Can’t Get Started
I’m envious of someone who gets to work on a project without getting sidetracked. I’ve met a couple of people who seem not to procrastinate. But I’m not alone when I veer off to emails, clicking through to Smithsonian, Literary Hub, Quora and New York Times articles. By the time I get back to my project I can’t get started.
I put off what is hard for the future and do what provides instant reward. This is known as “present bias.” It’s too late to get started. I’ll get a fresh start tomorrow. But tomorrow is the exact same loop.
I procrastinate. But now I’ve taken an essential step by recognizing and admitting to procrastinating.
Just Get Started
What works for me a good deal of the time is to agree to sit down for five minutes and just get started. Some of the time I work five minutes. Some of the time I get involved in the project and keep at it longer. Less of the time I get involved enough to accomplish a lot. Usually it is somewhere in between.
Break Large Tasks Into Smaller Tasks
It helps to break work down into small manageable chunks. Instead of being overwhelmed, agree to at least sit for five minutes with a small chunk.
Getting started though, takes putting aside perfectionism. It takes getting started when you’re not in the mood.
Procrastination is my ongoing project. So it is a win win whenever I sit down and get started. I overcome procrastination and I sit down with my project for at least five minutes.
Works Almost Consistently
You may read this and think it overly simple. It is, but it works fairly consistently for me.
If you want to make a change in your life, you have to do more than read. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, most people trip over the truth, get up, dust themselves off, and walk away.
You need to take action. You need to walk up to a prospect, make a call, send an email or text. You need to get out to the gym no matter what you do – Set a half hour to stay at the gym.
Take a small step forward.
Saint Augustine & Me – Procrastination
Self-help books that help:
Total Self-Renewal through Attention Therapies and Open Focus
The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body
