How to get started - and how to keep going.
Do you find it hard to get started and to keep going?
You're not alone - most smart humans have trouble navigating distractions and bumps they encounter along the way.
So how do you get started and stay on track?
You may be thinking about motivating yourself by finding your ‘why’ for example, which is absolutely wonderful, but when it comes to starting a task or project, motivation is very overrated.
In this Episode you’ll learn what generates motivation from a neurological perspective, as well as a concept called the ‘progress loop’.
You’ll get lots of tips to apply this to your work and life so you can get started on important projects you’ve been avoiding but that you really want or need to work on - whether it’s admin, writing an application letter, or creating and shipping a new product.
Full Episode Text
Episode 27 - How to get started and how to keep going
Welcome to this episode of the managing the smart mind podcast with Master Certified Coach Else Kramer, a.k.a. Coach Kramer.
This week I’m focusing on something a lot of smart people struggle with - how to get started and how to keep going. Let’s be honest: there is so much you could be doing, you see so many interesting avenues and possibilities, that it’s very easy to get distracted.
So how do you get started and stay on track?
You may be thinking about motivating yourself by finding your ‘why’ for example, whis is absolutely wonderful, but when it comes to starting a task or project, motivation is very overrated.
In this Episode you’ll learn what generates motivation from a neurological perspective, as well as a concept called the ‘progress loop’.
You’ll get lots of tips to apply this to your work and life so you can get started on important projects you’ve been avoiding but that you really want or need to work on - whether it’s admin, writing an application letter, or creating and shipping a new product.
Here’s the most important thing to know:
Motivation is generated by DOING, not by thinking
Most of us think that we need to get motivated before we can start. Which makes sense.
But guess what motivates us most?
Progress.
Our brains fucking love progress, doesn’t matter how small.
This is exactly why online games are so bloody addictive - they’re designed to let you progress every couple of minutes, and give you a nice dopamine hit which makes you very motivated to keep playing.
Which makes for a bit of a paradox - if progress is the biggest, ‘cheapest’ motivator, how to get started at all?
You can’t use progress as a motivator if you haven’t even begun.
This is where you need to use a tool I’ve talked about in the podcast episodes on goals and procrastination: start small.
You have to break up your task or project into bite-sized pieces.
Now I think a lot of people misunderstand what bite-sized looks like.
Let’s say you need to write an article.
You may think about breaking it up like this:
Do research
Create mind map, gather thoughts
Write outline
Write the first draft
Edit
Write the second draft
Put aside for a couple of days
Reread and final edits
Publish
Looks fair enough, right?
But this isn’t bite-sized - and will make it incredibly hard to get started.
First of all, step one: ‘Do research’ isn’t specific enough, and definitely not small enough.
Let’s fix that first:
Spend two hours researching the topic online
Now let’s break that up into micro-steps:
Type search term in Google (or whatever search engine you’re using)’.
Open five tabs.
Create a simplified article in evernote.
Print articles and study them.
If there’s time left: rinse and repeat.’
Can you take the first step? Of course you can. You don’t need to motivate yourself to use Google.
Same for the second. And so on.
This is what bite-sized looks like: you want EVERY step to have zero starting friction.
This means you need to know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing and have all the necessary resources at hand.
Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, who coined the Progress Principle and the idea of Progress loops, call these catalysts - more about these later.
First, let’s dive into the Progress Principle itself.
The Progress Principle and Progress Loops
We overestimate the power of big wins, and underestimate the power of small ones.
I’ll say that again, because it’s massively important - and one of the core ideas behind the Progress Principle:
We overestimate the power of big wins, and underestimate the power of small ones.
To get your stuff done, you need to create progress loops: chains of micro-successes that keep us motivated.
This is what a progress loop looks like:
Do small task
Get dopamine hit
Feel motivated to do even more
Do small task
Get dopamine hit
Feel motivated to do even more
Etc.
Now this in itself looks pretty good, but it isn’t just a circle - it’s actually a positive, upward spiral that generates more positive emotions and well-being with each completed loop.
So you want to keep yourself progress-looping for as long as possible, because the rewards accumulate.
How to stay in the Progress Loop
In addition to breaking your tasks up into micro-steps as I explained earlier, you need to celebrate your progress, however tiny.
This does not need to involve a dance party (although it totally could - this can be a great way to check your workout box).
It can be as simple as striking through something on your to-do list, colouring in a to-do dot, high-fiving yourself or saying ‘YESSSSSS!’ or some other positive affirming phrase.
Your progress loop will like something like this:
Start with a frictionless task and get it done
Celebrate
Use dopamine hit as motivation for the next task
Repeat until the task is done or you run out of time
Helpers and saboteurs: catalysts & nourishers vs. inhibitors & toxins
Amabile & Kramer found that whether you end up in a positive progress loop and a negative feedback loop is influenced by the presence of what they call catalysts & nourishers vs. inhibitors and toxins.
It won’t surprise you to learn that catalysts and nourishers support your goals, and inhibitors and toxins undermine them.
Here are some examples of these two pairs, to give you a feel for them:
Catalysts:
Setting clear goals
Experiencing autonomy
Giving yourself sufficient resources
Allocating ample time
Asking for and receiving help
Learning from challenges and successes
And the opposite of catalysts, inhibitors:
Vague goals
Lack of agency (for example having to wait on other people’s input)
Too much pressure/tight deadlines
No help/support
Allowing challenges and bumps in the road to derail you
Nourishers:
Respect and recognition
Encouragement
Emotional comfort
Connections around project/goal
Their evil twin, toxins:
Disrespect
Discouragement
Disregard for emotions
Interpersonal conflict
Feeling disconnected
Here’s a catalyst for you: consider downloading the transcript of this episode so you can keep this overview handy - it’s a great resource.
Before you start working on your project, give yourself some time to check if you have done enough to keep the saboteurs at bay and set yourself up to win.
Ok, so you have everything you need to know to get started…but now…
How to keep going once you get started
Let’s be honest here, life isn’t perfect.
The concept of a progress loop is powerful, but your life probably doesn’t look like a computer game with constant successes.
You WILL hit obstacles, experience problems and even failure.
The negative effect of these can be powerful - and stop you in your tracks.
How you react to setbacks is massively important.
And this is where the catalysts and nourishers come in.
If you’ve allowed yourself plenty of time to complete your tasks, have help at hand, and feel emotionally safe you stand a much bigger chance of not getting tripped up.
For example, let’s say a piece of essential information to complete your task is missing.
Maybe it’s an invoice you cannot find.
You’re waiting on input from someone who isn’t responding to your messages.
The department you're trying to reach is closed on Friday.
Basically, you’ve hit a snag.
Now what?
First: make room for your feelings. Don’t try to brush them under the carpet.
Then take a couple of minutes to feel and process your frustration, disappointment or whatever it is you’re feeling (and if you’re not sure how to do this, check out Episode 16 on how to feel better).
After that, go straight back to basic principles: what is one small thing you CAN do right now?
This doesn’t necessarily need to be related to your project, it can also be something like ‘go on a short walk to clear your head’.
To recap, take these steps to get unstuck:
Feel all the feels
Find a micro action you CAN take
Take it
And remember: this micro action can be anything that keeps you out of the negative feedback loop and gets you back to doing things, thus generating more motivation. You really want to avoid mulling on what went wrong, who’s to blame, etc.
How to apply this on a daily basis
I’ll be honest, I get stuck at least a dozen times a day.
I experience starting friction, anxiety, insecurity, all the things.
But using these tools I still get things done - like creating a weekly podcast.
I think the biggest shift for me was when I no longer allowed myself to ‘stay stuck’. Now, when I hit an obstacle, I allow myself to be frustrated for max 15 minutes, and then I have to get moving again. And not in an unkind way - I don’t have to push myself to work on something that, right now isn’t working. But I have made a pact with myself that I will find SOMETHING I can do, if only clean up the pantry or take out the trash.
Something that will get me back into the progress loop.
So to summarise, you want to:
Set yourself up for success by reinforcing what helps, and reducing what undermines you.
Make sure you have a micro-action you can take to kick-start your day
Create a simple‘getting unstuck protocol’ to have handy when you hit a bump.
And if you haven’t already, check out the Episodes on goal setting and procrastination for lots of additional tips and strategies.
Give this work a try - it can make a massive difference not only to your productivity but also to your self-confidence and overall wellbeing.
And let me know how it goes!
Talk to you next Wednesday, have an amazing week.
Else a.k.a. Coach Kramer
Want to get going on that major project you’ve been putting off forever? DM me on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook to learn how you can work with me, or send me an email via podcast@elsekramer.com.
Thank you for listening to the Managing the Smart Mind Podcast, I love that at the time of recording this there are smart humans listenening in 69 countries! I really appreciate you - do send me any questions or requests for topics you have.