When You Want to Start… But Don’t!
How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon? - Dr Seuss
So wise as always, Doctor. As always, his reflective rhymes give us a reason to “think”. The question is, have you ever wanted to start something—wanted to—but for some reason, just… didn’t?
You think about it all the time. Maybe it’s a creative project, a habit you want to build, a message you’ve been meaning to send, or something bigger you’ve been dreaming about for ages. You care about it. You know it matters to you. But somehow, starting feels impossible.
I planned to be busy, I planned to be great, But somehow my plans always show up late. I doodled, I Googled, I stared at the wall, I answered one text, then I answered them all - DP Herbals
If that’s where you are right now, I get it. Truly. I’ve been there too—more than once.
It’s not always about laziness. It rarely is. Sometimes it’s fear — fear of getting it wrong, of not doing it well enough, or of facing the gap between the idea in your head and the version you’re able to create. Other times, it’s that overwhelming fog where everything just feels too much, even if the task itself isn’t huge.
And then, when you don’t start, you start judging yourself. You think; I have time, I care about this, so why am I not doing it? That self-criticism adds another layer, and it makes it even harder to begin.
But here’s something that’s helped me when I’ve been stuck:
Lower the pressure. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You don’t even have to do it well—yet. Permit yourself to do a messy first draft, to just show up imperfectly.
Break it down. What’s the smallest possible step you can take right now? One note. One idea. Five minutes. That’s all it takes to start shifting the energy.
Be kind to yourself. Procrastination doesn’t mean you don’t care. It just means something—usually hidden—is holding you back. Get curious about that, not critical.
Reconnect with your why. Why did you want to do this in the first place? What would it feel like to have done even part of it?
The funny thing is, once you finally start—even just a little—the heaviness starts to lift. It might still be challenging, sure. But the act of not doing it often feels worse than just doing a tiny, imperfect piece.
So here I now sit, with my work still undone, The race hasn’t started, but I think I’ve won!
For though I’ve done nothing, I’ve mastered the art— Of putting off things with a passionate heart! (DP Herbals)
So if there’s something you’ve been putting off—something you care about—consider this your gentle nudge. You don’t have to finish it today. You don’t have to get it perfect. Just take one small step. I promise, it’s lighter on the other side of stuck!
