goals, A Man and His Bicycle

Whether chasing a challenging goal or just trying to accomplish a mundane ‘everyday’ task, just taking the first step is often one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome. Regardless of whether the obstacle is fear (of success or failure), lack of motivation, lack of information, or any other myriad reasons, the only way to get through is to move forward.

While the fact that you have to actually do something to get started seems intuitively obvious, it still helps to be reminded. Plus, knowing something and actually doing it are two different things. Lately I have been reading books like a crazy person. A number of the books I have read recently, as well as some I have read in years past, explicitly address the importance of just getting started, offering techniques to overcome the inertia of inaction. My own experience aligns with what I’ve read, in both my professional and personal life.

What Do the ‘Experts’ Say About Getting Started?

Here are some books that you may want to read that cover various aspects of getting started. Each of these books addresses different pieces of the puzzle. I have found that there is no panacea, no ‘one-size-fits-all’ method for improving any aspect of life and productivity is no exception. Reading multiple books and studying a variety of systems provides a diverse set of perspectives and techniques from which you can synthesize the techniques that work best for you.

Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters, by Jon Acuff (Theme: Always be starting)
Atomic Habits: an Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, by James Clear (Theme: Create positive, manageable, “low-friction” habits to overcome inertia and build sustainable momentum)
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield (Theme: Overcome The Resistance, which is always fighting to hold you back and keep you from starting, particularly with creative works)
Just Start: Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future, by Leonard A. Schlesinger and Charles F. Kiefer (Theme: Use low-risk experiments and small steps to adapt to new/unknown types of work, learning from low-consequence failures)
Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, by Brian Tracy (Theme: Leverage various techniques to overcome procrastination and get going; start with the most ‘distasteful’ thing to get that out of the way up front)
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen (Theme: Identify the specific next action to overcome lack of action caused by ambiguity)

Practical Examples

A handful of personal examples come to mind with respect to getting started. I’m sure there are many more, but these are fairly poignant.

As an engineering supervisor, I have had employees who struggled with making progress on their assignments – in fact, they specifically struggled with getting started. After several discussions with me regarding their assignments, they still appeared to be stuck. In these cases, I explained that I was not going to judge them for imperfection of works in progress. Next, I told them that I could not help them unless they picked a direction and started moving. Once they started doing something (anything !), then I could provide coaching and support; however, as the saying goes, “you can’t steer a parked car.” This approach usually helps.

Examples abound in everyday life as well. For example, there are weekends when either the weather isn’t very inviting or I’m just not particularly motivated, but I should be riding my trials bike. Not out of duty (it’s certainly not drudgery!), but because I love trials and because you only get better by riding more. After realizing that I’m just fighting my own internal resistance, I usually try a very simple technique: just begin doing something related to getting outside to ride my bike. Usually I going to my bureau and start taking out the clothes I will ride in. After that, I change into those clothes. Then maybe I’ll get the GoPro ready, get a bottle of water, and so on. The key is to start by doing a very easy activity that moves me toward my objective. When that activity is complete, I start another.

After the inertia of starting has been overcome, sustaining momentum to keep going gets easier. It’s much less difficult to keep moving than it is to start. Once you realize this fact, practice building self-awareness so that you can recognize and identify your source of resistance, and overcome it by just getting started. Study strategies and tactics discussed in the aforementioned books and any other sources that you find. Leverage what they have learned, and tailor your personalized approach through experimentation.

Start. Evaluate. Adapt. Repeat.

Have you ever read a book and said to yourself, “this should be required reading…for everyone!” Everything Is Figureoutable, by Marie Forleo certainly fits that description. The title itself says it all. In a nutshell, the idea is that having a belief that you can figure out anything forces you to eliminate excuses and focus on finding solutions. This applies whether you have an immediate problem, or whether you are stretching towards achieving your goals, “everything is figureoutable.”

In the first few pages, Marie describes her mother, who was constantly amazing her with the ability to solve problems that seemed not only difficult, but outside of her abilities. On one particular occasion, her mother’s favorite transistor radio broke, and Marie came home to see her mother fixing it.

“Hey, Mom, how do you know how to do so many different things that you’ve never done before, without anyone showing you how to do it?”
She put down her screwdriver, turned to me, and said, “Don’t be silly Ree. Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you just roll up your sleeves, get in there, and do it. Everything is figureoutable.”
–Everything Is Figureoutable, by Marie Forleo

I absolutely loved that introduction to the phrase that became the title of this book!

There are several things that I really like about Everything Is Figureoutable. First, Marie Forleo is totally down to Earth. Her style is non-nonsense, but sincere and encouraging. She’s talking directly to you.

Second, the book follows a natural progression. It starts by providing a ‘roadmap’ to achieving results using the “everything is figureoutable” approach. Next, you’re prompted to proactively challenge your beliefs and understand that your excuses are exactly that. While numerous typical excuses are discussed, there is a whole chapter on fear, which of course is near and dear to my heart (anything to tame fear is a good thing). It then walks through defining your dream and taking the steps to make your dream become your reality, including strategies for taking the first steps, overcoming barriers, and keeping momentum.

Not only is the book a practical guide, but the author also has added actionable exercises throughout the book to help spur you to action. She has also provided some inspiring stories from others who have used the techniques to push through their own challenges.

I first read Everything Is Figureoutable by borrowing the Kindle edition from the library. Honestly, the title is what caught my attention; I’d never heard of the book before. I devoured the book, adding highlights and notes (I love the Kindle app!). Since I loved the book and plan to reference and re-read it, I bought the Kindle version for myself. Of course the added bonus is that all my notes and highlights from the borrowed version synchronized with the copy I purchased.

It was interesting to see references to other books I have recently read or have on my short list to read soon. For example, the author cites The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (I had recently purchased that book; it’s in my reading queue) and Mindset by Carol Dweck (which I borrowed and read several weeks ago, and then purchased).

In conclusion, I recommend Everything Is Figureoutable.

Tag: goals

Sometimes Getting Started Is The Hardest Part

What Do the ‘Experts’ Say About Getting Started?

Practical Examples

“Everything Is Figureoutable”