How to Get Unstuck BEFORE the Deadline Panic Sets In
Here’s a top lie business owners tell: “I work better under pressure”.
If you’ve ever waited for the last minute to start working on a project or put off doing a task because it didn’t feel urgent, chances are you’re relying on external pressure to get into action.
And sure, in the short term, strong external pressure forces you to get stuff done. But in the long term, it traps you on a hamster wheel of deadline panic, reactive firefighting, and preventable stress.
Building internal discipline instead of relying on external pressure is critical for building a business that consistently delivers quality results.
Why We Procrastinate
Procrastination isn’t about laziness. It’s about emotional friction.
According to Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable, we tend to procrastinate when a task brings up internal discomfort. We don’t want to feel bored, confused, overwhelmed, or inadequate. So naturally, we avoid the thing that triggers that discomfort – until the discomfort of not doing it becomes bigger than the discomfort of doing it.
What to Do Instead
Here are four ways to reduce friction and get moving:
Make the first step ridiculously small.
Don’t “write the report.” Just open the doc and type one sentence. Don’t “clean the office.” Just toss one piece of paper. Give yourself permission to stop after that. Odds are, you won’t. You just needed to break out from the forces of inertia that were keeping you stuck.
Time-box your effort.
Pick a task and give it 15 distraction-free minutes. Set a timer and commit to just that window. This is one of Eyal’s favourite strategies, and mine too. It builds momentum without overwhelm.
Don’t wait until you feel motivated.
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King
If you wait for motivation to strike, you might be waiting a long time. More often, the motivation to keep going will hit after you get started, not before.
Check your inputs.
Sometimes we’re stuck because we don’t know what to do. A quick conversation, sketch on a whiteboard, or re-reading the brief can clarify your next step. Procrastination often comes from confusion, not resistance.
This Week’s Takeaway
If a window is stuck, it takes a real push to get it moving. But once it’s in motion, it’s way easier to keep it in motion.
That’s what procrastination feels like for most of us. We’re stuck against the forces of inertia, even though we want to get going. That first push to go from stuck to making progress can feel hard – but once you’ve started, you’ll find it easier to keep going.
What task or activity have you been putting off? What’s one thing you can do in the next five minutes that would get you started?
Send me a reply if you want me to hold you accountable.
Obviously Awesome: By April Dunford
If you’ve ever felt like your product should be flying off the shelves but just isn’t landing with the right people, Obviously Awesome by April Dunford might be worth a look. It’s a practical dive into positioning to help clarify what makes your product valuable and who needs to hear about it, through case studies, anecdotes, and processes you can test out for yourself.
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