The Struggle Against Procrastination

The greatest enemy of creativity is not inability, but procrastination.

I’m no stranger to procrastination. I’m so well acquainted with it because it shows up every single day. Yet it manages to slip by me. The major problem is that procrastination is stealthy. It hides in plain sight as tasks that you falsely think must be completed before you can start: research that must be done, calls that have to be made, or the most sinister of all: productivity systems you build that you think will help you, but keep you from working on the actual thing. These activities are seductive because it feels like they get you closer to your goal. It’s like packing two different pairs of hiking boots without going on the hike. You might be prepared, but preparedness only helps if you do the thing you’re preparing for. Some might argue that doing these kinds of activities is still better than not doing anything. But both have one thing in common: the most important thing doesn’t get done. It’s as if there’s this demon inside your head that stops you from reaching your ambitions.

Steven Pressfield calls this demon “The Resistance” – and it’s the nemesis of many creatives. It’s this invisible force that pulls you back in the sweet state of putting work off. The moment you start pushing against it, the war begins. The battle against The Resistance is not just tough. It’s also tiring, because it has to be fought anew every single day.

And for the past week, it ran laps around me. This blog post was created after a week-long procrastination from yours truly. I’d love to give you practical tips on how to start winning round after round against The Resistance. I don’t have any but one – just start. That makes winning against it simple, but not easy. I conceived every single strategy to get this blog post done except just writing the darn thing.

Until I did. Until I just started writing. Then the Resistance vanished. Not after a minute. Not after ten seconds. It vanished instantly.

The next time the Resistance threatens you, take the leap by making the smallest step possible. The Resistance will vanish and you will get closer to finishing the work that truly matters to you.