When we talk about productivity, we tend to focus on maximizing our effort for work that is already in motion. But sometimes, the biggest hurdle is getting started at all. The next time you find yourself staring at a blank page or a task on your to-do list and feeling no momentum whatsoever to get started, use the following tips to get going.
1. Write Down Everything You Know
When a task is daunting, you might think, "I don't even know the first thing about this task!" But that's not true. You do know something. You know the name of the task or when it needs to be done. You know something, so write down everything you do know.
I use this trick all the time when I have to write an article. Sometimes, I don't even know what the topic will be, but I do know the name of the publication that will run it, the date it will run, or even just my name since I'm the author. Sometimes, there's information that I know will come eventually, like the headline, and even if I don't have it yet, I'll write "Hed" as a placeholder. As you start to write down what you know, more ideas and information will come.
2. Talk About the Problem
One reason people can feel blocked on a task is that they haven't figured out or deconstructed something about it yet. It's the feeling of knowing what the end goal is but not being able to see the path there.
In times like these, it helps to talk about it. Chat with a friend or coworker about what you have to do. In the process of clearly explaining the problem or task, you may find that it becomes clearer to you as well. If your friend doesn't understand, they'll ask follow-up questions, which once again forces you to clarify what you need to accomplish. Explaining the issue to someone else may help you define the task better so you can have a better handle on how to do it.
3. Break the Task Down Into Its Smallest Parts
One task that famously blocks me every time is anything that involves a phone call. I hate making phone calls. I procrastinate calling as long as humanly possible. When it's time to buck up and get those kinds of tasks done, I find it helps tremendously to break down the task into absolute minutiae before I get started. I might write down on my to-do list, "Look up the phone number," for example, or "Look up the business hours" for whatever business I have to call. As I complete these smallest, simplest subtasks related to making the phone call, I trick myself into thinking I'm making progress, and now that I'm on a roll, I'll actually dial and make the call. I still don't like it, but it feels more achievable.
4. Clear Your Mind With Repetitive Motion
I wish I could say that taking a long walk lets me meditate on a hard task and figure out how to accomplish it. It doesn't, but it's still extraordinarily helpful. The reason? A 30-minute walk lets me clear my mind of other tasks that may be competing for my attention, and that's what ultimately helps me get to the task at hand.
Walking is my preferred mindless physical activity, but it's not the only one I use. If it's raining, I might sweep for 15 minutes. As long as it's some kind of repetitive movement that I don't have to think about or concentrate on, it helps me process or move to the side whatever else is on my mind.
5. Tack the Task Onto an Existing Routine
Completing a one-off task is one thing. Doing the same task over and over again is another. One of my favorite ways to ensure I consistently complete a new task is to tack it onto an existing routine.
Let's say you have to start taking new medication every day and you don't know how to turn it into a habit. I recommend finding an existing habit and adding your medication to that routine. It has to be something you do every single day—not every weekday or only on days when the weather is nice, but every day. Brushing your teeth is a good example. If you're a daily coffee drinker, that's another habit to easily leverage for something else. I started journaling every day when I drink my coffee, and I've been at it consistently for almost ten years now!
6. Choose Your Own Commitment Device
Deadlines are wonderful motivators. Writers love to joke about how they can't even get started with an assignment until the deadline is breathing down their necks. A deadline is a type of commitment, a promise to someone that something will be completed by a certain date and time. Deadlines aren't the only type of commitment, though.
A commitment device (a term coined by writer Stephen J. Dubner and economist Steven Levitt, both of Freakonomics fame) is another. The idea is to make a promise to someone or something that locks you into doing the task or action you need to do. For example, a commitment device could be something as simple as telling a coworker that you will complete a task by the end of the day. Nothing in the world has changed, but now your coworker knows what you need to get done and can hold you accountable, if only in the sense of making you feel bad about not doing the task. You can get creative with commitment devices, too. Maybe you tell your partner that you're going to be better about paying the bills and that every time you miss a bill payment, your partner gets to pick the destination of your next vacation together.
Commitment devices are generally thought of as tricks that help you see a task through to completion rather than getting started on it, but I think they work for both.
For more productivity advice, see my list of tips for a more productive work week and how to take better breaks during your workday.