Good Days & Not As Good Ones Too

One of the things I struggle with, seemingly constantly, is just getting started. What is extra weird is that what the thing is doesn’t seem to matter, whether I’m interested in it or just have to do it. It’s also not consistent.

Some days, the good days, I can wake up full of energy, start on my to-do list, and get an extraordinary amount done quickly. On not-as-good days, though, it feels like an enormous effort to start thinking about starting something. On those not-as-good days, it feels as if I am treading water with my head barely bobbing on the surface, struggling just to get a breath. To add to this oddity, which days are which or seemingly no reason. Something can completely derail me on a good day, and I’m right back in the water. Something might rip me out of the water on not-as-good days, and I’m sailing faster than I could have imagined that morning. It’s infuriating (and the water metaphors will also stop now. I have no idea where they came from).

However, one tiny thing I found that seems to help with this crazy cycle is to convince myself that I just need to do something for 25 minutes. I borrowed the idea from the Pomodoro Method, which describes cycles of 25 minutes of work followed by 5-minute breaks (simplified). Tons of studies have been done on this method, but I’ll simply mention what does and doesn’t work for me.

I still need to tinker with the exact time to see what works for me. On terrible days, 25 minutes seems overwhelming. However, I can usually convince myself I only need to do something for 25 minutes. Chances are good that once I start something and manage not to get distracted, I’ll get in a groove and want to keep going when the timer ends. I usually only try to get started and not work in the cycles because my 5-minute breaks never stay 5 minutes, and I find myself back to needing to get started. I also get frustrated if I’m in a flow state and interrupted.

I have no hard evidence that this will work for anyone else, but if you find yourself feeling underwater, set a timer for a short, obtainable time and convince yourself you only have to work that long. If the timer goes off and you still feel underwater, take a break, get some coffee and water, and try to get started again shortly for another, maybe shorter, amount of time.

Please let me know if you have any methods or tips for getting started and into a flow state! I’m always game to try something and see if it works.