever, yet we seem to devote less and less time to really listening to one another. Genuine listening has become a rare gift—the gift of time. It helps build relationships, solve problems, ensure understanding, resolve conflicts, and improve accuracy. At work, effective listening means fewer errors and less wasted time. At home, it helps develop resourceful, self-reliant kids who can solve their own problems. Listening builds friendships and careers. It saves money and marriages.

Life rewards action. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without it. Nothing ever will be. So why is it, then, that so many intelligent people are so prone to inaction; or, more specifically, to procrastination? In particular, why do so many smart professional women put  off until tomorrow what they would benefit from doing today? I’m not necessarily talking about the small mundane tasks (like cleaning out your desk drawers), which have minimal consequence if you fail to do them, but the bigger and more significant actions that can have a profound impact on the trajectory of your career, your happiness and your life.