The principal ingredients of progress
The universal desire
Everyone has different motivations and definitions of done but the desire to get things done remains universal. Then why are so many of us still failing to get things done? Is it because of the lack of time and the abundance of distractions? Or is it because of the curse of perfectionism and the inertia of getting started? The answer probably lies somewhere in between and far beyond.
Experts from different backgrounds have all contributed in answering this question. They provided an arsenal of solutions ranging from motivational speeches to psychology theories to productivity hacks. These tools are tremendously useful but before we can take advantage of them, we need to first understand what we have been doing on this journey so far.
The windy road of progress
If getting things done is the destination, then we must first examine the road we are on. Looking ahead from where we are now, we think the road is straight and we can charge ahead and get things done. But by taking a bird’s eye view, we will see something quite different. We might find ourselves deviating from the original plan, or going in circles, or even worse, heading to a dead end. Another thing that we will notice is that there are many ways that can lead us astray and the paths are anything but straight forward. Fortunately we will also notice that there are some paths that can get us to our destination, though they might be windy, difficult and obscure. So how can we make progress in this maze and get to where we want to go?
Progress is defined as “a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal)”. By that definition, we can only count roads we have travelled that lead us to getting things done as real progress. Does that mean all the accidental dead ends and roundabouts are a waste of time? It depends on whether you know where you are going. If you know where you need to go and you are taking a turn to see if it leads to the destination, you are making progress even if it is dead end. It was only with a clear destination of creating the lightbulb, Thomas Edison could say that the 10,000 failures were actually progress.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”
- Thomas Edison
On the other hand, if you don’t know where you are going, even travelling on the right path cannot really be counted as progress. It is only with perspective and a destination that we can assess whether we are on the right track. These two principal ingredients are essential for us to evaluate where we are and the progress we have made. Without such understanding, even the best strategies and tools will not get you closer to your destination.
Where is my destination?
I am interested in getting things done and there are plenty of questions that I want to explore on this topic. I want to understand the motivations that urge people to start. I want to examine the systems that sustain them through the process. But most importantly, I want to discover what drives them to finish. Like most of you, I am trying to get as much done as I could in the limited time I have. My goal is to show that getting across the finish line doesn’t have to be difficult and Across The Line will be the place where I share my successes and failures throughout my journey. I know the destination is far away and the road will be windy, but that is not going to stop me from making progress.
