You know those annoying habits that seem to get in your way whenever you’re making progress?
That wonderful feeling that makes you shut down just before you’re about to take action on something you thought you were prepared for? Maybe it’s a phone call you’re about to make to a potential date. Or maybe it’s a conversation with a potential customer. Or maybe it’s just calling an old friend, who you never get around to calling.
You begin to find reasons not to do it and you find yourself wanting to do something else instead, like play candy crush, watch another episode of Game of Thrones or jump down the Facebook wormhole.
Then you beat yourself up for not getting these ‘important’ things done and then you see yourself as being a ‘bad’ friend / employee / entrepreneur / date / parent / partner.
You’re definitely not alone behaving and thinking this way, but it makes a mess of things. You plan on doing something that you’re not very motivated or inspired to do, then when you find something else that is more interesting to do, you beat yourself up for doing that instead.
It’s a vicious cycle of not getting stuff done, then locking yourself in the feeling of defeat, and self-punishment. You’ll never get things done with that kind of behaviour.
End the cycle
Consider this as a different approach…
You have reasons for choosing to not do these tasks and reasons for picking Candy Crush instead. Your reasons lay in your subconscious mind. They’re called subconscious motives. Which basically means your subconscious mind has more reasons to NOT get those things done than to have them completed.
So try this next time…
When you feel your desire to not get sh*t done, ask yourself, “What are you getting out of not doing the task?” Whether it’s calling the customer, going on the date, calling your friend you have your reasons and it would be wise to work out what they are so you’re not tripping over yourself.
Chances are your answer will surprise you and give you some answers to why it doesn’t get done.