Why "Just-do It" Doesn't Work: How To Finally Start Your Passion Project
3 practical tips to overcome resistance
"Just do it!"
How often have you heard this advice when delaying your passion project? It sounds easy, but if you're passionate about it, you would do it, right?
It's brutal advice. It beats you over the head when you're vulnerable. For some, direct encouragement from a friend is all it takes to get moving. But for most, it's not that simple.
Getting started can be effortless one day and feel impossible the next.
This article is for those difficult moments.
Why we say it (and why it doesn't work)
The appeal of "just do it" lies in its truth.
It's action-orientated:
Get moving.
Take that first step.
But everyone has those days where the smallest hurdle is insurmountable. This is where the advice fails. It may be true, but it's not useful.
The oversimplified and incomplete advice describes the act, but fails in two ways:
It doesn't acknowledge the hole you are in
It lacks the tools to dig you out.
You feel inadequate you can't follow such 'simple' advice and convince yourself it's best not to try.
But you desperately need to.
Repeatably postponing your passion project takes a hidden toll.
You become a bitter spectator to others' successes and growth. Especially those who dare pursue their interests.
Studies show that over time people regret their failure to act more than the actions they take. The weight of your unexplored potential drags heavier with time.
Here's what might be stopping you, and 3 practical tips to get you started.
Understanding your barriers
Everyone has hidden barriers to starting.
They are shaped by your childhood traumas, social circles, and environment. The most common include:
Fears. Criticism, judgement, or failure can be paralysing. That familiar inner voice that stops you before you begin:
"You'll look stupid"
"People will make fun of you"
Self-doubt and limiting beliefs crush your ability and destroy your drive.
"You're not good enough"
"You're not a creative type"
Overwhelm & Overthinking. Too many choices, too many possible outcomes. Too many "what ifs"
Perfectionism, comparison, expectation. Comparing your day 1 to someone else's year 10. Comparison is the thief of joy.
Your environment. Excessive friction between your current state and your desired behaviour.
The struggle is all these barriers are adaptive - designed to keep you safe and in your comfort zone.
But it's costly over time as regret builds.
3 simple tips to "Just do it"
1. Act like a scientist
Scientists don't fail - they gather data.
With each attempt they learn, create insights, and understand. Treat your project like an experiment and you can't fail. You only grow and improve.
Reframing your project as play means you cut through the pressure of success you heap on yourself. If you're "experimenting with writing" rather than "trying to become a writer" your inner critic loses its power.
Experiment with your project and see where it takes you.
2. Think big, start small
Ambitious goals motivate.
But without a starting point lofty goals quickly become fertiliser for overwhelm and doubt. You convince yourself it's something you don't want, and impossible to achieve.
The "just-do-it" advice seems insane. How are you just meant to write a book?
A more practical solution to the paralysis caused by the "just-do-it" advice, is using James Clear's "2-minute rule":
“When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
The idea is to make starting as easy as possible:
Writing a book, becomes write one sentence
Selling art, becomes sketch for 2 minutes.
Running a marathon, becomes lace-up your shoes
Each suddenly becomes something achievable.
Let your big ambitions inspire you, but let small steps guide you.
3. Design your environment for action
Your environment can either sabotage or support your project.
An environment full of temptations and friction kills any hope of starting.
We use the excuse that we need the perfect conditions to start, when starting is the perfect condition. But you can make it easier by adjusting your environment to make your desired behaviour easier.
Design a space that makes starting inevitable:
Keep your desk clean and your writing laptop on the table
Keep the sketch pad and pencil handy
Leave your shoes out the night before
The hardest part is over
Physics tells us an objects in motion tend to stay in motion.
Once you start, it becomes easier to keep going.
Experiment
Start small
Design your environment for action
Life is better without the regret of not trying.
What tips do you have to get started?
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