What’s stops us from making the positive changes that we want to make in our lives—whether it’s creating something new like a book proposal or meditation practice or stopping ourselves from doing something that no longer serves us like eating things that make us feel poorly or not watching the next episode of your favorite show when sleep is what we need?
Inertia is the tendency to do nothing. Some might call it laziness. But I might choose to do something else rather than what I need to do like sweeping the floor or scanning Facebook.
In physics, we say inertia is when an object at rest or in motion stays as such unless acted upon by an outside force. Why are some of us more affected by inertia than others? I remember a conversation with a friend about making phone calls I didn’t want to make and how it consumed my mind and my day. She told me that those are the things she does first. Dah!
I have found when working with clients, it’s the work we least want to do that most of us put off until the end. It’s also “the shiny object syndrome” that we allow to lures us off our path.
For example, I’m writing a blog post and a notification comes in on my phone. I can ignore it, check it or turn off notifications before I start writing. I have had to turn off notifications while I work because I cannot help but check them when I hear them.
What are some things we can do to get our stuff done?
- Set a timer.
- Break your project down into bite-size pieces.
- Turn off notifications before you begin your project.
- Schedule things you NEED or WANT to do; if it’s not in my planner, it generally doesn’t happen unless it’s a shiny object (a distraction or new project).
- Do at least one thing that HAS to be done first.
- Delegate to your team or hire someone to help with the things that suck your energy and time such as cleaning, taxes, or posting to social media.
There are many other ways to manage time and overcome inertia. Above are just a few simple steps you can take.
I’d love to hear how you manage time and get things done. Comment below.
