Procrastination: Things that aren't doing the thing
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Dear Reader, I’m having a hard time tackling my writing this week. Ever since I got home from vacation, I keep moving it from one day’s to-do list to the next. It’s not that I haven’t been productive. On the contrary, I have accomplished a lot. I have packed up about 90% of my house, completed a number of required change-of-address tasks, closed out two lingering projects, met with three clients, and more. But what I haven’t done is write, which is a big open-ended task that ends up being the engine that runs my day-to-day. I had a client this week express a similar challenge. When we checked in about her progress toward her job search goals, she said “I’ve done nothing. I have nothing to celebrate.” After reframing that knee- jerk response to give credit to what she DID get done and SHOULD be celebrating, I asked why she thought she hadn’t made progress on the job search piece. “Avoidance. I’m overwhelmed.” My client avoided her big ambiguous job search and I have been avoiding my writing. Why? Because we naturally crave the dopamine hit that comes with accomplishing concrete tasks. Our brains and bodies are rewarded when we accomplish tangible things–and doing something ambiguous delays that satisfaction. Scanning some old notes this morning, I was reminded of this post from a coder/blogger/writer who calls himself Loopy: Things That Aren't Doing the Thing
Preparing to do the thing isn't doing the thing.
Scheduling time to do the thing isn't doing the thing.
Making a to-do list for the thing isn't doing the thing.
Telling people you're going to do the thing isn't doing the thing.
Messaging friends who may or may not be doing the thing isn't doing the thing.
Writing a banger tweet about how you're going to do the thing isn't doing the thing.
Hating on yourself for not doing the thing isn't doing the thing. Hating on other people who have done the thing isn't doing the thing. Hating on the obstacles in the way of doing the thing isn't doing the thing.
Fantasizing about all of the adoration you'll receive once you do the thing isn't doing the thing.
Reading about how to do the thing isn't doing the thing. Reading about how other people did the thing isn't doing the thing. Reading this essay isn't doing the thing.
The only thing that is doing the thing is doing the thing.
Ok, Loopy, you got me. I am guilty of almost all of the things when I am avoiding “doing the thing.” (Except the tweet and the hating on others. I don't tweet and I generally only hate on myself. 🤷🏻♀️) This was the kick in the pants I needed today. So I took Loopy’s advice in combination with what I know about neuroscience, and I broke down the big nebulous thing into tasks that could give me the dopamine hit I needed to keep me going. And that’s what I advised my client to do as well. Yes, it means spending some energy planning to do the thing and scheduling time to do the thing – but the key is not to over dial on those pieces. Don’t get stuck there – make sure you get out of your own way and spend most of the time DOING THE THING. What strategies do you have to tackle your biggest and most ambiguous tasks?
Enrollment is open: Join the 25/26 Cohort!Do you have something on your to-do list that you keep avoiding? Are you feeling stuck or isolated in your job and need a sounding board for your challenges? Enrollment is open for the 25/26 Mid-Career Leadership Cohort. Reach out for more information or book a call today. Wishing you a peaceful and purpose-filled week, Beth
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