Get Things Done
A good chunk of psychological noise comes from habitually delaying things that need to be done. You know you got to do it, but you let it linger, you put it off yet another day. You rationalize to yourself; perhaps keep busy with some less important activities. You know the kinds of things I’m talking about:
- Dental work
- Going to the doctor
- Legal matters
- Doing your taxes
- Paying bills
- Getting work done on your car
- Home repair
- General organization
- Personal hygiene
These are just a few of the problems that can build up and act like chains tying you down. It can be emotionally crippling and cause irrational fear. But, you must do something about it. This brings me to another fundamental principal of mine. Ignoring your problems will not make them go away. If anything, it often compounds them.
Resolve to get everything that is hanging done. True, this is easier said than done, but if you truly want to improve your happiness level, you need to take care of it. This is an area of your life that you have control over. You can break free, but it requires relentless action.
Here are some tips:
- Write down all the things you’ve been putting off
- Prioritize them from largest to smallest
- Create goals to resolve them
- Break down the goals into smaller actionable steps
- Put those steps into lists and execute them
- Get started, don’t delay any longer
As soon as you finish reading this post, get started. Taking action is the hardest part. But you’ll find that once you do, you gain momentum and begin rolling and everything becomes easier and easier.
One thing that really helps me is getting into a frame of mind where with every little action I take, I am a little closer to freedom. With each click of the mouse, each email I write, each phone call I make, every second I spend working toward resolving any issue, I am a step closer to getting things done.
Once you start resolving the things you’ve been slacking on, you’ll begin to feel much better. Not only will your mental space improve by removing the noise that was nagging you, but you will also feel empowered and add to your self worth and confidence.
Getting to the point where you literally have nothing that you have to do is one of the greatest feelings. You can make it there if you stay focused and keep moving forward.
Here’s a little something to help you get going…