Why does my mind go blank when its actually time to do the hard work?

[dompie85]

Im sorry if this was asked before, but i attempted to search and my search yielded various results, including query too long.

So, I get all hyped up and know that "this is what i have to do, and that, and that as well", but when its time to sit down to actually "do the hard work" my mind just goes blank. its like the moment i open my laptop, im practically frozen, completely forgot the details of what i have to do, and have a strong urge to just do other fun things. Even if i make notes, i stare at them and wonder what exactly i meant by what i wrote or how i planned to tackle a certain task. This has a tendency to fade away virtually immediately when i step away from attempting to do the hard work! Its quite annoying to be honest.

I'm thinking it may be dopamine/instant gratification related. Maybe a dopamine detox could help i guess

 

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[Skroob]

Hard work is hard. That's what keeps everyone from doing it!

This happens to me in one of two ways. The first, my mind goes blank because it starts wanting to do other, easier stuff. Watch YouTube videos, research something or other, get distracted. Action faking. The other... I can get lost in a downward spiral of imposter syndrome. "This is supposed to be easy for me because of all my experience and talent! But it isn't! I must not be as good as I thought!"

Either way, the best way out for me has been breaking things down into small pieces. Smaller than you think is necessary. For example, I had a task on my to do list: "Build backend" (Basically, to build the API and database backend for a project I'm working on.) That was far too broad. I started it 5 times and got stuck in the imposter syndrome spiral each time. I broke it into smaller tasks ("Choose backend tech stack", "build database schema", etc), and that was too broad as well. I only cracked it when I broke each of those down into very specific, tiny pieces. "Try Vapor backend stack", "Try PB backend stack", "Try Node backend stack", "Choose the one you liked the best", "Create Message object", "Create user object"... You get the idea. That way, by the time I'd done anything at all, I had 8 things checked off in my list and I fooled my jerk brain into thinking I was on a roll.

 

[Itizn]

You probably have zero interest in any aspect of the work you are attempting to do.

 

[PureA]

read the war of art.

Everyone faces this problem. It's the price you pay. Do you want it or not?

 

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[Andreas Thiel]

I noticed that my inner dialogue has degraded. Might be a related aspect.

There is a similar common complaint. People wonder why they have these clear pictures in their head and can't put (draw / paint) them on paper.

I think it is an illusion. You don't actually have that clear picture in your head, but a vague one and strong convincing feelings pop up that you have when you actually look at a detailed picture.

I think academia gets this right. If I were you I'd try to approach this like an academic paper. When journaling is a braindump, then writing this paper is about creating structure. That process can reveal issues. People might argue that this is a waste of time, don't complicate things, but their alignment of inner dialogue and taking action probably hasn't degraded like that.
I think I need to take very explicit steps to strengthen claer thinking while I am working.

GoalSumo.com (have you seen and considered that?) has been really painful for me, but I understand that this is simply because it reveals the issues that have been piling up with my previous approach and it will get easier once the backlog (pile of shame) has been cleared.

 

[StrikingViper69]

Do you break your projects down into bitesize tasks?

I plan my day the night before, writing out a the tasks to get done the next day. The tasks are all bitesize things I can do in one "session".

If you sit down without a clear plan of what you are about to do it can be hard to start.

 

[fastlane_dad]

Do you break your projects down into bitesize tasks?

I plan my day the night before, writing out a the tasks to get done the next day. The tasks are all bitesize things I can do in one "session".

If you sit down without a clear plan of what you are about to do it can be hard to start.

This.

You shouldn't have to 'stare at notes' to figure out what you meant by it. You should have a larger goal that is broken down into steps you can take today. The smaller the better.

Words written down such as 'Make a Website About Kittens' means nothing. BUT action tasks broken down as ... with lead you down the right path.

1. Think of and Register a domain name
2. Start off by...'Research one breed of cat and write one article'
3. Install a template to be used to fill out your website
4. Add one page with 3 cat toys people can purchase (with affiliate link going to Amazon)
4. ETC.

There should not be much ambiguity in what your tasks are when you have each specific task outlined. It's almost like you have to give yourself homework, and execute on it. Simple, but not easy.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Do you break your projects down into bitesize tasks?

X 100.

Nothing wrong with having big, ambitious goals, even goals that might appear "unrealistic" today.

Anything that can be apportioned into smaller goals, and ultimately, get to your "to do list" can be achieved.

Then those smaller achievements fire your feedback loop for larger goals.

Forget SMART Goals, Use the SMARTER Goal Framework for Setting and Achieving Goals

SMART helps you set goals. SMARTER helps you execute them. Use the SMARTER goal setting framework to turn your dreams into reality.

GoalSumo.com.com

 

[dompie85]

Do you break your projects down into bitesize tasks?

I plan my day the night before, writing out a the tasks to get done the next day. The tasks are all bitesize things I can do in one "session".

If you sit down without a clear plan of what you are about to do it can be hard to start.

Honestly thought I did, but it obviously wasn’t. While I do write down overall goals, it takes some time figuring out how to break the task down. And when I do manage to break the task down, there’s gaps. I’ll dedicate more time to breaking down tasks and then execute on them.

Also, nuggets of what to do to complete the ask at hand come to me sporadically and randomly. So to quickly notate these tasks, I purchased a pocket voice recorder. Just came in today and looking forward to see how this may help expanding on my tasks. If help at all.

How do you manage your tasks for successful completion?

 

[StrikingViper69]

Honestly thought I did, but it obviously wasn’t. While I do write down overall goals, it takes some time figuring out how to break the task down. And when I do manage to break the task down, there’s gaps. I’ll dedicate more time to breaking down tasks and then execute on them.

Also, nuggets of what to do to complete the ask at hand come to me sporadically and randomly. So to quickly notate these tasks, I purchased a pocket voice recorder. Just came in today and looking forward to see how this may help expanding on my tasks. If help at all.

How do you manage your tasks for successful completion?

Text file on my computer. I brainstorm through what projects I want to do then what they need. I keep notes on each project in a new file/folder - links to websites, quotes, whatever. I keep a pad of paper on my desk I use for daily planning. Another text file for my project plans across the year.

It's also helpful to record your ideas. For example, I wrote a book last year and I'm planning to update it in November this year. Whenever I have an idea for it, I put it in the appropriate text file so that I can refer to it later.

Figuring out the tasks, and doing the tasks, are two separate things.

 

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[Andy Black]

Im sorry if this was asked before, but i attempted to search and my search yielded various results, including query too long.

So, I get all hyped up and know that "this is what i have to do, and that, and that as well", but when its time to sit down to actually "do the hard work" my mind just goes blank. its like the moment i open my laptop, im practically frozen, completely forgot the details of what i have to do, and have a strong urge to just do other fun things. Even if i make notes, i stare at them and wonder what exactly i meant by what i wrote or how i planned to tackle a certain task. This has a tendency to fade away virtually immediately when i step away from attempting to do the hard work! Its quite annoying to be honest.

I'm thinking it may be dopamine/instant gratification related. Maybe a dopamine detox could help i guess

As others have said, it's likely you're not writing your tasks down well enough.

Can you give us an example of a task you sat down to do where your mind went blank?

Did you write it down or not?

 

[Damien C]

I think your first mistake is framing the work as "hard" - it's putting up an unnecessary psychological barrier between yourself and the tasks you know you should complete to achieve a broader goal.

Instead of "I have to ________" try "I get to _________"
Instead of I need to _________ " try "I choose to ______ because __________

And agree with others. Break your projects down into small / micro tasks and chip away at your list over time. Accept that you aren't going to get anywhere in a couple of days. Anything truly worth doing is going to take months if not years but at some point if you continue, you will emerge victorious.

 

[Robdavis]

Also, nuggets of what to do to complete the ask at hand come to me sporadically and randomly.

You should know what needs to be done to complete a task when you define it in the first place. When you are breaking down your goals you should be aiming to get to tasks that maybe will take around an hour.

So your tasks should be things like:
1) Email five potential customers with personalized emails to inform them of my product / service and how I can help them.
2) Pack ten customers' products into boxes, seal the boxes and place appropriate shipping labels on the boxes.
3) Spend an hour researching some sub-contractors so that I build a short list of suitable sub-contractors that I can approach later to outsource some work package.

You don't want woolly stuff like:
1) Spend today improving business plan.
2) Come up with some ideas to make product better.
3) Find some marketing training.
4) Contact some customers and ask them if they are happy.
5) Redesign letterhead / logo (corporate stuff) to make it more up to date and nicer.

These latter tasks can easily become open ended and they aren't really obviously aligned with any higher goals.
For example, task 2: Come up with some ideas to make product better. What does better mean? Does it mean cheaper, more expensive, more reliable, more efficient, easier to use, more luxurious, louder, quieter, etc. What does this task mean? If this was your task, you would have to rewrite it to make it executable in the first place.

 

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[Andy Black]

@dompie85 ... Have you tried MJ's GoalSumo: Supercharge Goal Achievement and Turn Your Big Dreams into Reality