Comments on: Why “Just Do It” Is Still The Best Productivity Advice

By: Simple Productivity Blog

Simple Productivity Blog — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:02:28 +0000

By: Arjan Zuidhof

Arjan Zuidhof — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:17:07 +0000

By: James

James — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:56:31 +0000

Lots of comments, thankyou!

Sam and Aaron, I agree that just doing it doesn’t hold the same interest as trying to come up with different systems, lifehacking, experimenting with tools, etc. We like puzzles and solving “problems” even if that problem is in our heads.

Nowadays, I look at my to-do list and I just have to complete the stuff on it (note that that is only a handful of tasks a day so it’s not like it’s a big list) regardless of whether I’m tired or feeling unproductive or whatever. It takes a bit of practise just like building any habit but it’s invaluable once you’ve developed it.

By: Armen Shirvanian

Armen Shirvanian — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:23:56 +0000

Hi James.

I’m all about this. The quicker I just do it, the sooner I get results. You get back what you put in, and I’m focusing on that creation and consumption ratio at all times.

You are right about the point where you say that it can become something that is not as obvious as it was before. At that point, it is up to us to break the new it down into pieces that make sense.

By: Karen Sladick

Karen Sladick — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:03:40 +0000

I completely agree. This is actually part of a class I teach called the GO System. If you have anything that you can do in sixty seconds or less, just do it! So often people look at tasks and say, “Oh, I’ll get to it later”. And off it goes on a stack. Those stacks lead to clutter and clutter leads to distractions. There is a great book called Following Through by Steve Levinson and a quote from that book states “There is nothing more daunting than the hanging on of an uncompleted task”. So true.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:57:29 +0000

It’s always more fun to spend eight hours to find the perfect shortcut for that job that should take ten minutes!

By: Sam Spurlin

Sam Spurlin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:54:16 +0000

This is really what it always boils down to. Unfortunately, just doing it doesn’t seem to have the same appeal as endless lists of tips and tricks. I think people don’t want to admit that it really is as simple as just buckling down and doing the work. The endless search for the perfect tip or the best hack can be much more entertaining than putting your nose to the grindstone and actually getting things done.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:26:03 +0000

It’s amazing how many people are wasting time, justifying their own procrastination, instead of just doing it.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:23:47 +0000

I think there is a lot to be said for just doing it. Procrastination is something I deal with everyday and most of the time, it’s because I have unpleasant or difficult work ahead of me. If I simply just do it, then it gets done. If I pick ten other easier tasks (which happens a lot), it will get done next week. I think you make a great point in this article.

By: Shane

Shane — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:38:24 +0000

If only it were that easy… Why just doing it can sometimes be so difficult is a subject I have been researching lately. Not least because I’m a bit of a procrastinator myself. I believe that nowadays, while it’s easier to distract oneself than ever before, there are many more opportunities for self-expression and building meaningful businesses.