Problems in corporate projects often arise due to external circumstances. A client may change requirements, a contractor may miss a deadline, a partner may cut budgets, and so on.
However, who is responsible for delays in your personal initiatives and creative projects?
Plans to renovate your kitchen, paint a picture, learn to dance, or start a new business are solely your responsibility.
When managing personal ideas and plans, there is no boss. There are no orders or reports. Only you and your intentions.
However, your own brain can become an unexpected enemy of success. It knows all your weaknesses, understands how to find the perfect excuses, and can convince you that “today isn’t the best day to start.”
The brain can often view a new project as a potential threat to your comfort zone or a source of failure. Surprisingly, it can trigger delays in personal projects and stimulate procrastination.
How to negotiate with your own brain?
Here, you’ll find some practical tips on this matter.
But first, it will be useful to look at some of the reasons that lead to delays and procrastination.
Delays and obstacles in work projects are often obvious. Managers can anticipate and quickly resolve them. In the case of private initiatives and creative goals, the causes are more elusive.
By the way, if you’re looking for examples and details from the field of professional work management, you can read about project delays here.
But now, let’s look at the causes of procrastination and possible delays in personal endeavors.
Now, let’s move from general causes to specific tips and life hacks that will help you deal with procrastination and delays in personal projects.
You can find various methods and approaches to improving your thinking processes. Some of them are easy enough for even a child to master, while others require a little effort and practice.
Let’s take a closer look at these effective life hacks.
There’s no need to force yourself to work constantly.
Try short physical rituals, such as brewing tea, doing 4-5 concrete morning exercises, listening to a certain playlist, and so on.
They will act like a power button. Your brain will recognize the signal and automatically switch to work mode.
Such rituals may only take a few minutes, but you’ll clearly establish a consistent sequence of actions. It may be considered as tricking the brain in the best way.
A long to-do list can feel paralyzing. Therefore, it’s crucial to break it down into several packs of related microtasks that can be completed in one go. It applies to both work projects and personal creative plans. These short activities should have a coherent, meaningful sequence.
Completing a specific task pack will give your brain a sense of real progress, as opposed to crossing off one item out of fifty.
Breaking down tasks and plans in this way will reduce cognitive load and make work less tedious.
Any project may be considered as an impossible task or a threat. In such a situation you may simply imagine a brief way to perform this task.
Think that your plan will be achieved in 2-3 minutes. Even if in reality it will take a month. This way, you can trick yourself into imagining a clear, minimal plan that will serve as the beginning of a long journey.
Any small action will help you get started on the right foot. Open a working document, make a call, or schedule a meeting.
Many creative ideas and personal projects are initiated without deadlines in mind. You realize that there will be no penalties for delays, so your brain performs in a relaxed mode.
However, you can imagine artificial deadlines. To be effective, they must be accompanied with real consequences.
A good practice is to make a pact with a friend. For example, if you don’t complete your personal task by Wednesday, donate $30 to charity and send your friend proof.
Make sure a consequence is truly uncomfortable or unpleasant for you, but achievable. This way, your brain begins to treat a personal project as seriously as it would a corporate work task.
Often, the brain begins to resist a new project out of fear of failure. In this case, you can change your attitude.
Instead of saying “I’m learning to swim” (fear), tell yourself: “I’m learning to feel the temperature of the water” (interesting).
Don’t think that this is self-deception. It’s like a shift in focus from outcomes to a process. You won’t fail in your research, but you will gain new data.
It’s essential to rethink your ideas promptly. This will relieve the pressure of perfectionism and activate curiosity instead of anxiety.
Many people report that their brains respond better to physical trackers than digital ones.
You can place a glass jar on your desk and add a paperclip or any small object for each completed task.
Seeing this jar fill up every day will give you a completely different feeling than seeing a percentage in an app. It happens because a physical object is located in real space.
You can touch it, and it reminds you of itself every single day. It creates additional motivation to continue the chain of actions.
Even personal tasks and creative projects require some analysis. It can be a simple 15-minute honest conversation with yourself once a week.
Write down which task you’ve been avoiding at this period and why. Try to be specific. For example, “While studying Spanish this week, I was afraid I wouldn’t remember the new vocabulary.”
Naming your fear or obstacle will likely reduce its power. Over time, you’ll begin to identify patterns and anticipate resistance clearly. It means you can prepare workarounds in advance.
That’s all about it.
When you stop fighting yourself and start following your thoughts, any personal goal or creative initiative begins to move forward. It doesn’t always happen quickly and smoothly. However, in this way, your eternal “someday” list becomes a reality.
The tips and life hacks described above can be used as useful tools, not mandatory actions. You can try them gradually, one by one. This approach will help you accurately determine how your brain reacts.
Any delay or procrastination in personal projects doesn’t mean you have weak willpower or moral deficiencies. It’s the brain’s natural reaction to situations it perceives as dangerous and energy-demanding.
Don’t try to outsmart your brain; simply strive to negotiate with it.
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