Sunday morning coffee

Morning musings to get me ready for the week.

I’m sitting on the balcony wrapped not only in my housecoat but also in a warmer version of a hoodie. Autumn is upon us.

I’m sitting here procrastinating; in fact, by the time I started writing these lines, one full hour has gone by. Time well spent scrolling through Instagram, looking at short YouTube videos, getting up, and doing the dishes etc etc….

Anything to delay sitting down and writing the agonising first sentence… But finally, in the end, I have my cup of coffee—my second—and have opened the document and started writing. Surprise, surprise, after a maximum of three minutes, I’m laser-focused and the words are flowing out as they flowed out of Shakespeare’s quill.

But what is it, what is this everlasting procrastinating demon that lives in us? Even though we know we can do the project we are procrastinating on, hell, we have done it a hundred times before, yet it’s the same every damn time.

Do you recognise yourself in this description? Thought so. We all go through this, but I’ve got some good news. There is a great book out there called “The War of Art.” I know this is a business platform, so many of you are saying, Sigurd, it’s called “The Art of War.” That is a different kind of book. This book is written by an American writer named Steven Pressfield and offers a fantastic explanation of what procrastination really is and how to deal with it.

Steven calls it “Resistance.” According to him, Resistance is this pesky force that pops up whenever we’re about to tackle something meaningful. It’s like this internal critic, always ready with a reason for us not to do the work. It shows up as fear, self-doubt, distractions, procrastination—basically anything that keeps us from sitting down and getting things done.

Great, and what’s the good news, you say? Resistance is self-made. It brews from within, fueled by our very avoidance of the task at hand. The more we dodge what we should be doing, the stronger it gets. And it’s a stubborn foe—it doesn’t care who we are, it’s there to ensure we stay in our comfort zone, far away from where the magic happens.

But Steven doesn’t just leave us with the what and the why; he also hands over the how to overcome this resistance. His remedy is quite straightforward—show up. Show up every day, and just do it despite the nagging voice of Resistance. It’s about facing the demon head-on, and in doing so, we dull its blade, making room for creativity and productivity to thrive.

In understanding and overcoming this self-imposed barrier, Pressfield’s “Resistance” sheds light on the path from procrastination to productivity, from doubt to doing. His insights are not just a mirror reflecting our self-sabotaging tendencies, but also a window into how we can shatter them to pieces and step into a realm of endless possibilities. I can’t recommend this book enough. Now, if you’re still reading, thanks for your time, and off you go to do the work you promised yourself you’d do today. ?? Have a great week.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield