Syndrome rocking chair: how to stop preparing and start acting

You have almost certainly this happened: Sunbathing you some idea and you can not wait to immediately start to do something. But before you make the first steps you need to, of course, be prepared - to read dozen books, The experience of other people, make a plan to pump certain skills.

And you begin to buy motivational books, listen to webinars plan. But while no one centimeter is not close to the target. We understand why this is happening and what to do.

What is the syndrome of rocking chairs, and where it is taken

For such a situation, when you seem to be doing something, but it will not move, there is an informal, but rather ironic name - "syndrome of rocking chairs" Of course, this is not a medical diagnosis, and not a psychological term. This concept is sometimes slipsThe Rocking Chair Syndrome blogs and very accurately describes what is happening.

Surrounded by books, podcastsWebinars and advice you at first glance, to take some steps, but really just to sway back and forth, as if sitting in a rocking chair. Sometimes this condition is also called "retrained". Why is all this happening to you? There are several reasons.

1. You are plagued by fears

A great many different fears that literally paralyze and hinder not only to achieve the desired, but even just to act. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of success (yes, there are such - because if you succeed in something, your life can change irreversibly).

Mechanism about such. You are afraid, for example, set up your business.

Are you afraid that lose money, fear of instability, condemning relatives are afraid that not cope.

But to admit this is difficult: you've already set a target, promised myself, and perhaps publicly stated that open, say, score. Sit still, do not be afraid of anything, and in this situation is already a shame, and rush into the pool with his head very scary.

Therefore, you create something like the illusion of intense activity - go on courses, read the articles for entrepreneurs to make plans and prepare in every way. And do so for months, if not years. As a result, no shop and do not open.

2. You aspire to the ideal

Do not agree to anything less. Perfectionism in the world today - almost a disease. The disease, which affects every yearPerfectionism on the Rise Among College Students more and more people, and that prevents us from enjoying life, and leads to anxiety and depression. There are several varieties of perfectionism, but the common denominator is they have one, "it is better not to do at all than to make faulty."

Guided by this principle, a person lays frightening things, starts frantically prokrastinirovat and eventually experiencing paralysisYou Are not Lazy - You're Just Terrified: On Paralysis And Perfectionism actions. This is part of a vicious circle in which we are driving the perfectionism.

That is the state when you are tired of watching videos on YouTube and anxiously wandering around the room, unable to get down to business.

In the case of the syndrome rocking chairs we prokrastiniruem more or less productive (although this is how you look). Learn something, we make plans, reflect, communicate with people and try to get useful information. But read stories about how people learn Chinese - not the same thing as learning the language. In fact, it is still procrastinationThat distracts us from the main point.

3. Around too much information

Available knowledge and assistance - it is certainly good. No need to dig into the libraries, to collect information bit by bit, to look for experts to travel across town to costly studies. But this accessibility has a dark side.

Books, courses, consultations and services became so much that anyone can head go round. This abundance is very difficult to navigate: it is not clear how to distinguish truth from falsehood, and useful information - from transfusion from a sieve.

In addition, overly rich selection - is not always good.

If too many options, it is easy to fall into a stupor. And instead of having to start to take decisive action - infinitely to touch books, articles and webinars in the search for the most suitable.

Danger rich selection of the way, and scientists confirmed. So, in the course of their experimentWhen Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? people are more willing to buy jam if the stand stood six different jars. And they refuse to buy if the flavors were more than 20. This is known marketers and owners of large stores - and specifically removed from the shelves of the goods to the abundance not confuse us.

How to get out of the rocking chair, and start acting

1. Limit selection

It is necessary to quickly make a decision and start already to act rather than to prepare. I agree with him that at first no longer will read five books and will pass no more than two training courses.

For example, you can set yourself a condition that will only read the works of foreign authors, or only those that came out last year.

Try to set a time limit: do not spend more than one day on the selection of the appropriate literature or course. In short, experiment, to discard unnecessary and force yourself to decide as quickly as possible.

2. Follow the rule of "the sooner, the better"

This is one of the techniques that will help you deal with perfectionism. Take it for granted that at this stage for you to speed is important, not the quality. Install as soon as possible and immediately get to work.

For example, promise yourself that by the end of the week will learn 30 new words and 15 basic cues of a new foreign language. Or write for three days and three thousand words.

You can break a big goal for many tiny steps and over each of them run sprints.

Try to use timer or to participate in the creative or sports marathon. In short, use any of the methods that will help you get into the flow and not be distracted by self-criticism. Yes, the result is not ideal. But make adjustments to the finished work easier than starting it from scratch.

3. Follow the preparation and implementation of the balance

Try this technique here. Draw a table of two columns. At first you will be making the case that focused on preparations for the new undertaking, the second - the actual steps. The ratio of the tasks shall not be greater than 2: 1. That is, try to come at least one real step in the two preparatory steps.

On the example of a business it might look something like this. First column: read the new book about personal brand, watch a webinar on how to open a shop. The second column: look for a room for rent. If you take a foreign language, in preparatory column is, for example, the choice of a textbook and reading the blog, who leads a popular teacher. A column in the action will be the task like "to learn a simple dialog", "learn how to count to 10".

Thus you will become not only a theorist but a practitioner.