How To Actually Do The Stuff You Say You Want To Do So this time its for real, right? The new diet. Quitting that soul-sucking job. Getting a small business loan. Going to back to school. Breaking up with that hot but useless guy (Im looking at you, 25-year-old self). But then something happens, and a valid excuse presents itself so we dont do the exciting, scary, life-changing thing we were going to do. Maybe we eat salads at our desks for a few weeks, or update our LinkedIn profile, but thats as far as it gets. How do we make the terrifying leap from thinking about doing to actually doing? Now, I cant claim to be a total expert on this. There are many things that Id like to do or am in the process of doing that may never quite fall under the Done heading. However! I do have a decent track record of actually completing a good number of the seemingly ridiculous, improbable things that I set out to do — like 10 months of international travel, getting a literary agent, and becoming self-employed. Heres what has worked for me: 1. Write it down, then start mapping your path. We all know that putting pen to paper is one of the best ways to make things happen. But taking it a bit further helps even more; start compiling the information that will bridge the gap between whats inside your head and whats out. Map out your end game (the M.B.A., the successful Etsy shop, the house on the lake) and work backward from there, breaking your big, huge goal down into teeny, tiny steps attached to a timeline. If you want to own a home by June of 2015, what do you need to have done at the nine-month point? The six-month point? The three-month point? Make a list of tiny steps, then do one — just one! — today. 2. Tell everyone you know about it. So now youre doing it: the research, the footwork, the wee, exploratory tendrils of progress. And its awesome! And you cant wait to tell everybody about it! And you should. Anybody worth knowing will be excited for you and feed your enthusiasm. Youll also be a lot less likely to back out, because everyone will be asking you about it. Shame can be a great motivator, so you might as well harness it to work in your favor! If youre feeling really ambitious, ask a close friend if theyd be willing to keep tabs on your progress and ask about your big project. Knowing that someone else is keeping track will help you stay on top of your game. 3. Spend money on it. I dont know about you, but I am exponentially more likely to complete my goal once Ive spent money on it. Because then its real. Every time you look at that big, expensive textbook, the lush paint brushes, or the high-tech running shoes, youll be that much more likely to take action. Youll see them every day and think about the fantastic new life youre going to have, which should make you take even more steps toward getting there. 4. Remove distractions. Is there a way you can make this easier for yourself? Could you have money auto-deducted from each paycheck so you dont even have to think about saving it? If youre trying to eat healthier, get rid of all your junk food, stock your fridge with healthy snacks and bring lunch to work every day. If youd like to be more active, stash your car at a friends place for a month and get around using only your feet and your bike. If you want a less connected life, cancel your data plan. 5. Surround yourself with other doers. Were the average of the five people we spend the most time with, so why wouldnt you want to spend time with other interesting, driven people who are pursuing their dreams? You can encourage each other, share resources, and give each other pep talks when you encounter obstacles. All that good energy is socially contagious. 6. Make it irreversible. Go big or go home, right? When youre really serious about something and you know, in your heart of hearts, that its the right choice, dont allow yourself the luxury of a backup plan. Buy a one-way, nonrefundable ticket, slide your letter of resignation under your bosss locked door, drop that love letter into one of those impenetrable blue mailboxes. Youve put yourself at the mercy of fate, and youre going to have so much fun. 7. Know that doing begets more doing. Ive really found that one act of doing begets another. Once youve published your novella, you know that you are totally capable to moving to Hong Kong on your own. And after youve negotiated a lease in Cantonese, you cant be deterred from starting an import business. Hiking though Nepal, learning to speak Hindi, touring Paris in four-inch heels — all these things are totally doable, you go-getter, you! What do you do to help bridge the gap between the exciting plans inside your head and your day-to-day life?
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000
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