Have you ever had items in your to-do list keep getting pushed to the next day, and the next day, and the next day, ad infinitum? They seem to never get done.
Or have you ever been a procrastinator who has trouble getting started on a project?
Or have you been a perfectionist who can’t seem to complete the job because you can’t find the perfect plan for the project?
Or have you ever been in a state of depression and just can’t find the energy to tackle anything?
I’m going to take a risk and be vulnerable here and say that I have experienced all of these situations at one time or another, and still do. I am a recovering perfectionist and procrastinator, and I struggle with depression.
Anybody with me here? Come on, don’t be shy. Don’t leave me hangin’ all by myself.
But there is one little thought that has helped me so many times to get unstuck and to begin making progress. It’s a simple little phrase that I just have to share with you. It’s not magical and it’s not a panacea and it doesn’t work every time. But most times it helps me to get into gear and begin to execute and make things happen.
Here it is:
Just do the very next thing.
That’s it. You don’t need to have everything worked out in your head or the perfect plan committed to paper. You just need to do the very next thing that needs to get done.
Very often procrastination means that we have a big goal or project but haven’t yet defined a specific task to do. We write down “Wilson report” on our to-do list, but that’s not a task. We need to write a task down that can be completed. And again, we don’t need the entire plan in front of us, just the next step, which might be “Call Wilson for clarification on what he wants in his report.”
That crazy Wilson. He never gives details.
This phrase is also effective if, like me, you have trouble getting your engine going in the morning. When I wake up to the sound of my alarm, it is so tempting to want to go back to bed, or to want to skip exercise. But I just tell myself that all I have to do is to take the very next step, to do the very next thing: put on my socks and shoes. And it works. Usually.
So the next time you find yourself stuck, try what I do. Say it with me:
Just do the very next thing.
Just take the next step.
Just put one foot in front of the other.
And yes, that makes me think of this: