Has this ever happened to you? You have a project, but you can't seem to get going. In this and the next two posts, we'll explore three ways that this can happen, including:

1 - A lack of motivation. (discussed in this post)

2 - An inability to figure out the next steps.

3 - Apparent interruptions by life itself.

Let's take a look at the first way: Lack of motivation

Suppose you might find yourself unmotivated. You don't want to do what you know needs to be done. (I presume  this is bothers you. If not, why are you reading this post?)

What follows is a method that works for me and others to whom I've suggested it. I got the idea from W. Clement Stone's book, The Success System that Never Fails, where at the end of each chapter, he has summaries called Little Hinges That Swing Big Doors. Here are some hinges.

a - Pick an small task that you can accomplish in 5 minutes or less. Write it down (on paper or electronically). Come up with and write down two more. Add checkboxes to each item.  (Hint: if your using program that doesn't show checkboxes, use a simple coding system like this: o, +, and /

o = open
+ = completed
/ = canceled

Each task should be small; doable in less than 5 minutes. So three tasks implies about 15 minutes.  Check off each task as you do it. Let yourself feel the pleasure, even if small, in getting it done.

Usually, this is enough to put me into a more motivated state. Occasionally I've had to do a few more tasks, but you get the idea.

Hint: Making the task a real one instead of a "make work" task will is better. But even a totally unrelated task can help. The main thing is to make it small enough to do in less than 5 minutes and to then do it.

Why it works: In my experience, it is easy to lose the feeling related to accomplishment. By using very small tasks, it is easy to get something done and get a fresh dose of that experience.s

If you try this, I'd love to know the results: win, lose or draw.