“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”~Amelia Earhart
Sometimes we hold ourselves back from the things we want, or need, to do. We rationalize that we’re not ready to take a step, or that we don’t know exactly what to do yet, or that we want to gather more information before we take a step forward. And we go nowhere.
Sometimes the most effective way to get it done is to jump in and do it. To “Just Do It” as Nike suggests. Because only then will we get fully out of our own way.
We may never be ready to take a step. We may never know exactly what to do. And we may never have all the information, or even “enough” information. And if we wait for any, or all, of these to happen, we may never effectively do what we need to do.
Sometimes it helps to have a few approaches for getting in motion when we’re stuck and not going anywhere, such as:
- Break the task down into small bites – Often the job in front of us may feel too big and insurmountable, but if we break it into bite size pieces, it feels more manageable, and we’re able to take our first action.
- Find the biggest lever – It can help to aim for one portion of the task, or a related task, that will have the most impact. By making a big enough dent in our first endeavor, we can inspire ourselves to keep going.
- Break the procrastination cycle – It can be too easy to procrastinate, especially when we’re uninspired by the task at hand. Sometimes all we need is to break the procrastination, even by doing something unrelated. An object in motion likes to stay in motion, so if we can only get ourselves moving, we’re more likely to keep things going.
- Use guilt in your favor – Announce to the world, or at least to someone, what you’re going to do. You’ll most likely find yourself doing it, perhaps for no other reason than you don’t want to be embarrassed by not doing it. That doesn’t matter. It still gets done.
Sometimes it helps to break things down and to have steps that will ease you into action, and sometimes the most effective way to do it, is to do it. To Just Do It. To take the step and the action. To move ahead and figure it out later. Either way, do what needs to be done. Just do it.
Where do you need to move ahead and do it?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For support in effectively getting it done, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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