That sounds awfully dramatic, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth!
I have a project that has been sitting on my back burner for so long, it’s blending in with the decor. It’s a terrific project, a great idea, something that, if I can get it off the ground,will enable me to help people make major positive changes in their lives…
But, there it sits.
And the thing is, I already started it, awhile back. So it’s not about starting this project, and feeling overwhelmed. It’s about starting AGAIN.
It’s that same feeling you get when you’ve been going to the gym consistently, and then life happens, and you miss one workout, and another, and another. It’s almost harder to go BACK to the gym than it was to start in the first place.
What’s up with that?
When we are starting something new, there’s excitement. There’s anticipation. Using the gym example, there are so many possibilities-feeling great, looking chiseled, meeting new people.
But that excitement isn’t really there when we go BACK to something we’ve done in the recent past. Sure, we know it’s a good idea, we looked and felt much better when we were working out often, but it’s really hard to drum up that “new” feeling that kicks our enthusiasm-and our dopamine-up several notches.
And that’s exactly what I have run into with my project. I know it’s a great idea, but I also can’t garner that “Yahoo!” feeling. The newness isn’t there. Plus I also know about the downside-that I actually have to do work to make it happen!
Enter body doubling. Body doubling is when we work alongside someone, as opposed to with them. It is a great way to keep working-you’re not going to start playing on your phone when you’ve committed to working and your body double can see you. So it works fantastically well for distractions.
But as an incentive to start a task? Yup!
A friend offered to body double with me while I work on this project. She had some work to do as well, so we would both benefit.
And suddenly, the newness was there! I was going to work with my friend! And be able to share my progress!
This new twist made all the difference.
So far, we’ve body doubled once, and now, I’m working away on my project even when she’s not around, so I can tell her how far I’ve come since I saw her last. Accountability is built into the process, along with having a work buddy.
Now, there is actually hope of completing this project in the foreseeable future, which could really be a game changer for me, and others.
The project is off the back burner. In fact-it’s got a hell of a fire under it. Thanks to body doubling.
If you are interested in body doubling with me, you can register for my weekly Monday afternoon sessions-FREE! Here’s the link: https://calendly.com/constellationadhdcoach/body-doubling