Never wait to get started
Finding time to get things done is a chore. Specially for a perfectionist like me who likes to find the perfect environment, the perfect setup, the prefect mood, and above all, the perfect block of uninterrupted time.
This block of uninterrupted time is actually one of the major blockers (see what I did there?) to actually get anything done.
So I embrace micro-tasks.
I figure out the smallest steps I can take on that project. Next I try to fit one very little task whenever I have 15 minutes free.
Instead of waiting for the perfect time to focus and get started, I try to do as much busy work as any time allows.
It’s not plausible or desirable to try to get the world to go away for hours at a time, but it’s entirely possible to make it all shut up for 20 minutes. Writing a page every day gets me more than a novel per year — do the math — and there’s always 20 minutes to be found in a day, no matter what else is going on
Let’s say I have to write a document. I used to think I needed at least a couple of hours to get through a first draft. Since those hours always took a while to materialize, I would end up procrastinating. so instead I try to complete one of these micro-tasks whenever I have 10-15 minutes free:
- create a folder and save file templates
- open the file and write a document title and one sentence on theme
- write down a quick list of TO-DOs for your essay
- write 3 bullet points with core ideas
- write a draft of a hook for the opening of your paper
- write an simple idea that’s the key point for opening and closing the doc
- etc
I other words, I don’t wait for many free hours to get started and make progress.
And, if I’m lucky, sometimes I have done so much leg work that I don’t even need those many hours of focused time to finish. I can quickly wrap it all up.
Never wait to get started.