After a week filled with wedding festivities, family visiting from abroad, and getting COVID it’s safe to say that it’s harder than ever to get back into the swing of things. AKA creative laziness has definitely taken its toll on me. So, in search of some much needed inspiration, I wanted something more than the usual motivation and time management hacks. That’s why I’m thankful I stumbled across Tom Bilyeu’s podcast interview with the amazing best selling author and lawyer, Mel Robbins that changed everything. I’m going to share all the magic I learned about how to beat creative laziness in this easily digestible article but if you want to dive deep ( which I highly suggest you do!) access the full interview here!
1. Hesitation = Disaster
We’ve all been there. For example, a genius idea pops up that you’d love to share during a work meeting and right as you’re about to speak, you go “ Wait! Should I? On second thought.. let’s just be quiet, or I’ll sound stupid.” Now why does this hesitation suddenly equal disaster? We have our brains to thank for that. It sees our hesitation and goes right into protection mode. I mean we didn’t hesitate to brush our teeth this morning, but now are suddenly contemplating whether to speak up? Imagine your brain pulling a fire siren to protect you from this “danger.” In fact, one of the ways it does this is by using the “spotlight effect.” That’s when the brain magnifies the “risk” in get you away from it ASAP. So number one lesson in beating creative laziness? Stop hesitating every single small idea, action!
Related : The Best Kept Secrets To Master Creative Confidence
2. MOTIVATION = GARBARGE
And why does waiting to be motivated never work? The mornings I wake up when I just “feel” like doing the things I’m supposed to do are few and far between ( especially during the dark winter months.) The truth is we are never going to feel like doing things that are different or scary instead of the comfort of our daily routine. In fact, every decision we make, big or small, affects our lives in a completely earth shattering way, sometimes without us even noticing it at first. For example, that heated discussion with a partner? You’re moments away from either saying something you might regret or recognizing the emotion coming up and decide to choose a different path. Mel Robbins beautifully said that our lives come down to decisions and if you change your decisions you will change everything.
3. PRACTICE THE 5 SECOND RULE
In 5 seconds flat self doubt can take over and rob you of your power, joy and potential. Or in 5 seconds flat you can actually use one stupid little trick to push yourself to grab it.
Mel Robbins
Mel Robbins introduced a groundbreaking method that will help you get from knowing what to do to actually doing it. She tells us that everyone has at least a 5 second window from thought to action but our brain gets into an overthinking mess of “ hesitation vs protection mode.” Basically : when a task pops in your head count down 5 4 3 2 1 and once you hit 1 you’re “taking off” or starting the action you wanted to do right away without giving your brain any time to convince you not to. For example, that 6:00 AM alarm you keep snoozing until 9:00? ( Guilty…) the second your alarm goes off, without giving your brain any time to think, just simply countdown 5 4 3 2 1 and immediately jump out of bed when the “timer” goes off. It’s important to note that when you first start doing the 5 second rule it requires focus because it interrupts patterns of behavior that we do on autopilot. But eventually the 5 second rule will become a habit that will unmask a newfound confidence in you didn’t know you had.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT
The 5 second rule is a type of “metacognition” which essentially is when you outsmart the games your brain is trying to play on you. Counting backwards awakens the prefrontal cortex and prompts you to move before the countdown is over. It’s a focus building technique that interrupts a habit. For example, the desire to grab a drink,snap at someone,hit snooze when you count backwards you’re not only starting a new action, you’ve interrupted the habit. This is how you go from thinking about it to actually doing what needs to be done. How? Researchers talk a lot about the importance of starting a ritual and they help to develop a new habit. When you keep repeating a starting ritual you start acting with confidence. And since you’ve done the work of awakening the prefrontal cortex ( part you need to awake to make a change) you set yourself up for success. One thing to note is that the rule doesn’t work if you count forwards! This is because you could keep counting forever, and doesn’t require the focus that counting backwards requires.
4. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.”
Lao Tzu
And of course, one of the best gifts you can give yourself when it comes to beating creative laziness? Simple yet always effective : self reflection. Try asking yourself: Why am I checking out? Is it down to fear, perfection, mental / physical health? Sometimes the reason why we aren’t getting stuff done, isn’t as black and white as 100% laziness. There could always be something more going on. And of one of my favorite myth busters? Confidence is a personality trait that only a few are blessed with. Wrong! It’s actually a skill that we can all learn, introverted or not.
Until next time,