Get moving on your goal

How many times have we had a project, idea, goal or even a task that keeps appearing in your written or mental to-do list?

Sometimes we have a great idea for something we want to roll out but for some reason, it never really develops from idea into creation. It is the reason why Nike, the maven apparel brand's slogan 'Just Do It' has gained such popularity.

If you have gone down the whole list of all the possible reasons you cannot get moving on that one item - from being too busy, to making it enough of a priority - then maybe your problem could be inertia. This is the inability to move without a single good reason.

But once you know that yours is an inertia problem, how do you tackle it? Do you force yourself to sit and resolve not to stand up until you have completed it or do you rely on an incentive model to encourage you?

Accountability vs suspension

For some people, setting a personal deadline - say by end of week - could work. This goes hand in hand with committing to the task by writing it down and allocating a time slot to it in your calendar.

But personality types have a part to play in this too. While for some people setting strict personal deadlines work as an incentive to get the task done, for others it has no significant impact.

The other end of the scale recommends taking a breather and avoiding the task for a few days then coming back to it with a clear head and tackling it. This could work in cases where the next course of action or solution for the task is not straightforward and there needs to be some internal brainstorming.

Experts say if you take some time off actively tackling a particularly tricky issue, your subconscious is left to find the solution in a non-pressured manner and therefore more effectively.

Photo: hellobeatiful.com