Tuesdays Tip: Start Something
June 19, 2007 · Print This Article
Procrastination is the initial hump we have to get over to do something. Here is a trick to get over procrastination. If there is something you don’t want to work on, promise yourself to start the task and work on it for 15 minutes and then you can quit.
Much of the time, once you get started you’ll find that what was really holding you back was just starting the task. This is a great way to handle exercise. If you dread going to the gym, go for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes if you still don’t want to be there, you can leave. If you don’t like it that day, no problem, you made the effort and you’ll stay longer on a day when you like it better.
We can apply Newton’s first law of motion to fight procrastination. It is easier to keep something in motion if it is already moving. Once we start something, it is easier to keep at it, but starting is the hard part.
I don’t remember where I read it, but a few months ago I came across the idea to “just get the file out”. This has helped me so much!
Instead of telling myself I have to get going on a particular project, I tell myself, “I’ll just get the file out” or “I’ll just create a shell of the document.”
Once I’m sitting in front of the word processor or open file, it is hard to stop working on it. If I do nothing more, or walk away to handle a distraction, the file is open on my desk/desktop when I return, beckoning to me to continue.