Entertainment mogul Ari Emanuel said that he would not let himself procrastinate in the morning.
The podcast program broadcast on Tuesday Aspire with Emma Grede In this conversation, WME Group, the Executive Chairman, and TKO Group Holdings, the Chief Executive Officer, discussed their daily routines and how they hold themselves accountable for their set goals. TKO Group Holdings manages WWE and UFC.
“I think having a regular schedule is very important. Just like everyone else, there’s a voice in my head that says, ‘Go back to sleep.’ But I don’t listen to that voice. I make sure not to listen to it,” Emanuel told podcast host Emma Grede, “I just get up directly.”
He stated that yielding to such voices can become an excuse for procrastination.
"That 'I'll do it tomorrow' – I wouldn't say that. I've made a commitment, right? I'm fighting for myself. I have a contract with myself. I will get the job done," said Emanuel.
He said that his persistent approach to work helped him gain attention in the early stages of his career.
When others don’t return his calls, he’s never afraid to follow up; even now, he still takes the initiative to contact the people he wants to get to know, rather than waiting for others to introduce them to him.
“All these relationships require management. You know how to write articles, you know how to chat. For things you don’t understand, but that you think the other party might understand, you just call them,” said Emanuel.
He added that these calls don't always have a clear purpose immediately; sometimes they are just meant to initiate a conversation.
Tom Cruise also once gave an example, saying that during his teenage years, he viewed himself as the “CEO” of his life and turned his ambitions into concrete steps. Def Jam, co-founder Rick Rubin, also described himself as a “lazy workaholic”; even when he wanted to do nothing at all, he would force himself to work. And 78-year-old Ina Garten says that she still actively seeks unfamiliar challenges because she enjoys “working with fear.”
