Lack of Clarity ✨
I've found that somewhere around 98% of all my procrastination comes from a lack of clarity about what exactly the end goal is and what the very first step towards that end goal should be.
A lack of clarity can be many things:
- Uncertainty around the expected/ideal outcome
- Uncertainty around how to get to the outcome
- Uncertainty about what exactly someone is wanting/asking for (This is a sneaky one)
In Getting Things Done, David Allen offers clarity on getting clarity.
Clarity on outcomes
I find it very helpful to articulate the very next physical action to be taken when I notice that I'm procrastinating on something.
Instead of:
Figure out how to Foo
I might write:
Sit down and google, 'Best way to Foo' for 15 minutes
Notice the top has several unanswered questions that, subconsciously will frustrate your brain:
- What does "figure out" mean?
- Are there best practices around "Foo"?
- How does one begin "figuring out"?
By rewriting this TODO with a concrete action that you know how to do, it's easier to jump into the task. Your mind no longer has to wrestle with all the other unanswered questions. It will begin building momentum which in turn helps clarify what the outcome will look like.
Well, I'm not sure exactly how to "Foo", but most people begin with Bar, and I found a pretty decent blog post on that, so my next step is re-reading the blog post more slowly to understand it better.
I cannot overstate how useful this is in situations where the ideal outcome isn't really known at the time you need to start working!
Here's some questions that help me gain clarity:
- What does "done" look like here?
- What is the smallest, reversible decision I can make?
- What am I confused about?
- What are the missing puzzle pieces? (I don't have to figure them out, but labeling them helps!)