Just do a small fraction of what needs to be done. If I commit 1-2 minutes to the task I’ll likely do more once I actually get going.
I was frozen yesterday at the beginning of my work day. New job, too much complexity, overwhelmed, and I just wanted to avoid at all costs.
Finally I decided I had to un-freeze myself so I found my big to-do list and one item was “call this person and get their email address”.
Rest of the day I was able to keep moving, and I felt so much better.
Think about the work that is to be done and try to break it into smaller tasks. Usually I get excited at the chance of finishing something easy and quick from the list and before i know it I’m already in the flow.
Cleaning my immediate workspace so it’s tidy and minimal used to help me get out of an unproductive funk, but I became kinda obsessed with keeping it that way, so now there’s nothing left to tidy up…
Why limit yourself to your immediate workspace? I think I have a rather productive opportunity for you…
I find it helpful to categorize all avoidant behaviors in the same bin.
Like over the years I’ve been addicted to weed, video games, reddit, etc.
When I’d stop one addiction, another would begin. Eventually I realized I had an addiction problem. The way to fix that was to go to a men’s group and face some demons and clear up old trauma.
It freed me up so I don’t feel as motivated to avoid awareness. With the basic demand for escape reduced, I stopped cycling one addiction after another.
Amphetamines
Modafinil works great for me. Not a legal drug where I live, unfortunately, and near impossible to get past the toll after the covid for some reason.
Listening to classical music. It’s the thing that works wonders for me every time 😊
