When it comes to starting something new, whether it is a project, a change in lifestyle, or just a simple chore, how often do you find yourself telling yourself, “I need to ‘X’”, yet you do not take the time to actually start? I am guilty of this, really guilty in fact. Personally, I find myself saying, “I need to work on a side project or I need to exercise or I need to clean my room”, but yet I just find my self wasting time, whether it is watching TV or browsing Facebook or Twitter.
Maybe you and I are similar in that we use the acknowledgment of the task as a replacement for actual execution, which I see as a fatal flaw. For the future, I’m going to challenge not only myself, but you, to rethink using the words, “I need to” and just replacing them with immediate action, whether it is actually doing the task at hand or setting a reminder for yourself later in the day to execute the action. Do not merely acknowledge the task at hand, make the steps to execute as soon as possible.
Notes
The inspiration for this topic originally arose through a conversation with my best friend Romeo for our podcast, Two Black Nerds. Listen to the pilot episode here!