Handling the Starting Problem

 ‘Bhaiyya, Rahul and I have to study,’ said Rinku. ‘But we’ve been lazing away here at the canteen.’

‘Yes bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘Please cure us of our laziness.”

‘Rahul, your laziness is not some medical condition,’ laughed Rakesh. ‘Tell me, how did you land up here instead of studying?’

 ‘Well, we started to go to the library to study for a couple of hours,’ said Rinku. ‘On the way we stopped here for a 10 minute break and got distracted - with social media. Before we realised it, our 10 minute break became a two hour break.’

‘Basically you took the easier, more pleasurable option,’ said Rakesh. ‘And avoided work.’

 ‘Yes bhaiyya,’ said Rahul sheepishly.

‘Hmm, let’s see how we can convert work into pleasure,’ said Rakesh. ‘And pleasure into work. Let’s make two hours on social media compulsory for you from today. Would it still be pleasurable?’

‘No,’ said Rinku. ‘That’s too much.’

‘That’s the key,’ said Rakesh. ‘When it’s ‘too much’, our brain freezes. Look at our social media behavior. A single notification sucks us in first, and then into another and another. It doesn’t feel like ‘too much’ that way even after we spend hours on it.  But the same two hours if made compulsory at one go, is not pleasurable, right?’

‘Yes,’ asked Rinku.

‘So anything big overwhelms our mind and it finds ways to immediately put it off,’ said Rakesh. ‘You want to work, but are overwhelmed, and don’t even start. You suffer from a starting problem, not laziness.’

‘Then how, bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul.

‘Use the social media trick. Start with one bite-sized chunk to get started. Instead of two hours, let’s say, a 20 minute chunk. Not so small that it’s not taken seriously, nor too big that you freeze.’

 ‘Isn’t that too less bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku. ‘I’d like to study for two hours.’

‘We’re trying to address your starting problem Rinku,’ said Rakesh. ‘So, 20 minutes is better than nothing. Secondly, once you start, you normally get involved and end up doing another 20 minutes and so on.’

‘Can we use our 20 minutes at any time bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul.

‘Sure you can. But to maximize benefit, maintain a specific time every day. Over three weeks your brain gets wired to the new routine. It becomes a habit. Think of it like you’re preparing to run a marathon – you first walk, then jog, then run, right? As your mind gets comfortable with the new activity, it stops distracting you. It becomes pleasurable. Then, you can increase the hours gradually.’

‘Wow, I can get started right away bhaiyya!’ said Rinku.

‘Great,’ laughed Rakesh. ‘And to double your productivity, keep distractions away.’

 ‘Yes, Bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘Let’s have a quick chai before we get started. Now we know how to.’

Pro Tip: To avoid the ‘starting problem’, begin with smaller chunks that don’t overwhelm you and gradually increase difficulty. Once it becomes a habit, you will enjoy the activity.

 

Exercise: Pick an activity that you have been putting off for a long time because it overwhelms you. To begin with, start with small targets right there in class. Make the call, send a message, read one page, place an order, sign up. Take the first step.

Share your stories.

Don’t lose the daily practice though. After 21 days, it becomes a habit. Then increase it to next comfortable level.

 

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