I was feeling frustrated recently. Some personal projects were stuck without progress, some failed and many others lay on the side waiting to be picked up. I found myself constantly in the “planning” stage during the day without actually executing on anything. Of course, it did not help that I was interrupted every 10mins by either the baby or the toddler so I didn’t have enough time to build enough momentum to have a breakthrough.
I tried solving small tasks to help build up the momentum but somehow, they didn’t help me build up to the bigger ones. Likely due to the constant interruptions.
What ultimately helped was calling it quits on a day where nothing seemed to work, prioritising sleep and food, starting afresh the next day, and MOST IMPORTANTLY – eating the hard problems for breakfast.
This is a lesson I’ve been taught by life time and again but it seems that I have a ways to go before it is truly internalised. The best way to get a project done is to start it, and do it at the beginning of the day when energy levels are highest. The funny thing about this approach is that also unlocks momentum in other parts of your life as well. That’s why the old adage goes – to get something done, give it to a person who is busy. They already have the forward momentum.
To whoever is reading this: hope this serves as your motivation to begin the project you’re thinking about / dreading. Just start!
Shweta Padmanaban 