1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations.
At the end of each week, I share an idea from Tynan’s book Superhuman by Habiton how to install specific, positive habits into your life.
So far, we’ve covered:
- Building positivity
- Being compassionate
- Eating healthy
- Improving sleep
- Learning mindfulness
- Working out
- Seeking out masterpieces
- Writing every day
- Traveling to unusual countries
- Beating procrastination by starting work earlier
2: Want to beat procrastination?
Last week, you learned how starting work earlier can help.
Today, here’s a second strategy: Start planning when you’re stuck.
One “leading cause of procrastination is simply not knowing what to do next,” Tynan writes in Superhuman by Habit.
You ask yourself what you need to do next, but you can’t come up with a specific answer.
“This can be the most frustrating form of procrastination,” he notes, “because you’re genuinely motivated to work, but you can’t actually get yourself to make any progress.”
Tynan offers a simple solution.
“Whenever that happens,” he suggests, “simply set a clock for thirty minutes, and begin planning.”
Perhaps that sounds like a waste of time. After all, you still are not getting any actual work done.
But here’s the rub: “Useful work won’t get done unless you have a clear path for it,” he says.
Start by asking yourself some big-picture questions. Why does this goal matter to you? What’s your long-term vision? What does success look like?
“A path exists between your current position and almost any goal,” Tynan writes, “but it can only be found if you know what that goal is, and look from a high enough altitude. . .
“Imagine what those paths would look like. Take yourself out of the equation, and think of how someone else might find success. What would his major waypoints be along the way?”
3: Tynan suggests taking a piece of paper and turning it sideways.
“On the right-hand side, write down the end goal,” he recommends. “If you’re not exactly sure, write down whatever comes to mind.
“Working back from the right side, write waypoints in chronological order,” he notes.
Then work backward from your goal toward the actions you can take today. As you move to the left, write down the things that need to happen sooner.
“Finally, use the left-hand side as an immediate overloaded to-do list,” Tynan explains.
“Write down anything you could do next, regardless of whether or not it’s the best option available to you. Keep at this for a full twenty minutes or so.”
As you write, ideas may start coming faster than you can get them onto the page. “That happens when you’re paralyzed by choice and can’t decide what to do next,” he observes.
Sometimes, you might not think of anything right away. Stick with it and fill in the blanks as ideas come to you.
It can be an iterative process. “If you’re working on immediate to do items and think of a better way to articulate your goal, jump forward and write it down,” he says.
After twenty minutes, you’ll probably have a rough, messy map showing possible paths toward your goal.
“Take the final ten minutes of your planning session to read through everything you’ve written, and try to see the threads that stretch across the page,” Tynan suggests.
Which goal excites you the most right now? Which next steps seem most practical? What is the clearest next action?
“Only at this stage should you consider crossing things off,” he writes. Because “you’ve given your brain the freedom to unload everything it’s got, so now you can curate. . .
“It’s this context that allows you to look at your immediate todo items and choose the best, or one of the best, to attack next.”
Tynan acknowledges there are many ways to plan, but this approach has worked well for him. Its purpose is to help you “get out of the weeds and get perspective on your situation to stimulate progress again.”
More next week.
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Reflection: When you procrastinate, is it because you don’t want to do the work, or because you’re not sure what to do next?
Action: The next time you’re stuck, set a timer for 30 minutes. Spend 20 minutes mapping out possible paths to your goal, then use the final 10 minutes to identify your next step.