The Cure for Procrastination.

We’re no strangers to procrastination.

Be it taking out the trash, doing our homework, working on our projects or going out to exercise. We’ve all been there and procrastinated doing these things.

Imagine you’re sitting on the couch having watched tv for the past hour and the random thought of getting some work done pops up. Is it going to be easy to switch from “watch tv” mode to “do work” mode?

Of course not.

An object in motion stays in motion.

If you’ve been in “watch tv” mode for some time, your body gets used to that and wants to continue staying in “watch tv” mode. Your body doesn’t want to do anything else that goes against “watch tv” mode. It’s happy the way it is.

This is why we procrastinate.

It’s not that we’re lazy or unmotivated. We just can’t seem to break out of “watch tv” mode. We just can’t break through the discomfort and get into “do work” mode.  And when that happens, procrastination wins and we lose.

Starting is the hardest thing to do.

Defeating procrastination is all about successfully switching from “watch tv” mode to “do work” mode with the least amount of friction. We need to make it as easy as possible. Make the transition small. Make it seamless and effortless.

And the best way for that is to take a really tiny step in the right direction to get going.

Exercise? Just do one push up and start.
Homework? Just do one page of it and start.
Project? Just brainstorm and come up with a small idea and start.
Just start with one. Because the most important thing is starting small.

Start small and let momentum build.

Naturally, you’ll find that you’ll want to do more than just one. Just imagine doing one push up and then you stop. Your brain is going to go,
“Well, I might as well do a few more push ups since I’m already doing it”.

And you’ll continue to do more, and more, and more.

Procrastination can only be defeated if we master the art of start.

Push through the initial discomfort of starting, and the rest will take care of itself.