Welcome to the Eden blog!
If this is your first time visiting, I would like to formally introduce you to the scoundrel that lives inside your skull. This scoundrel is your brain, and on occasion it can be stubborn AF.
For most of us, the plans we make for ourselves are entirely dependent on the fact that, when it comes to it, we’ll be 100% motivated to execute these plans. If you’re at all aware of the experience of being human, you see that there may be a problem here. Because feeling unmotivated and stuck is wildly normal. I liken this to the experience of trying to dig, and hitting a rock.
When you hit that rock, your scoundrel brain will often tell you to give up. So, here are 3 easy strategies for how to ignore that voice, gently move the rock out of the way and keep going:
1. BREAK IT DOWN
When things are hard or we don’t know how to do something we often turn to a distraction, like scrolling through our phones. Before you reach for the robot trap, try breaking the task down into teeny tiny steps.
EXAMPLE: In the early stages of designing this planner, I would open the file, tweak some pages at random, and then close it again. I realised this was not a good use of time, so I started leaving giant yellow notes on each page, listing exactly what needed to be worked on. This way, I could open the project and immediately get stuck in, rather than wasting the first 15 minutes of each session, or, avoid opening it at all. This method can be applied to any project. List all the steps in their simplest form, and leave notes for yourself for when you leave and come back to it.
Making something wildly achievable is sometimes all you need to convince your brain it can do it.
EDEN PLANNER USERS: If there's something you're currently resisting, there's a place in the monthly page of your Eden Planner to break it down into adorably small and actionable steps.
2. DO IT FOR 20 MINUTES
If you are feeling absolutely paralysed by your inability to begin - whether it's cleaning a room, starting an assignment, writing a difficult email - just commit to doing 20 minutes of it. Set a timer. Stop when the timer rings. Congratulate yourself. See if you can do another 20. An imperfect start is 100 times better than no start at all.
3. MAKE IT 10% MORE ENJOYABLE
When something you have to do is hard, or you just really don’t feel like doing it, see if you can find a way to make it just 10% more enjoyable. Can you listen to music while you do it? Can you do it with a friend? Even if the task is as simple as hanging up the laundry - can you put on a podcast so you're learning something at the same time? Using a distraction to get a dreaded thing done is A-OKAY with me.
EDEN PLANNER USERS: Use your monthly note-taking pages to list the things you’re currently dreading and come up with ideas for how to make them just 10% more enjoyable.
