Do the work. That’s it.
That’s what I have to continually remind myself.
I love doing everything except the work: I’ll read countless books and articles on how to be productive at the office instead of showing up to work early; I’ll watch the workout videos and buy new gym clothes instead of going to the gym; I’ll read and scour books and articles on how to write instead of writing. In short, I did everything related to the work except the work itself. I only did the work when the pain of procrastination (or regret) became too much to bear.
We have a plethora of information available to us. Everyone has an opinion or advice on doing the work better, and most advice are well-intentioned. However, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone to tell you to shut up and do the work. It’s not sexy, and it doesn’t bring profits.
Nobody confesses that the secret to doing great work is relatively straightforward, which is to do the work.
It’s far more comforting to consume more information. To find the best tip or manual to do the work instead of doing the work itself — ultimately, spiraling down the mental masturbation rabbit hole.
So why do we procrastinate if the solution is so straightforward?
Personally, I believe what discourages most of us from doing the work is that the work seems difficult at first.
“The task seems impossible.”
“It’s just too much effort.”
“I’m not ready.”
Yes, it’s not reasonable to run a marathon if we can barely run a block around the neighborhood, but we can start small. Start small by wearing the dusty sneakers to jog for 100 meters. Or breeze walk if the 100 meters is also difficult. Break the task down to the smallest possible action that you’re willing to work on.
Sure, buy the supplements if it helps. Buy the Nike sneakers if it makes you run better. Listen to the podcast to learn what businesses are doing.
But.
Want to be fit? Start working out.
To run that start-up? Talk to your customers.
To become a better writer? Write!
