At some point, we reach the place where there's nothing left to do but do the work. But getting started can still be a giant hurdle.
If we've put off a task and it's become a big gnarly thing in our mind, knowing it's what we need to do right now isn't much help.
So how do we get past that and get started?
Set the stage with ritual.
When I'm really struggling with something, my temptation is to find a million other things that need to be done. I lovingly call these "procrastivities" — this morning it meant cleaning off my desk and digitally archiving a pile of my kids' artwork.
But eventually, I come to and realize that I really do need to get this task done, and I'll feel a million times better (aka much less anxious) if I can just get this big hairy task off my plate.
So I begin my ritual. It's a set of tasks that allow me to feel like I'm procrastinating a bit, but take care of the basic needs to set me up for sitting down and getting my work done. The more I do this ritual, the more my brain connects it with getting shit done.
The Ritual
Headphones in and start my favorite "focus" playlist on Spotify. Set the mood.
Make myself a cup of tea. Or coffee, or whatever.
Start the diffuser or light a candle. Get as many senses in on the action as you can.
Go pee. Seriously, make this part of your ritual so when you sit down, you're ready to work.
Shut out the distractions and get comfortable. Shut the blinds, make sure you've got you cardigan and everything you need is within reach.
Do the work.
This is the hardest part. Now that my ritual has taken care of my needs and prepped my environment, there's nothing left to do, but do the work.
It's overwhelming. It's still a big gnarly, hairy-scary project.
All that's left to do is identify the very first task, and do it. Sometimes it helps me to write down a couple of minute starting tasks. If I try to break the entire project down, it will increase the overwhelm. But just three or so beginning actions can help me get moving.
Open client folder in Google Drive.
Open the project management tool.
Review most recent communication in project management tool.
For some projects, there's a lot of rinse and repeat of writing the next 2-3 action items. Much of the time though, I find that if I can just get started, I can get into something of a flow state, and it's not necessary.
If I feel especially prone to distraction, I'll set a Pomodoro-style timer. I don't follow the Pomodoro technique of stopping for breaks so much, but the timer serves as a safety net in case I do get off track, bringing my attention back to the fact that I was working on something and need to return to it.
This is the hardest part. Now that my ritual has taken care of my needs and prepped my environment, there's nothing left to do but do the work. I encourage you to give creating your own ritual a try.
PS - I love that Pomodoro method so much that my weekly virtual coworking sessions built off of it. If you think you'd like to give that work style a try, but don't want to do it alone, come join us! The weekly virtual co-working sessions are something I really look forward to and find to be effective when I have tasks that I just can't seem to get done on my own!