When you don’t feel like doing anything, do something.

Varun Raghunathan
Aug 27, 2017 · 2 min read

How many times have you had a list of things to do and simply procrastinated?

I tend to do that a lot.

I know exactly what I need to do but I won’t do them. I would keep eliminating one task after another, saying too tough or too easy. I don’t do the tough tasks because it takes a lot of effort and I feel like the easy ones can be done later as they could be done quickly. This is like saying I won’t study the tough chapters for an examination because they are too hard and it’s okay to skip the easy ones as you already know them. The result? You end up studying nothing. In the same way we don’t complete anything on our list.

I discovered a hack to get out of this situation.

The solution

Your brain tricks you into not doing anything by categorizing it as not important or too difficult.

Do something, anything on your list. The hardest part is getting started. Your brain tricks you into not doing anything by categorizing it as not important or too difficult. Once you break out of it by performing any task you become productive. It could be the easiest thing, something as simple posting on social media or acknowledging a mail. Even if the task doesn’t seem useful at the moment like downloading a ebook that you want to read later, it’s okay. Just do something that you feel you have to do and cross it off your list.

Once you start to cross things of your list you start to feel productive. This has a snowball effect, completing the small tasks makes you feel good. You want to feel better so you perform another task and before you know it you are performing the more difficult and complex things on your list.

The takeaway

You have to know that getting started is the hardest part. There is no such work as easy or unimportant if it’s on your to do list then it’s important enough. Start off by performing the easiest things but make sure you start.

Hope you have a productive day!

If you liked this piece do ‘applaud’.

Please do give my blog a visit @ roughscribble.com

)
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade