Archives: just do it

This blog has been offline for almost 3 months. The first month was spent wondering what to do with it, the following two re-jigging the code and re-designing the site, getting it ‘just so’ before launch.

Why, then, did I launch the site yesterday before it was fully ready, while I’m still not 100% happy with it?

Two reasons:

1. I’m not sure it’s ever possible to be 100% happy with anything – there will always be things that bug me and that I want to change. So I’ll just change them as I go.
2. It’s far more important just to get it out there than constantly be thinking about getting it out there.

In all the huffing and puffing over lines of code and photoshop files, I lost sight of the fact that the purpose of this blog is to keep me focussed on what’s important. Getting the perfect website just right isn’t one of those things.

Far better to get things out there, to open yourself to the world – to ‘ship‘ in Seth Godin terms – than to sit on your butt and think about doing something that you may eventually ship.

What project (or projects) are you sitting on, waiting for an excuse to start? When are you going to start? And when are you going to get it out there?

I’ve been in a funk since the weekend.

Working too hard, not playing enough and feeling generally a little run down, I’ve been struggling to concentrate and get my head in order with no inspiration to get anything done.

Then, today, thanks to a friend on Twitter, I did the one simple thing that works every time. I got off my arse.

The simple act of standing from your sofa, your desk, your workbench and going and doing something can be all the inspiration you need to get back up and at ’em.

Next time you’re funking1, just choose something, get up and DO IT.

1. new word! [↩]

For years the iconic sports brand have been telling us to ‘Just Do It‘. It works as a slogan because it’s short, it’s snappy and it’s easy to remember.

It also works because it’s true; the single best way to make anything happen is just to do it.

If you’re sitting around thinking of all the things you ought to be doing, you’ll never get anywhere. If there’s something to be done just get up and get on with it. The sooner you do, the sooner it’ll be done and you can get back to the other tasks on your To Do list1.

Even when it comes to big things, although you made need to break them down into smaller, more achievable chunks, you start down the road by simply taking that first step.

Yesterday, after much delay and dilly-dallying, I finally committed myself to attacking the 3 Peaks Challenge later this year. How? I contacted a journalist friend at my local paper and got them to run this piece on me to help me find a trainer.

Not only will I hopefully get some expert supervision and advice, but I’ve also announced the trip to the world in a way that will keep me honest, make me stick to my goals and motivate me to achieve what I’ve set out to do.

Expect more on the 3 Peaks and my journey towards it in the coming weeks. But, right now, what are you doing to “just do” today”?

1. or just chilling out [↩]