I don’t believe in setting New Year’s resolutions. Creating an arbitrary time-box around something important has never resonated with me. However, the end of a year always seems to come with reflection on past accomplishments. With reflection comes anxiety over lost opportunities, lack of progress, and missing a mark I felt certain to hit. Part of the problem always seems to be focus, attempting to work on too many things. Doing a lot and accomplishing little.

During the final weeks of December 2019, I resolved to narrow my focus. Picking specific pursuits and zeroing in on how to accomplish more. One of these pursuits – to make substantial progress writing a book, a project I’d had on my radar for quite some time. As with any project, I started by doing some research. How to begin, what to use, when to evaluate, what pace to work, who to look to for inspiration. And then I ran into an article by Tucker Max on Scribe. Early in the article, I ran into big, in-your-face text, “People who obsess over tools are usually scared of the work.”

The content of the article snapped me out of my research stupor. This article hit me right in the cold hard truth. I was putting off the work. As Max says, “After all, it’s fun to shop for equipment and to fantasize about success.” I was trying to convince myself I was making progress. I was learning interesting things but wasn’t making it any closer to accomplishing my goal. Was finding a faster, more organized way to do the work worth it if the work wasn’t getting done to begin with?

After all, it’s fun to shop for equipment and to fantasize about success.

We’ve all been here before. A new dream, a vision of what we could accomplish, an exciting new horizon. Do we fail in our pursuit because we don’t want it? Because we aren’t capable of accomplishing it? We fail because that starting phase is so satisfying and the remaining majority so difficult. It’s fun and easy to buy equipment, research methods, try new tools, and wrap your head around new strategies to better tackle a goal. The new and exciting begins to lose its luster when the work sets in.

This article started a shift in my thinking, and I wanted to know more. So I went digging. What I found was an incredible number of articles on ‘the next best tool in productivity’ and ‘how to improve your life through this method’, but very few people talking about actually doing the work. I’d stumbled into a symptom of a greater productivity ailment.

Beware the Optimization Hunt

As a society, we waste so much time planning our productivity strategy instead of getting things done. Thomas Oppong published a short article on Medium discussing this very issue. Oppong writes, “But in the process of finding even better options, we tend to waste a lot of time we are desperately trying to save. We put the work off by trying to get everything just right.” In my experience, this rings true. Often I’ve fallen into the trap of the optimization hunt, searching for that best approach that will help me slice through my to-do list.

Of course, these strategies fail because the answer isn’t a better to-do app or organization methodology. The answer – doing the work. Oppong stresses that productivity is not about the tools and systems you have at your disposal, but the mindset and intentional approach to accomplishing the goal. The desire to get the work done has to be there before any tool can help make it happen.

But in the process of finding even better options, we tend to waste a lot of time we are desperately trying to save.

An ex-coworker of mine was always in this trap. He was always researching and testing new productivity strategies and tools. Every three to four months he would share a discovery, the one that would cut that endless list down to size. In the end, very little of the list was ever checked off. The enjoyment came from the hunt, the dream of finding the right system, rather than completing the work.

The right tool breathes new life into a workflow and may increase efficiency and quality, but the foundation must exist first. An endless sea tools and options is noise that shreds focus and prevents those critical steps forward. A simple and clear plan with a practical set of tools and laser focus will always win over the best management platform and a constant deluge of alternate strategies.

Procrastination Isn’t What You Think

What’s going on here? Why is it that we find ourselves in this trap of researching the best answer instead of knuckling down and getting things done? Charlotte Lieberman penned some thoughts on why this happens, and it comes down to the nature of procrastination. Lieberman explains that we procrastinate because of our inability to cope with the negative emotions around tasks. Fear, doubt, boredom, or any other emotional states we actively try to avoid. Putting off these tasks alleviates the negative emotions associated with them. Whatever we choose to do instead will likely be easier, enjoyable, and provide an instant sense of gratification.

Lieberman explains, “Procrastination is a perfect example of present bias, our hard-wired tendency to prioritize short-term needs ahead of long-term ones.” This immediate reward is clear and easy to attain. Binge-watching a show on Netflix. Putting away the dishes. Catching up on the most recent news. Anything that leaves an immediate feeling of accomplishment or satisfaction. This forms a damaging cycle where we are continually looking for a quick fix of positive emotions, while at the same time putting off the long-term tasks that would leave us feeling more fulfilled.

So, what can we do to combat this effect? Lieberman discusses strategies, including self-forgiveness and self-compassion, to target the negative emotions associated with procrastination. Giving yourself another chance is critical to getting up and trying again. As well, proper goal-setting that breaks our pursuits into actionable, readily accomplished tasks will keep us more engaged and satisfied while working toward the end goal.

Take Time to Engage

The final article that I found relevant to this topic is on mindfulness, specifically on the constant search for something better and our natural tendency to distract ourselves from the here and now. Jon Kabat-Zinn explains the dangers of the constant distractions available in our modern world. The idea that our addiction to distraction and escape prevents us from ever fully engaging in a moment. Simply stated, “We fill up our time and then wonder where it all went.”

As we procrastinate, consume, and divert ourselves from getting in touch, we are living in a state of anesthesia. Dependent on the drug of an easy win. In brief moments of clarity, the illusion comes crashing down and many of us wonder ‘How did I get here? Why haven’t I accomplished what I set out to?’ That fear and desperation drive us back into the arms of sweet distraction. A place of immediate comfort – back to the easy wins. Is Kabat-Zinn correct in the assumption that we are afraid of having time? Afraid of what happens when we allow for a moment to evaluate and reflect, instead of looking for a distraction?

We fill up our time and then wonder where it all went.

If we can overcome the fear of unplugging from the noise around us, the fear to start, the fear to fail, we can accomplish more. Make more fulfilling use of our time. Build memories and accomplishments that will, upon reflection, instill us with feelings of satisfaction rather than feelings of emptiness. Taking the time to understand and appreciate what we can accomplish with what we already have is critical to our mental wellbeing. A brief respite from the anxious voice in our head ‘of never being good enough.’ We need to find it in ourselves to put distance between us and constant distraction. To take stock of what is important and make those critical parts of who we are and what we are doing part of living our lives.

I encourage everyone to read the articles I’ve mentioned today. Reading through these has helped me shift my mindset and given me guidance on how to accomplish more this year and in the years to come. In a world of high-speed connections, constant access to people and information, and an endless number of activities tailored to consuming our time, there is a pervasive fear of doing the work and so many easy escapes. We all need to work on understanding our goals, becoming more intentional about what we want to do, and just doing the work. These are things I still struggle with but knowing what to look out for has helped me sharpen my focus and get more done.