How to Go from Thinking to Doing Before You’re Pretty Much Screwed

When you’re struggling to get going on something, the procrastination muscle is flexing and your self-talk is sliding, here’s what you need to do.

One of the things on my Get Done list today is: Write blog article. That note crops up every other Thursday and I’m usually teaming with ideas so it’s pretty easy to jump right in and get cracking. 

But today – not so much. In all honesty, I’ve been sitting at my laptop for the last twenty minutes staring at the screen.

And then it hit me…

Rarely do I achieve anything great through simply thinking about it. I mean, thought is extremely powerful an’ all but, without action, it doesn’t really get stuff done, does it?

So, I put fingers on the keyboard and just started typing – and here we are now. 251 words in, and I’m starting to see the path ahead with more clarity and purpose. Yes – now that I’ve combined thought with action, the ball is certainly gathering speed.

What I’ve noticed about myself over the years – and also regularly support my clients to overcome – is that whenever we stay in the ‘thought’ process for too long, our mind starts chattering to us with old words: beliefs that are no longer true, but love to pop up when there’s room for them. Things like:

“I haven’t got anything interesting or useful to share with the world.”

“I obviously have no idea what I’m doing.”

“What’s the point, anyway? Perhaps I should just give up.”

Of course, if we listen to this disempowering babble, we’re likely to start believing it – and then – well, we’re pretty much screwed. In my case, I may as well close my laptop for the day and hope that I can start afresh tomorrow… or maybe next month… as long as it’s a Monday… I can only start stuff on a Monday, right?

Yep – the mind is a powerful tool indeed. If we allow it, it can derail us with such a swift force that we’re left confused and deflated – and with not one thing on our Get Done list having Gotten Done.

That was my potential fate ten minutes ago as I sat staring at a blank screen. But now (487 words done – yay me!), my fingers are moving freely over the keys and there’s no room for the limiting chatter to intervene. 

So – to sum up…

When you’re struggling to get going on something (the procrastination muscle is flexing and your self-talk is sliding) here’s what you need to do:

1) Notice the voices of self-sabotage and destruction. Awareness is the first step to anything.

2) Remind yourself that those voices aren’t true and aren’t serving you.

3) Tell yourself something more empowering, like: “All I have to do is take the first step, and I’ve taken millions of first steps in my life, so I know I can do it.”

4) Get started; take that first step; jump in – basically, do whatever it takes to get yourself out of pure thought and into action. Even if that action ends up not being completely right for you, the clarity and momentum you’ll gain will be well worth it.

5) Check in and correct your course if needed. Remember – ‘perfection’ is not real, and as recovering perfectionists like me know all too well, trying to strive for it in every move you take is overwhelming and ultimately fruitless. So, rather than waiting until the stars are aligned and the ducks are neatly in a row, step forwards right now and know that you can choose again with every move you make.

#717wordsgottendone

I’m curious…

1) In what areas of your life do you most often find yourself in thought rather than in action?

2) How is this stopping you from getting everything you truly want in life?