How to Start a Project You've Been Avoiding

Is there a project, hobby, or task that’s been on your mind for some time now? Maybe you’ve been meaning to fix something, learn a new skill, or create something.

Getting started is often the hardest part, and any momentum can also get derailed by procrastination.

There’s a simple method that can help ease you out of avoidance and get you moving. Here’s how to get started on that project you’ve been avoiding.

Assess Where You’re Currently Struggling

The easiest way to start and maintain projects is to first figure out what typically gets in the way of getting started. This little meta exercise can give you some much needed direction. Check in with yourself:

Does it feel like too much effort?
Not sure where to start?
Afraid it’s not going to turn out OK?

If it’s feeling overwhelming or like too much work, this could be a sign that your brain condensed this entire project into one giant lump, instead of a project with steps.

It’s unlikely you’d start and finish an entire project or task in one sitting (and even if you could, it’s literally impossible to do everything all at once), so you’d need to separate out all the parts involved into chronological steps.

Think about: what would it take for you to actually start right now?

If you need to repair something, you’d need to have access to all the tools involved. You’d also want to note whether there are any parts of the repair that require more education (and YouTube videos count).
If you need to create a presentation, you might need to have Keynote or PowerPoint open and a template already picked out.
If you want to draw or sketch, you’d probably need to have your paper out or sketchpad open and all of your pencils (or pastels, or whatever) sitting next to it.

The key is to figure out where to start, then set everything up ahead of time so that it’s sitting in front of you instead of having all the information floating around in your head.

A Trick to Help You Get Started

Instead of setting everything and then getting started, it far more beneficial to set up ahead of time. Think of it as table setting.

Set everything up ahead of time, but in a specific way: get your project or task all set up specifically when you can’t work on it.

The point of this to make it as easy as possible when you are available. Setting up and starting all in one go can be too much or overwhelming, so it’s better to set it up when you know for a fact that you don’t have time to start.

This simple little trick can help you get started because it takes the pressure off and makes the entire process easier. You might avoid setting up because you don’t want to get started, and you likely avoid starting because it’s not set up and ready to go. It’s a vicious cycle that you can quickly interrupt, making it more likely getting started isn’t such a hurdle.

Try to pick a time that’s not too far in advance, but also not immediate. You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time between setting up and starting, but not so much time that it’s just another form of avoidance.

Get everything set up enough so that you could theoretically start. This could be as simple as getting a program open on your computer and naming the file, or getting every single supply laid out. Experiment to see what works best for you.

Putting This Trick Into Action

Here’s my own example of putting this in practice in action.

I enjoy drawing and painting, and yet I often procrastinate on starting a new art project (or continuing to work on one). Sometimes it’s because I don’t feel like it or it feels like too much work to get everything together. Other times it’s because I’m feeling insecure about my artistic abilities.

Either way, the barrier to entry is often the effort it takes just to have my art supplies set up and ready to go. Even if I’m excited and confident about an idea, I might still feel hesitant to take the first step.

I avoided a painting for A YEAR because of this.

Now I have a totally different approach that works every time I implement it:

I pick a time when I’m already in motion, like cleaning or organizing. I have the TV on or music playing in the background
I set up my art space by laying down a protective cloth, my canvas or paper, and whatever particular supplies I need
Then I walk away and finish my other tasks

Almost every single time I come back to start my project because it’s too convenient not to! It would be more effort to put everything away than to start working on it.

I find this method also helps me overcome my insecurity or worries about how it will turn out. It’s much easier to just sit down and start without thinking too much about it, which prevents overwhelm.

Why This Method Works

Why does this method work so well?

It’s because you’re using your avoidance for good, rather than making an uncomfortable feeling go away. Procrastination is due to an unaddressed emotional reaction, and not laziness or a lack of motivation.

Sometimes you don’t feel capable, you’re worried you’re going to do a bad job, or you don’t know the exact “right” way to get started.

Having all the supplies out and ready to go, so all you have to do is sit down and start, makes it a million times easier for you to notice and name your underlying emotional reaction. Once you recognize how you’re feeling, you get to make a choice.

Personally, it helps me tolerate the discomfort of starting something I’m worried won’t turn out well. It allows me to encourage myself by recognizing each time I go for it, I’ll make progress and get better.

And since everything is ready to go, it feels like less of a risk or investment to start. It’ll also help you recognize when you need help: if you’re unsure how to “table set” your project, this is valuable information. It tells you that you either need support, guidance, or education.

Related: How to Stop Procrastinating

How to make better choices

Addressing how you feel also gives you the chance to make better choices.

You can feel a certain way and choose to act in a different way. It’s really challenging and much easier said than done, but it’s entirely possible.

You can feel a resistance towards something and still choose to engage with it. You can feel like ignoring something and still choose to address it.

How?

You’ll have to tolerate the discomfort of not listening to your feelings when they’re being unhelpful. While feelings can be powerful or even overwhelming, they’re not always good guidance for your behavior.

Feelings of avoidance can be helpful or unhelpful, depending on the context and the reasons. Stopping at a red light to avoid an accident is very helpful, but not leaving the house to avoid an accident isn’t.

Examples:

Helpful avoidance: Waiting to start working on a presentation because you need someone to confirm the data you’re presenting
Unhelpful avoidance: Waiting to start working on a presentation because you’re unsure if it will be good enough

Which category does your avoidance typically fall under?

If you’re finding your avoidance is a bit irrational, think about how you’d act differently if that uncomfortable feeling went away. What’s the first thing you’d do? If your avoidance is mostly unhelpful, I’m hopeful this simple method will allow you to get over the hump of getting started.

Try this method the next time you avoid starting (or continuing) a project, assignment, or whatever else you’d like to get done. I hope you’ll find it helps you overcome the urge to avoid and instead get excited about whatever you’re working on.

For a deeper dive into procrastination, check out my other post: 5 Simple Ways To Stop Procrastinating. You’ll find some additional information about the root causes, how to overcome the mental blocks, and some additional practical tips.