Concept: Begin
It is so vital that work starts. The temptation to hesitate is strong and not only that, it seems like the right thing to do. To be cautious for the sake of getting it right the first time —you know, measure twice; cut once. However, I realize that through days, months and years of practice I have become a master at being a lazy coward.
In the early days of procrastination I put things off for the most primal reasons:
- I didn’t want to do it.
- I wanted to do something else.
That sheer honesty in not doing a damn thing was cause for guilt, stress and depression; three killjoys for #1 and #2 mentioned, previously. So rather than getting started, I found more elegant ways to procrastinate. I devised (as we all do) noble and altruistic reasons to not do it:
- When I do start, I want it to be good/right/perfect…
- I’d hate to start and then not finish, so I want to really focus before I start…
- The wife; the kids; my job; finances…
This allowed me to feel just fine about not doing anything. After living this way for years, it feels so awkward to be even remotely ambitious or aggressive.
Concept: Start doing it. Right now; right here. Stand up and start.
Unfortunately, this concept can’t help but be somewhat motivational. That is problematic because nobody listens to motivational. I’m going to do my best to look at this conceptually: Start working now just for the sake of seeing how your results can be from impulsively, rashly plunging into it. Take an objective look at the emotional, mental, physical, and aesthetic results of starting your work, right now.
Keep careful records of your results for use in future endeavors. Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t come out looking like a museum piece. Remember, it was our decision to jump right in. Also, weaning yourself from the need to make ‘pretty’ can lead to more variation and new ideas. Note the results of your work: what works, what does not, and everything in between. Keep doing it today, tomorrow, and on and on as much as you can because there is tremendous power in ‘daily’. As a side benefit you get to thwart your procrastination and give your muse some much needed sustenance.
Still not convinced? Okay. Well, how about some motivation?
Make no mistake: Death is coming for us all.
The minutes, days, months and years are creeping by and you are closer and closer to death. When death comes knocking what will you say, “I was waiting for the right moment to…” I think not.
Gruesome? Harsh? Creepy? Indeed. So by all means, get started. Begin.
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