In this post, Think Productive UK founder Graham Allcott tackles the subject of resistance – that “thing” that stops you being productive
Living somewhere deep inside your soul is a nasty, evil little creature. It’s cunning, it’s invisible, it’s spiteful, it’s needy, it’s reckless, it’s jealous and worst of all, it knows you better than you know yourself.
This awful monster is your resistance.
It can manifest itself in so many different forms. Here are some common forms of resistance for you to look out for.
(Print out the list below, keep it next to you today, see how many you come across, tick them off and add your own!)
[ ] Being a perfectionist.
[ ] Arranging a meeting about doing the work you could just do now.
[ ] Spending ages changing fonts, styles or titles when the rest of the work is already done.
[ ] Spending hours on research or data collection.
[ ] Leaving out the controversial or interesting bits.
[ ] Over-organising.
[ ] Being afraid of change.
[ ] Criticising people for trying to be innovative or different.
[ ] Worrying more about the word count than the words.
[ ] Obsessively checking your work.
[ ] Asking others for reassurance disguised as feedback.
[ ] Making a cup of tea instead of starting a courageous conversation.
[ ] Playing with productivity apps on your phone rather than being more productive.
[ ] ………………………………………………………
[ ] ………………………………………………………
[ ] ………………………………………………………
What you’ll notice is that so many of these hit straight to the heart of our proactive attention and distract us with powerful emotions and ingrained habits. Recognising resistance is the vital first stage. Once you recognise anything resembling resistance, the battle begins.
Like this? Try these
Sign up for one of our Time Management workshops (with a difference)
DEFINITION: The lizard brain | thinkproductive.co.uk
Advanced Pomodoro Technique – stop procrastinating | thinkproductive.co.uk
Resistance to productivity Facile Things
Beat Resistance with The War of Art Lifehacker
