I'm participating in Natalie Sisson's 10-Day Blog Challenge. The reason I signed up for this is that I have this blog, and I'm not writing anything. So, what am I doing? Sadly, the honest answer appears to be watching Netflix. I'm currently binging on Firefly. I have this awesome list of stuff I want to get done all set up in Todoist, I've got it hooked up to a master list of options in Trello. And I'm just looking at it. This is not the first time I've hit peak-procrastination. And I don't think it will be the last.
For some reason, I seem to like contemplating, planning, and ordering much more than actually executing. Or do I? I don't know about you, but every time I kick myself in the butt and get going, I really get into the zone and get an amazing amount of shit done. So why am I not doing that consistently? I think there are three main things holding me back. They are challenges I need to overcome.
Challenge #1: Fear Of Failure
My first challenge is my fear of failure. For me, failure is not delivering to the highest standard possible. I know this is a pretty stupid way to look at it, as the real definition of failure is of course not getting started, but whenever I am on the verge of getting started with something I feel as if I'm never going to really succeed at it. And therefore, I postpone getting started. Ridiculously, I've proven myself wrong time and time again, as whenever I have gotten started, and seen something through to completion, I've mostly succeeded or learned something valuable, or both. This is the main reason I'm participating in the 10-Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge. It's my daily kick in the butt to write stuff like this and really get started blogging.
Challenge #2: Sense Of Overload
The second challenge I face is a sense of overload. There are so many things I really want to do, that I literally can't see the forest for the trees. And end up just watching the forest from afar. Doing something else, like binging on series. I've read a ton of self-help books to help me manage my time better, design my perfect life, and get things done. Only to discover that I was using that as an excuse to not actually do anything. I was just reading a lot. Binging on books. About a year ago I decided to start simplifying my life and only focus on my day-job at Xebia, my night-job at bonnema.ink, and my family. And I did. Trouble is, I wasn't really focussing. I was restructuring my to-do lists under a new set of headers.
Challenge #3: Procrastination
The third challenge I face is the thing that prevents me from really tackling the first two: procrastination. I'm really good at procrastinating. I've even put of writing this blog to check on my flight from Madrid to Amsterdam tomorrow. And that was after reading Natalie's post and deciding to take immediate action on it. I've enrolled in Leo Babauta‘s unprocrastination course only to put off getting started with it. I really, really need to get into the habit of getting started. If you have a tip for me on how to create that habit, or if you're facing similar challenges, leave a comment below.
This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 1.
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Ah so familiar!
Are you sure these are the things?
Wouldn’t a strong sense of purpose cure all three?
My underlying thing is mostly “what’s the point?”
Thanks Paul, I think you’re right about a strong sense of purpose. That will surely help with the challenges. I’m a bit saddened by your “what’s the point” remark, as for me this is something I’m really struggling with. That said, maybe in the end I’ll feel the same. 😉