Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.
~ Thomas Carlyle
Have you been putting something off? At home? At work? In your personal life?
It might be tempting to wait until some mythical perfect time. Perhaps when:
- You have more time (yeah, that’ll happen)
- You feel more motivated (um, ditto).
Let’s put aside for the moment the fact that a perfect time will never come. And that your life marches on, regardless of whether you do the things you plan to.
Instead, consider the three benefits that come with starting right now.
1. You Avoid Perfectionism
If you start today, this minute, your expectations will be low. You’ve had no time to build up an intimidating idea of what you should achieve.
By taking prompt action, you focus on doing and you stop over-thinking.
2. You Break The Procrastination Habit
In many ways, perfectionism and procrastination are two sides of the same coin. The harder you make something, the less you want to do it. If it has to be perfect, of course you’re going to avoid doing it!
But once you let go of unnecessarily high standards, procrastination loses much of its power.
Starting now is the solution to both perfectionism and procrastination.
Dubious? Start something, and see for yourself. 
3. You Get Closer To The Result You Want
Even if all you do is 10 minutes of decluttering, exercising, outlining your novel, sketching a portrait – you’ll still move closer to the outcome you want.
And here’s the thing. Those first 10 minutes move you further forward than any other 10 minutes you’ll spend. Because next time, it will be so much easier to get back into it. Starting really is the hardest part.
So, with these three benefits associated with starting now, it’s worth taking that first step, don’t you think?
What Will You Start Today?
- Begin working toward a goal?
- Organize your technology?
- Declutter your home?
- Take charge of your time?
[Image by jakeandlindsay]
Now I’m ready to comitt And start this great journey!
Well, I was planning on doing nothing other than bed, then I cleaned the nightstand so I can go through some magazines that have to go outside tomorrow. Yep, pretty good. Action begets action.
Hey that’s great Beth! It only takes a little every day to make a pretty big difference. 🙂
the perfect day to read this for me. today I start a major clean up and nothing will get in my way. finishing the partly done sewing room is first on the list and hubby is putting more shelves in the wardrobe so I have better storage so I am off to a good start.
Love the determination in your ‘voice’ Chris! You go girl!! 🙂
thanks. still not quite finished but looking good and tomorrow it will be finished, well the sewing room anyway.
Go @Nicki!! 🙂
Thanks for the nudge Michele.
Gardening yesterday. 52WLM today
Michele,
For me, the reason #3 resonates the most.
Sooner you start something, sooner you will reach your goal.
Also, I feel that starting has the advantage of building your self-confidence too – you don’t blame yourself of procrastinating anymore. Instead, you took action which is the most important thing.
Timo
What will I start today? I’ll start de-cluttering my wardrobe. If I can find 5 items that don’t fit and don’t suit me, that’s a start to having a wardrobe full of stuff that suits me and that isn’t cluttered with stuff I’ll never wear again (or shouldn’t ever wear again!)
How fantastic, Anita! You might also find something to help here:
Create Your Bedroom Sanctuary.
It’s my pleasure to encourage – especially when people like you FEEL encouraged! M 🙂
#2 was the big one on my list! Until I finally decided yesterday that enough was enough! I have wanted to make my bedroom more of a place of rest, rather than a place of storage for everything, so I spent a full working day in my room, tackling 1 corner, 1 drawer, 1 box, you name it at a time. Today I will carry on with my declutter, organizing job, but not so whole heartidly, as I do have to go into town. But I am bound and determined to see this through till the end! There is a light at the end of the tunnel!
#3 is looking better all the time!
Thanks for all your tips and encouragement.