How To Get Things Done.

“15 more minutes,” I mumbled to myself as I’ve pressed the snooze button for the 3rd time already. I’ll be the first to admit, there are mornings when I don’t feel like getting up and doing the things that I have to do. Every day I battle self-defeating voices in my head that tells me: “It’s not going to work, what makes you think you’re any different.” Not seeing immediate results from pursuing my passion sometimes get the best out of me. The emotion of resistance keeps me underneath my blanket longer than usual. It’s tough and definitely discouraging but I know the more I repel the emotion, the more stress builds up.

Have you ever had days like that?

I do my best to shake it off. I tell myself, “If this was a job, what would I do?” That mental statement creates a sense of urgency for me to be more accepting of the emotion and start moving towards the right direction. Inspiration is perishable. Do whatever it takes to be encouraged everyday, then act right away. You owe it to yourself. It’s easier to get more things accomplished when you have positive momentum. Make it easy to take action by creating a process for everything that you do. Any time a problem seems too complicated, break it down to smaller steps. Keep doing it until you have it all the way down to it’s common denominator. If you don’t know something and can’t decide then you end up not taking action. Begin with what you can do now even if it’s not perfect. You can always go back and change it as long as you have something down. Competence builds confidence.

Take yourself seriously and approach the things you have to do like it’s a job. Have that mindset and commitment that it’s non-negotiable. “If I can do this for my boss, why can’t I do it for myself?” is the way I see it. Nothing takes forever if it’s scheduled. Set realistic deadlines and see it all the way through. The only reason anything exist is because someone put in the time to develop an idea enough to be implemented.

“What’s something you would do for free?”

Your passion isn’t something that will have a huge pay off right away therefore it should be something you’ll gladly learn and make time for. Have faith and go after it relentlessly. Don’t treat it like a hobby. If you do, it will remain like one. Make it a priority, not just another fun thing to do when you have some spare time. All our lives we’ve been taught to create more options for ourselves, yet having too many creates a security blanket. Why strive for better if what you have now is good enough right? It’s going to be difficult to feel a real sense of urgency to change your situation if your basic needs are being met anyway. By limiting your options to the things that matter most, it’ll be easier for you to give your full focus. Your energy and creativity are limited resources that’s why it’s necessary to allocate them to what gives you the most value.

Quitting my corporate job helped me develop a do or die mentality. I’ve jumped over the 9 to 5 cliff and I don’t have the comfort of a steady bi-weekly pay cheque coming in anymore. I’m not telling you to quit your job if you don’t want but from my experience, having limited options developed real commitment. It forced me to seek out the right information to educate myself on where to begin. I still had to eat and pay my bills so I shifted my focus to only the things that gave me the most value. Change takes time, but it happens faster when you have a sense of urgency. Your next 12 months don’t have to look anything like your last 12. It’s the small things you do everyday that makes a difference in the long run, not the things you do occasionally. Figure out what it is that you aspire to fight for. Give yourself a more meaningful reason to get out of bed. It’s hard to do this if you’re only waking up to to drive yourself to the office and do something that’s uninspiring and meaningless to you. Urgency amplifies the parts of yourself that make you amazing. People are going to trust you and they’re going to be inspired by you. Now, be consistent with that and make that into your daily person.

Success isn’t in starting something, it’s finishing it. Having a sense of urgency will allow you to develop an idea to completion. What do you think? Comment below!