How to Really “Get Started”
The one consistent idea in almost every productivity article
I come across articles on “how to be productive” on this platform every single day. They include morning rituals, productivity playlists, and habits of specific founders, among many other things.
While I’m sure many of these are great advice, it’s pretty daunting to wake up, meditate, exercise, and journal before 7 am every day, especially when everyone works a little differently.
However, there is ONE consistent point that almost every productivity article makes:
Build Momentum.
This is the golden tip. But how do you build momentum?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
So, start with something simple. For me, I turn on Spotify.
Yes, my ritual is as simple as that.
Playing music sets the mood for me to start doing work, be it writing or coding, so I just let it run for 1 or 2 songs while I start building my to-do list for the session, and set up whatever software I need.
That’s right: I turn on Spotify, and making my to-do list already seems easier!
You might already have a similar mantra, such as making a cup of coffee or setting your phone somewhere specific.
The idea is straightforward: It’s easier to continue working than it is to start. So, this is simply an action to send a signal to your brain to start, forming a habit in the process, which is why the action should be as simple as possible to create a low barrier of entry.
This is also known as the Hysplex Trigger.
When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision-making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So unless you deliberately fight a habit — unless you find new routines — the pattern will unfold automatically.
The important thing is to do it every time you start a session, forcing an associative memory connection between the action and the work.
Just don’t let this action be along the lines of opening your email, Facebook, or Instagram… which brings us to the next point.
Maintaining Momentum.
So you’ve got your momentum going, and it pauses all of a sudden. It could be that article you need to find, the program that loads slowly, or even nature’s calls.
This is when low-attention-span people like me pick up the phone as a reflex action.
And this is the decisive make-or-break moment of your productivity so far.
For me, momentum brings me to a state of flow, and flow likes consistency. If I always work at my desk, it’s easier for me to enter a state of flow at my desk.
So, I try to make “work time” as different as “fun time” as possible.
For example, with my laptop, I lounge on my bed but work at my desk. I tried to do work on my bed and I failed miserably.
At work, I don’t have such a luxury. So when it comes to using the browser, I go full-screen mode when working, and toggle to window-mode when I take a break to go Facebook. The smaller window looks weird, so it’s easier for me to notice when I’m in the fun-time for a little too long.
Another example is that at work, I charge my phone when I’m working and unplug it when I take a small break since I would always prefer my phone being charged.
Although this might require a little creativity, it can work if you change up something small that allows you to separate work time and break time.
So, In Essence:
- Use something simple to kickstart yourself into working.
- Make some subtle changes to differentiate your work-time and fun-time.
