I’m guessing that you are telling everyone what it is you intend to do.
By doing that, you are releasing the helium in your balloon. So much so, that the balloon is unable to soar. Instead, the balloon is floating a few feet above the ground.
To begin with, you’ve got to stop telling everyone what your dreams are, what you intend to do.
Most people don’t care what your dreams are and, subconsciously, want you to stay in the same place. As soon as you tell them your dreams, they are likely to either …
1. Tell you why your dreams will never succeed
2. Offer some advice of “what you need to do” in order to make your dreams succeed
Stop talking about your dreams. That’s just releasing steam. And you can’t boil tea if you release all the steam.
You can’t boil the tea if you release all the steam.
By talking about your dreams, you’re either …
1. Getting reasons why your dreams will never come to fruition
2. Getting advice of what you need to do to make your dreams real
Both are crippling your efforts.
At the same time, by talking about your dreams, you tend to confuse talking with action and, in a way, feel like you’ve already taken action. You’re calling it research. It’s not research.
It’s just talking.
And the balloon is still floating 3 feet above the ground.
Here are 2 simple things you can do to overcome procrastination:
Institute a schedule and a sanctuary.
Schedule
Plan a schedule of the time/hours you will commit every day or every other day. Set a schedule.
Sanctuary
Identify specific places, or environments, where you can get your best work done. This for me, consists of a stand-up desk, usually in my room, sometimes at a co-working space (Amazon co-working space in Manhattan) or coffeehouse. Or, a number of other spaces in New York City, or wherever you happen to be. (Even if you’re outside NYC, you can find spaces to get your work done that are free: university libraries, city libraries, coffeehouses, restaurants, donut shops, hotel lobbies, etc.
The Starbucks Reserve, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at 154 North 7th Street, a few minutes walk from the L train, has a long table with high chairs that sits in the middle of the coffeehouse. I’ll move a chair to my right or left, and stand up, put in my earphones, and start writing.
Overview
Overcome procrastination fast by doing these 3 things:
1. Quit talking about “what you want to do”. Just do it. Get started. Right now.
2. Set a schedule.
3. Identify and determine a sanctuary or sanctuaries where you can get your creative projects started, going, and completed.
