This week, after months of procrastination, I finally sat down to do The Thing.
Why did it take me so long?
The same reason it’s taking you so long to do your version of The Thing:
The Thing will save you time and complications in the long run, but it requires an up-front investment of time now.
How much time? You don’t exactly know. That’s one of the features of The Thing. The Thing seems like it should take five minutes, but it also might take several hours.
Or The Thing might turn out to be more than one thing. There is so much task-related debris attached to The Thing, it’s like sticking a hanger down a hair-clogged bathroom sink. Once you start rooting around, you don’t know what you’re going to pull up.
Will you have to sit on the phone with tech support? Will you have to dig up old medical records? Will you realize your account requires two-factor authentication from an email address you don’t use anymore?
Maybe all of the above.
That’s why you haven’t started it yet.
But here’s why you should:
The Thing is up-front investment of ugh meant to get some aspect of your life on autopilot way into the future.
Once The Thing is done, you can delete a recurring reminder on your phone. Or you can start carrying a lighter bag. You can put down one the balls you’ve been juggling so you no longer have to worry about dropping it.
You might need a deadline to get you to sit down and do The Thing, so here it is: Finish your version of The Thing within one week of reading this post, then email me to tell me about it.
I will reply with a series of congratulatory emojis.
Not only that, I will be truly happy for you.
Because there is nothing like the feeling you get when you have finally sat down and finished The Thing.
If you’d like individualized help getting aspects of your life or classroom on autopilot, you can book a session of See Me After Class Office Hours.
Office Hours are confidential one-on-one professional development sessions over Zoom or by phone. We can discuss any teaching-related topic you’re trying to untangle–including finally sitting down to do The Thing.
To book a session, choose one of the options below and select an available time from the calendar. If you experience any technical difficulties, you can also try this direct link to the booking page.