Do The Hard Thing

Hey.

I know you probably got to this blog because you were searching for productivity tips. Or maybe even tips for technology addiction. You have something you know you need to do, and you aren't doing it. And you're hoping the next article, the next post, the next podcast, is going to give you the push you need.

You aren't going to find anything. There are strategies that might help, sure. But there is no magic internet advice that is going to make you do the thing. And looking for help is just a form of procrastination that helps you feel like you're doing the thing.

So, if it isn't going to get any easier, you're going to have to do something hard. Your brain is going to fight you about it, it's going to convince you there must be some way you can optimize this task, or maybe if you take a break you'll start feeling ready in 30 minutes. There isn't and you won't. So make this article your last article. Close this tab. Close the other tabs you've been using to procrastinate. Close your computer if necessary. And go do the thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Okay, you're still here. So maybe you really do need help. I'll give you a series of steps to do the thing. But I am trusting you that you'll actually do them. If you just read them, you're wasting more of your time.

 1. Stand up.

    Sometimes standing up is really hard, but it's important. It gives you a first task to accomplish, and tells your brain that it's time to change activities. You don't have to go anywhere just yet.

2. Get a pen and paper.

 

    Any writing implement, anything to write on. If you have to, you can just open notepad on your computer, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of standing up.

 

3. Think of the first step you'd need to do to start the thing.

 

    If there's a variety of steps you could take, you have to decide on one*. For example, if I need to call the doctor, maybe the first step I decide to take is finding the number of the doctor. If I want to use my phone less, maybe the first step I decide to take is blocking time wasting apps.

 

*Sometimes, it's not doing the thing that's hard, it's the decisions you have to make about how to do the thing that are hard. I'm sorry, but this article just isn't written for that particular challenge. 

 

4. Subdivide that step into more manageable steps.

 

    To find the doctor's number, I would need to get the password for my health services platform, log in, and look for contact information. To block time wasting apps, I would need to download a blocking app, find out what I'm spending my phone time on, and actually create the blocks.  
 

5. Continue if the first of your subdivided steps still feels unmanageable.

    For calling the doctor, let's say I still feel very stressed at the prospect of getting the password. To get the password, I might need to turn on my computer, open my browser, log in to my password vault, and copy the password. Maybe turning on my computer feels a lot more manageable to me. For blocking time wasting apps, there are a lot out there and I might not be sure which one to choose. So I would need to open my the app store, spend a few minutes looking through blocking apps, pick one that looks good, and test it out. Opening the app store probably feels less overwhelming.
 

6. Take the first step. 

 

    You've come to the problem at the start of the article again. You've made the first step as easy as possible, but you still have to be the one to do it. Hopefully, it feels possible now. 

 

 

Did this article help you do a thing? Tell me what it was below!