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How to get started
You’re never going to feel like it. Whether it’s saying hello to your crush, going to the gym or speaking up in class, you’re never going to feel like it. Sometimes it’s getting started that prevents us from achieving our goals and not the tasks themselves. When faced with a new endeavor, we start focusing on our fears, find it difficult to leave our comfort zones, or make excuses about why it was a bad idea in the first place. We start talking ourselves out of it.
So how do we motivate ourselves to get started? One trick is to use a countdown. Countdowns have been used for centuries to indicate the remaining time before an event such as the start of a race, the detonation of an explosive, or the liftoff of a rocket. During the countdown before a race, runners physically get into position and mentally focus on the finish line. At NASA during the countdown before liftoff, final preparations between the crew and the command center are made. Being conscious of the steady markdown of time allows the mind and body to synchronize and prepare for what’s next.
Countdowns also allow you to acknowledge the effort needed to start. For most tasks, the experience once started, is never as bad as it had seemed. And many times, the rewards of the endeavor might just be life changing. Getting started is what keeps us from achieving our goals. Countdowns give your mind a chance to say to itself, “It’s ok, this IS hard. Let’s do it anyway.” Getting started is an achievement in itself regardless of whether the task is actually completed so it’s ok to take a few moments before jumping in.
Homework: Use the 3-2-1 countdown this week
When faced with starting a task that you don’t feel like doing this week, countdown out loud from three by saying “3-2-1 Go!”
As you countdown, calm your mind and body, and acknowledge that it’s hard to get started. Then, focus on the task ahead.
Once you reach, “Go!” you must throw all caution to the wind and just do it!
Remember, you have 3 seconds to get started. Make a move before you talk yourself out of it.
Tell us about how you've used the 3-2-1 countdown!
As you countdown, calm your mind and body, and acknowledge that it’s hard to get started. Then, focus on the task ahead.
Once you reach, “Go!” you must throw all caution to the wind and just do it!
Remember, you have 3 seconds to get started. Make a move before you talk yourself out of it.
Tell us about how you've used the 3-2-1 countdown!
I put this in action this week and it really worked! I found that the countdown helped me to ruminate less, and rumination is the main reason that I procrastinate or lag on taking action. I used the simple example of picking up my contact lenses from the optometrist's office. My optometrist's office is really far from where I live and I had been putting off picking them up for over a month. This time, right when I remembered the contacts, I immediately set into motion a plan to get them instead of just adding them to my todo list and having it languish there. Thanks Tracy!
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