You might be rolling your eyes at what certainly reads like a clickbait title.

No one goes to the internet in hopes of finding a wise old saint, sitting cross-legged atop a pillar in front of a gushing waterfall, passing down to you his ancient, well-kept secrets that’ll cull all of your procrastinating habits.

Then again, I’ve tried.

I’d reached a point where I would try just about anything to get work done, because while procrastination is the hog wild monkey that leaps from distraction to distraction, guilty of pulling you away from what you don’t want to do, it’s often even guiltier of pulling you away from the things you actually want to do.

I know I’d be more creatively fulfilled if I just swallowed my fears and started writing that novel, no matter how wary I am about producing the worst literary trash known to man.

I know I’m doing the future a disservice by taking it easy in the present. I also know that true self discipline lies on the opposite side of instant gratification.

But I sure love spending three hours straight immersing myself in a video game or consuming everything my TikTok “For You” page has to show me for an hour before bed.

There’s actually something to be said about deliberately wasting time and making the conscious choice to do absolutely nothing.

At a time when we’re all trying to “maximise” everything that we do, from washing the dishes to tying our shoelaces, there is worth in slowing down and allowing yourself to pass the time without expecting anything from yourself.

That said, avoiding what you have to do is also a consequence of what I’m terming as an influx of “super productivity”, even if you’re not concerned with achieving 12 things at once, you probably know someone who can do it all.

They’re probably doing pilates while simultaneously writing their PHD thesis and coding an indie video game right now.

How many times have you looked at a prolific friend, or a coworker, or even a family member, and thought, “how do they do it?”

Do they have a quantum computer for a brain? Did they win the genetic lottery? Were they just built different?

While it takes little to no effort for me to convince myself that there’s just something special about these people, I do think there’s really only one crucial difference that sets us apart.

It’s their ability to start.

The first ten minutes you spend exercising are the most excruciating. The first look at a blank document is the most intimidating. The first step is always going to trip you up, and starting is the hardest part.

We like to imagine motivation as this whimsical fossil fuel.

Social media has wrought overexposure to everyone else’s success, forcing us to witness idealistic flash reels of what might be years or lifetimes worth of effort.

So it’s no wonder motivation’s in short supply.

But it should not be confused for inspiration.

I am often inspired to take a hike, or start my own book club, or plan a solo-trip to Japan, but that doesn’t guarantee that I’m motivated to do those things.

However, when I sit down, put my hands up in surrender and tell myself to wait for that lightning strike of motivation, it has never come.

There have been days where I dragged myself–mentally kicking and screaming–to the gym though. I felt like a prisoner being made to cross a bed of coals as I did it, but once I got there, I suddenly found it.

That magical instinct, the elusive motivation that had been eluding me all along.

Motivation is not always the willingness to start. Motivation often comes after you start.

Instead of shuffling your feet and waiting around for it, start forcing it.

Remind yourself that all you have to do is to put yourself in a position where you have no choice but to do the thing, and motivation will reluctantly follow.

It won’t always last, but every time you feel like it’s about to run out, you’ll surprise yourself, and find that you may have another drop left.

As far as I know, successful people are not a different species.

They’re not extraterrestrials or post-human cyborgs or genetically enhanced.

There is no difference between you and the successful people you want to emulate.

Not if you can usher motivation to come to you like a hesitant dog gently lead by the hand.

In time, you may find that those small drops of motivation become an ocean.

P.S Why Procrasters Procrastinate – I recommend this great read on procrastination for anyone seeking deeper insight into the “why” behind our general lack of motivation to begin.