If Not Now, When?

Are you familiar with Dr. Seuss’s, “The waiting place?”

“Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come,

Or the snow to snow or waiting for a Yes or a No, or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.”

Are you waiting for the time to be “right” to start a task or a project, especially a big project or a less than exciting task? The truth is when a project feels too big to know where to start, or a task is tedious, the time will only be right when you actually decide to start.

There are many reasons for procrastination and only one solution.

Starting.

Fear not. Starting is not the same as finishing, and knowing the best place to start is not necessary. Starting just means taking one small step…then another.

Sometimes a project or task can be easier with chunking. That means breaking it into either time chunks, e.g. “I will spend ten minutes on this,” or chunks of items or work. For example, just go through one pile, or writing one page.

If “now” really isn’t the ideal time to start, then schedule a “now” and stick to it!

You may be familiar with the Chinese proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” So, forget about waiting.

-Sydney Metrick