Everyday Canvas

Getting Things Done

Prompt: What is your secret to getting things done, no matter how large or small, such as planting a tree, finishing a novel, cleaning an entire house, learning to sing an entire opera, making a business work, etc.?

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This prompt hints at procrastination as a roadblock to getting things done. The difference between people who get things done and those who want to do those things is simple. It is called resistance. From where that resistance comes is a matter for therapists. If we think back really hard, most of us will find that as children we were forced to do things we didn’t want to do at the moment or we were scolded for not doing anything right.

Resistance is a force of nature that is sneaky, too. It shows up in different forms like the anxiety, frustration, distractions, or mind chatter because our minds are so powerful. Truth is, not all of us can face the facts about ourselves even if we were halfway successful in self-therapy.

Instead, for my own use, I came up with a notion. ‘Do it, now!’ I tell myself. If for any reason I can’t do it, I let the project go. It seems to work for me.

I also make a list of things to do and I do them one by one. When a distraction comes up, I go back to my list. Yet, I don’t force myself to do anything that can’t be done if a force outside of me prevents it. I am not going to do gardening, for example, if thunder and lightning suddenly show up.

Another thing that prevents us from doing what we need to do still is the result of our minds’ machinations. The mind makes deterrents irresistible for us as impulses, like surfing the internet or playing computer games (which I am guilty of—Mahjong, hangman…etc.) or even baking a cake.

An idea to such a deterrent is for me to tell that deterrent impulse, “Beat it!” It works, some of the time.