Pouring tea © by KaiChanVong

Often it’s hard to get started on a project. We know what needs to be done and yet we feel unable to start moving. We know we need to write an essay and yet we can’t find the will to open the word processor. We know we need to exercise and yet we can’t even get out of the door.

Overcoming inertia is a serious problem.

And yet, once we get started we often find ourselves hitting a period of flow. Have you ever gone for a run and began to lose track of time? Have you ever been so engrossed by a speaker that you felt lost in his story? Have you ever felt so compelled by a problem that you just couldn’t let it go? These are periods of complete focus and once we start a project they occur with surprising frequency.

So what’s the challenge? The challenge is getting moving and taking that first step. The challenge is finding a way to start.

My advice is to start slowly, become aware, and relax into your work. If you want to start writing an essay tell yourself that all you need to do is open a document and write down the title of the assignment. If you want to go for a run tell yourself that you just need to get out of the door. If you want to complete your reading say that you’ll just read that first page.

Find that first step and focus on it completely.

Once you get started it’s hard to change your direction again—inertia is now on your side.

So next time you feel stuck and don’t want to get moving, make yourself a cup of tea, take a deep breath, become aware, and relax into your work focusing on that first page, that first step, or that first sentence.

In no time you’ll be lost in your flow.