Putting things on the back-burner

My biggest vice & how to get back into the grind

Friend: “Hey Rochelle, how’s _____ coming along? I remember you being so excited to start it.”

Me: *Freezes because I know it’s been incomplete for months*

“Uh…yeah! You know, it’s alright….I started out strong but I’ve slowed down a bit…it’s a work in progress….”

*Internally cries because I know I can do better*

I have this kind of conversation more times than I would like to admit.

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For the past few years I have constantly said to myself, friends, and family how I am going to do _____.

I start working on _______…make good progress…and then either hit a wall or get distracted with a new __________.

I promise myself that I’ll get back to _____eventually. Which of course never really happens and then the cycle continues…

I know what it’s like to finish something. I know how accomplished and proud you feel after committing to and working extremely hard on a task. Yet, that feeling doesn’t seem to be enough motivation to finish everything I want to.

These tasks I attempt to do aren’t so much school or work assignments but rather personal tasks for growth…such as online courses to develop new skills, reading a book to learn more about a subject, or writing on Medium consistently…

I tend to overthink and almost get scared about the task at hand, put things on the back-burner and then slowly forget about them.

But I really want to change that.

It’s important that we all remain reflective of our personal goals amidst impending due dates, feeling like you never have enough time, and fear of messing up. Nothing is going to be perfect. What’s important is that you actually focus and invest your time to make whatever you’re working on the best it can be.

Reflect and correct — Take 30 minutes and focus on one task. See what needs to be changed, create some sort of plan, and then try your best to stick to it.