"Things at rest tend to stay at rest. Things in motion tend to stay in motion."
– Newton's Law of Physics
I often sit in the living room watching a football game, telling myself that I will put the laundry into the dryer during the next commercial. When the commercial comes on, I don't feel like getting up to do this simple task. Despite my dislike for most commercials, I want to continue sitting there. This is a simple example of Newton's Law of Physics.
I want to share with you a blinding flash of the obvious, the best way to overcome procrastination is to get started, despite your feelings.
Remember, motion creates emotion. We often have to act our way into feeling.
How many times have you procrastinated on doing a performance review, or cleaning the garage, or going to the gym? Once you got started, you got some momentum. You started feeling like you wanted to knock the task out.
It's like getting into a cold pool, the hardest part is the beginning. So when facing procrastination, emphasize the start rather than thinking of the whole task. Often, you just need willpower and determination for a few moments in the beginning.
But once you overcome that initial obstacle, the rest is much easier.
You will be amazed at how much you can get done when you quit thinking and calculating and just get in motion.
”When you do the things you need to do when you need to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them."
– Zig Ziglar