Undone Tasks
Working requires energy. Working hard requires a lot of energy. But the astounding fact is that being lazy and procrastinating require even more energy.
The more tasks that are piling up, the more our mind is worried about them. Our mind is not able to focus as much on the task at hand anymore, but is easily distracted and in a state of constantly underlying worry. And this is just a subdivision of fear.
Undone work, or the underlying fear cause negative stress. The more work stays undone, the more the pressure increases. And too much pressure again causes negative stress. Once the critical mass of undone tasks is reached, we are simply overwhelmed. The range of small hills (tasks) has amounted to a huge mountain (of tasks). A mountain on which we are standing halfway, without an option to get down as it appears too hard to climb-down, and without an option to go up as it appears too hard to climb up. Paralysis is the consequence. And paralysis leads to more undone tasks, more fear, more pressure.
And the viscous circle has started. Because due to the paralysis, less work is done, more stress builds up and you might end at a state of depression or burn out. Some consider that their only option to escape the mountain is to jump. So they close their business or quit their job.
This is yet another reason why is pays to work hard. And why working hard is not half as hard as being lazy.
In order to get to a state where energy is flowing towards you, you need to be on the top of your game. All undone tasks, unpaid invoices, unanswered emails, letters, or requests have to be answered to unblock yourself. If you are not yet on the mountain, good for you. You just need to make sure that you will stay on top of your tasks.
If, on the other the hand, you have realised that you are on a mountain or at least a hill that is growing and growing, you ought to do something about it. If you have already entered the state of paralysis, you need to understand that it won’t resolve any problems, but only create new ones. You need to leave this state of apathy and get on to work on your undone tasks, before anything else.
Stop taking on new tasks for the moment and dedicate yourself to do even the most painful tasks. One at a time with all the energy you have left. With each task you finish, each invoice you pay and each problem you take care of, your energy levels will increase. The mountain will shrink. And once that mountain is gone, you won’t waste your energy on worry and fear anymore. This is when you will have the energy required to work hard to move forward.