The secret to killing procrastination and building momentum to achieve your dreams is to simply just start.
It sounds simple, right?
We all have the bad habit of waiting until the “time is right” to get started on something we want to do (or have to do). Either because we don’t know how to do it, how long it will take, or a million other reasons that cause us to get stuck in our heads. This is how procrastination sneaks itself into our lives.
“I can’t start until [insert a million reasons].”
There will always be something that will convince the voice in your head to wait and do it another day when the time is right and all the stars align…
That might make sense if the stars did align, but they never do. On top of that, we have very limited time so waiting to get started on something you want to do (or have to do) is not the best strategy.
“Don’t wait. The time will NEVER be just right.”
Napoleon Hill
Break It Down To Make Starting Easy
Every single thing you want to achieve in life can be broken down into the smallest of steps that can be done today. Easy things that require very little effort on their own.
It’s fine to never get started if you don’t truly want something. Why waste your time? There are a million other ways to use your time purposefully.
However, if it’s truly something you want to accomplish or the vision of a dream life you have in your mind, don’t let procrastination stop you from taking the first step.
Here are the 4 steps I like to use when setting my mind to achieve something:
Step 1: Know exactly the specific thing you want to accomplish (Have a vision)
- For example: earn $X amount next year, get to X% body fat, learn X language in X months, or travel to X countries in the next X years
- By knowing exactly what you want you can work backward to create a game plan to get there instead of relying on a perfect time in your head
Step 2: Break it down into the smallest steps possible (Set up a process)
- Small actions help build momentum. Momentum pushes you forward and keeps you going, which is key
- Make the actions so small and easy to do, that they won’t seem to make much progress, but compounded over time will turn into what seems like an “overnight success”
- Successful people have their own process that turns small actions into habits, without constantly thinking about doing them, which leads to big results
Step 3: Set a timeline to piece together your plan (Set a timeframe)
- Not setting a deadline makes you vulnerable to Parkinson’s Law
- Your timeline does not have to be final! You are guaranteed to make changes to your along the way, but you need a sense of urgency to keep your momentum going
- Your speed of progress may be faster or slower, but you’ll never know until you get started so….
Step 4: Get started, today! (Execute your plan)
We often get stuck in our own heads, overthinking everything and not taking action. The second you start, you’ll be surprised how often you magically tend to figure things out as you go by piecing together thoughts and ideas that never occurred to you before.
Don’t believe me? Just give it a try and see how it goes.
Control The Sail Of Your Ship
Waiting until you are 100% certain about something to get started will cause you to miss out on life-changing opportunities.
Can you imagine never asking out the person who one day would become your spouse, or never approaching the senior executive at the job fair who would one day become your boss, or never betting on yourself and miss out on building the business that would one day give you the freedom to be your own boss?
Get into the habit of applying the 80/20 rule to your decision-making, and take quick action. If you think something has an ~80% probability of working out or you have ~20% of the necessary skills to achieve something, go for it.
Just start and figure it out along the way. By thinking in terms of your chances for success, you are training yourself to be efficient with your time and make fast decisions.
Quick action is the first key step that builds momentum to get things done. If you correctly apply the 80/20 rule, in the long run some decisions might not work out, but most decisions will and can change your life. Don’t let your life drift away by never getting started on achieving your dreams and living your richest life.
I’ll end with a Chinese proverb: “It’s not the wind, but the sail that decides the direction.”
You may not fully control how fast the wind blows, but as long as you start and make progress in the right direction, sooner or later you’ll get to where you want to go.
See you at the finish line.