If you are like me, you have a lot of article ideas that you want to write. A lot of projects that you have put on Trello. A lot of products that you want to start and finish.
There is one common thing in all of them: You just do not know which one you should start now. As such, you waste this moment and procrastinate.
You jump into something else, that gives you more pleasure, as you do not have the courage to choose something.
“Maybe there’s something more important that I could be doing.”
Should you start this article or that article? What if I keep brainstorming about new article ideas and maybe somehow I will be able to write one later?
Wait a second…
What if a donkey could teach us something about this?
Maybe you have heard this story before:
Buridan’s donkey is standing halfway between a pile of hay and a bucket of water. It keeps looking left and right, trying to decide between hay and water. Unable to decide, it eventually dies of hunger and thirst.
A donkey is not that smart and tries to think of ways of reaching both of them at the same time. He cannot imagine that he could choose randomly one and then move on to the next one. If he were smarter, he could first drink the water, and then go and eat the hay.
The thing is, no matter how many ideas for any creative work that you may have, they do not get finished on their own.
It’s as simple as that. Yes, you read that correctly. Let that sink in: No matter how many new ideas you get, the ones that you have had already aren’t going to turn into finished articles, or products on their own.
It is physically impossible for us to be in New York and in Singapore at the same time.
We all know and full-heartedly admit that. Still, when it comes to our goals, and the things we want in life, we simply tend to forget exactly that.
Simply start with an idea.
Is that the perfect choice at this moment?
It doesn’t matter.
Your choice of the next idea that you plan to work on isn’t usually a life-or-death matter.
Pick one thing and continue with it. You can work on other ideas later.
Break the article into the headlines that you intend to include. Start with the first paragraph. Take a break and celebrate this progress. Continue writing until you are done.
Repeat the cycle for other articles.
Do not let the overwhelming list of many options damage your progress.
Too much analysis converts into paralysis. Paralysis of your movement and progress towards your finished idea.
Stop overthinking. Start doing.
Let the world enjoy the fruits of your labor by finishing one thing at a time.
