Just (can’t) Do It!
This was the big break. This was the idea that could change everything. Ken had been in a rut at work and was contemplating finding a new job. As we spoke over lunch, he confessed to me that his head and heart were no longer in his current role, and that he wanted to make a change. When I asked him what his next step could be, he spoke animatedly about potentially moving to an upstart technology company that was notoriously selective in its employment. I wondered aloud how he would make his application stand out. In response, Ken shared an unconventional, but seemingly brilliant idea. He had observed that the company’s blog hadn’t been updated in a while, so he was going to write an article highlighting the traditional problems in the industry and explaining how the tech firm offered the perfect solution. Afterward, he would share the article with the head of the company to catch their attention.
Admittedly, I had initially been doubtful about his prospects of getting hired by the tech firm, but his idea seemed like a game changer. Excited, I made Ken promise to keep me updated on how his job hunt went. A week went by, then two, and I gradually forgot about Ken’s situation. About three months later, the tech company was trending on Twitter for raising an eye-watering amount of money, and Ken came to mind. I called him, curious about how his writing idea had worked out. His answer shocked me.
Ken never wrote the essay. When I asked him why, he told me he “simply couldn’t bring himself to start.” Ken, one of the most talented writers I knew, had a massive case of writer’s block. Whenever he would decide to start, he would distract himself with a million other things, until the day was spent. Tomorrow always became the day he would write the article. Eventually, he stopped trying. He clearly cared about the company, and had the skill needed to write the essay, but he procrastinated till his dream slipped through his fingers.
In last week’s article, we explored how the Eisenhower Matrix presented a simple, yet effective way to stop procrastinating by prioritising our tasks based on urgency and importance. Of greatest priority were Urgent/Important tasks, which the matrix advised us to “do ASAP.” Of the feedback I got on the article, one question stood out: “What happens when I can’t ‘just do it’?” In the context of this question, the matrix’s recommendation can seem overly simplistic. It almost reminds me of Nike’s famous slogan — “Just Do It.” But the reality is that doing doesn’t always come easy, even when we know something is important to us and is relatively urgent. Sometimes, like in Ken’s case, knowing how critical a task is only makes us procrastinate more.
So how can we stop procrastinating when it feels impossible to even get started? Here’s a 5-step process:
1. Explore your mental state
Many times, when we find ourselves struggling to even start a project, our hesitancy often starts in the mind. Fear and perfectionism often go hand in hand in creating these kinds of mental blocks, but they are not unbeatable. To help yourself get started, ask a series of “why” questions to help you get to the bottom of the block and find the real reason you’ve been reluctant to start. In Ken’s case, that could look something like this:
Q: Why is this particular article so hard for me to start?
A: The article feels like the main thing standing between me and the next stage of my career. That’s a scary thought.
Q: Why is that scary?
A: Because it puts the power to change my situation in my hands.
Q: Why would having that power be a bad thing?
A: Because if the firm doesn’t like my article, I would feel like a failure.
For Ken, asking himself these questions could help him get to the root of his struggle to start, which is the fear that his article will be rejected. Simply knowing the mental roots of procrastination can be useful, because we can then address them. For Ken, that might simply be acknowledging that he’ll never know the company’s reaction if he doesn’t write, as well as acknowledging the other possibility that they might *love* his article.
2. Start small
Once you’ve identified any mental inhibitions that were slowing you down, your next step is to make it as easy as possible for you to get started. Sometimes, a big goal like learning Japanese could be daunting. Obviously, you can’t achieve that in a day. However, you can identify the first step in achieving the goal (finding a Japanese tutor near you). By breaking down the task into smaller chunks, it becomes less daunting. That means you can finally get started and build momentum to take on bigger parts of your project!
3. Focus on flow
Just like breaking down a task makes it easier, breaking down your time makes you likelier to start. It’s much easier to commit to reading for 20 minutes daily than it is to spend the 30 hours it would take to read the novel War and Peace in one sitting. Additionally, having clear time allocated to working on your task helps you to focus, since you’re not psyching yourself up to spend an indefinite amount of time on it. To take full advantage of your time, try the pomodoro tracker. The pomodoro method helps you concentrate on your task by alternating between periods of focused work and rest, which you repeat until your project is complete!
4. Set deadlines
If you’re like me, sometimes this is the best way to get off your ass and get started on your plans. While I was researching this article, I started wondering if there was something broken in my mind that made me 10x more likely to complete a project once a deadline became involved. It turns out that it’s not just me, but a real psychological phenomenon known as Parkinson’s Law. Essentially, work expands to fill the amount of time you give it. So give yourself a deadline, and trick your brain into getting started.
5. Create Accountability
Humans are social animals. Whether we like to admit it or not, we value the opinions of the people we look up to and care about. So we can use that unique aspect of our psychology to get things done. There are two ways that I’ve found to be helpful. One is committing to projects in public via social media. Another is by enlisting someone you really respect to be an accountability partner and giving them regular updates. Either way, the social pressure makes you much likelier to do the work in order to avoid embarrassment.
Our minds are complex creations. They are firmly attuned to focus on instant gratification and pleasure in the present moment. By contrast, humans are the only animals capable of visualising long-term outcomes. So even though we all make plans and know what we need to do to create our dream future, our brains are wired to procrastinate. Beating procrastination isn’t always as simple as “just do it”, but using the 5 steps above, it doesn’t have to be impossible either. Now go forth and do. See you next week.
